The Nazca Lines: a series of ancient geoglyphs drawn in the Nazca Desert in Peru. It's not clear why they were created but many hypotheses say they have religious or astrological significance.
I have to admit, from the plane window, I found it hard to make out the Nazca lines below and the whole experience of seeing them was a little less glorious for it. I even went first thing in the morning as other viewers said this was the best time of the day to see them. Photos I had seen on the internet made me think they were going to be starkly visible from the air so I was disappointed to see what looked like feint scratches in the sand.
Maybe those internet photos desensitized me to the real experience? Maybe I'm just acting like the guy who's watched too much porn and can no longer appreciate sex with a real person. Or maybe I'm disappointed in the hyped-up marketing campaign that lured me to this desert full of locals vying to make a quick buck off the tourists.
The lines themselves are captivating in their own right. But the opportunistic institutions built around them are as nauseating as the 35 minute plane ride I subjected myself to that morning.
What it really looked like out the plane window:
Same picture with the contrast jacked up so you can see the monkey figure:
Other notable figures (with the contrast maxed out):
Me and the pilot, Ricardo, after the flight. Super cool, very gregarious guy. His coworkers had nicknames for him like Casanova and John Travolta.
I have to admit, from the plane window, I found it hard to make out the Nazca lines below and the whole experience of seeing them was a little less glorious for it. I even went first thing in the morning as other viewers said this was the best time of the day to see them. Photos I had seen on the internet made me think they were going to be starkly visible from the air so I was disappointed to see what looked like feint scratches in the sand.
Maybe those internet photos desensitized me to the real experience? Maybe I'm just acting like the guy who's watched too much porn and can no longer appreciate sex with a real person. Or maybe I'm disappointed in the hyped-up marketing campaign that lured me to this desert full of locals vying to make a quick buck off the tourists.
The lines themselves are captivating in their own right. But the opportunistic institutions built around them are as nauseating as the 35 minute plane ride I subjected myself to that morning.
What it really looked like out the plane window:
Same picture with the contrast jacked up so you can see the monkey figure:
Other notable figures (with the contrast maxed out):
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| Astronaut |
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| Hummingbird |
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| Spider |
A former rat racer who took a break from the daily maze to start traveling instead. These are the testaments to that experience.
