Desert marvels

Today was almost literally out of this world. It began at 5 am, when we were picked up at the hostel by a couple of guys to go SAND BOARDING. It turns out Nazca, Peru, has the largest sand dune in the world right in its backyard! And what better way to enjoy it than a pre-dawn hike to the summit and then a wild ride down on a retro-fitted snowboard?!

We climbed and climbed and climbed some more. It was a tough hike, especially where the sand was really soft because it felt like I was sliding down more than going up. It was like a natural Stairmaster. But the views were amazing and seeing that much sand in a big pile was surreal. When we reached the top, we could see for miles and miles. I couldn´t stop saying "wow", which I know isn´t that eloquent, but it was ... wow. In three directions, it was unadulturated natural bliss. There was no sign of anything a human had made. And then north was Nazca, a dusty desert town with more taxis than people and full meals for under $2.

Going down was a blast once I got over my fear of going too fast ... or not going at all. But it turns out sandboarding isn´t nearly as hard as snowboarding (which I´ve tried once). It´s much easier to stay up and it´s also a lot more forgiving of a fall. Or a stop, if you pull my patent-pending, money-back-guaranteed ass plant! Just beware that the sand is HOT. Between the tempurature and the friction, my hands are still a little tender. But other than that, I´m no worse for the wear. Except, of course, that I´ll be finding sand in unexpected places forever!

After bathing (and, dang, it felt good to be clean!), I went to Nazca´s teeny tiny airfield. I was a little bit nervous because I´ve never been in such a small plane -- 6 people -- or such a small airport -- only the runway was paved. I climbed into a one-prop jet for a 30-minute flight over the area to see the famous Nazca Lines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazca_Lines). They were HUGE and so impressive. I left the plane wondering the same thing that people have since they were discovered -- why?? Quite a mystery, and well worth the $60 to see them in person. Only I won´t be signing up for another one-prop flight anytime soon -- my stomach wasn´t very entralled with the trip.

All in all, a spectacular day. The desert rocks. (What an unintended by very apt pun!)