Alot has happened in this part of the World in the last month with floods in peru stranding thousands of tourists in Machu Picchu only days after we left the site, and an earthquake off Chile. Luckily we weren´t affected by the latter although if you were paying attention to the British media you may have noticed a ´missing couple´ (now safe) called Andre and Laura. Check our facebook photos and you will see us partying with them in Huanchaco where we were taking over from them as teachers. As keen surfers they were in a small coastal town in Chile when the earthquake struck, thankfully they managed to flee to higher ground and eventually get to Santiago. Although a tsunami warning was issued for Peru nothing became of it. However fellow volunteer Liz was awoken by a banging on her door by another volunteer Rob, who had ´heard the alarm sound´ and was running to higher ground. Rob sprinted for the safety of the church to find 4 other gringos who were ín his words ´very concerned´. Sadly for Rob the wave never arrived and it turned out that the alarm had in fact been a local brassband practicing. Anyway on with the blog from where we left off…

We left Arequipa for Nasca which is home to the Nasca lines more about these later. After being unceremoniously thrown of our bus at 5am we found ourselves in our destination fuzzy headed and in Sadies case drugged to eyeballs from a slightly stronger than expected sleeping tablet. A lady approaced us and gave us a flyer for a hostel called ´friends house´, on the front it listed various amenities (hot water, kitchen, free Internet) that you come to expect from hostals. Unfortunately these were all lies and we endured a night in the worst hostel in South America. Now we are not high class travellers but there are certain things you don´t want from a hostel for example: Being locked in your boiling hot room for an hour, cockroaches in the kitchen drawers, rude and uncaring staff, a fat smelly teenager running the place who feels pain when he has to interact with other human beings, and missing your bus because the owner has vanished with the keys to your valubles locker. I could go on but for a more in depth explanation please read my review at http://www.geckogo.com/Lodging/Peru/Southern-Coast/Nazca/Friends-House/ However i had the last laugh and it has been de-listed from the latest edition of lonely planet.

The next day was my birthday so we took a taxi to the local airfield where we had booked a flight over the Nazca lines. The only way to see these is from the air and they really are amazing. Created by the Nazca people thousands of years ago no one knows what they are for, but there are many theories such as: Astrological maps, indicators of where to find water, ceremonial areas or extra terrestrial markings. As we flew over them we saw thousands of lines and triangles criss crossing the desert and some fantastic drawings depicting a humming bird, a monkey, a condor and something that looked like a chicken nugget with hands. It was fantastic to behold something that is a total mystery in its uses and creation when in everyday life we seem so need to understand everything around us and why it is there. After we landed we made for the bus to Huacachina. By this time we had met up with a kiwi friend from Arequipa called Courtney and a Brazilian girl. Huacachina is an emerald green oasis surrounded by giant sand dunes where you can rent sand boards and ride in sand buggies. After checking into our hostel (with pool, and poolside bar…well it was my birthday) we arranged a trip in a sand buggy. I took up prime position in the front and off we roared in what can only be described as a monster. Our driver ruben took us roaring across the desert at what felt like a hundred miles an hour before driving up and down impossibly steep slopes. It was better than any rollercoaster i have ever been on and something i would highly reccommend. We careered back across the dunes as the sun was setting to finísh off a perfect day in the bar. By this time our group had increased by two (a Scot called Matt and an Aussie airline pilot called ROB). The night started with the worst game of pool ever played and i can´t remember the end. Adios amigos