Overnight to Arequipa

Overnight bus is a pleasant surprise. No overnight bus is ever pleasant but Peruhop came up trumps with a posh double decker, leather recliner seats, plush blankets and a clean urinal.

'Hopping on' in Huacachina I met up again with fellow Brits from dune buggy outing which was a nice familiar feeling.

First stop:

 Pisco . For the obligatory vineyard tour with free pisco tasting. Again. It's a hard life 😊

Second stop:

Nazca viewing tower.

It's hard to believe these lines are been here for thousands of years. Seen from a plane ( which I didn't, obviously) the drawings go on for hundreds of kilometres.  All the outlines represent icons sacred to the Inca civilization.  I'm told, as per the candelabra, that this is to do with the endurance of the mineral used, which withstands the endless desert winds.

The Nazca Lines

Do I believe they are genuine. Actually yes, because sometimes you just have to believe. And this time I do.

Then the long, long, drive through the desert to Arequipa. In the setting sun the landscape was magical.  All too soon night fell and we curled up in our seats to "slerp'. Um. It's just like being on a plane, a necessary means to an end. Personally I'd rather sleep in a bed!

Scenery from the bus

Arrived at 5 am and the night staff here at the genteel Casa del Avila kindly let me in to my room. At which point I simply lay down fully clothed and went properly to sleep at last.