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I had three days left and two things I wanted to do. First, I planned to take a flight over the Nazca Lines in southern Peru.

Peru & Ecuador 2002 - Part Four: Nazca

Dougburnett
2003-11-24 14:44:00

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was in fact good advice but, on reflection, I realized that if I had wanted to leave immediately I could have just gotten a bus to Ica - they leave constantly - and from there picked up the next bus to Lima.

Instead I had breakfast and then wandered back to the market. Like Puerto Maldonado, Nazca was best seen either in the morning or at night. The streets were now full of shoppers and the market was very lively.

Then I checked out of the hotel, walked across the street to an Italian restaurant and had lunch. Afterwards I sat for a while just watching the activity in the street and then went to find my ride back to Lima.

The bus pulled out at exactly 1:30. It was another Ormeno "Royal Class" bus and it took a little more than six-hours and three movies to get back to Lima. At the bus station I got a taxi (10 sol) out to La Molina where my e-friend Bette lived. She had given me precise directions, which I showed to the driver. They must have been pretty good because he only made one wrong turn. I arrived at Bette's apartment at 8:15.

There was a guard at the gate, plus I had to have Bette buzz me in. After a brief, "It's nice to meet you after so long," she gave me a cold beer and tour of all the treasures she had collected in Dubai, her last teaching assignment. After that we had several more beers (well, I did - she had to teach the next day) and talked about my experience in Peru and travel in general. All too soon it was time for bed. She offered me a tour of her school the next day and we agreed to meet at 9:00.

I slept in, had a leisurely breakfast and then walked across the street to the school. At the entrance there was a security station with one-way glass where I asked to see Bette. I had to fill out a form and leave my passport. Then a call was made and permission was granted for me to enter. I was buzzed in and given a visitor's badge to wear - they were very serious about security.

Inside was a large grassy area with several long two-story classroom buildings. I quickly found Bette's classroom. She teaches English and had a very nice room with windows that overlooks an athletic field behind the school. In the next hour she showed me the library, theater, and computer lab, and I also met several of her fellow teachers. She worked in a very nice setting.

After that I took a taxi back to Mercado Indio in Miraflores where I spent the next 5 hours fulfilling my gift giving obligations. I stopped several times to eat and finally at 4:00 took a taxi back to Bette's where I spent the rest of the afternoon talking to her.

Finally at about 8:00 I got a taxi to the airport where I checked in for my flight back to the States. Peru had been more interesting and fun that I had expected. In fact as I write I better appreciate how much I enjoyed Machu Picchu, the Sandoval Lodge, the market in Otavalo and the Nazca Lines - these were truly unique and fascinating places to visit. I also enjoyed the back streets and less frequented places in Peru and Ecuador. It was a great trip but, as always, I was glad to be heading home.

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