Cusco to Nazca (Lines) - plenty of desert.
Trip Start
Apr 29, 2006
1
16
Trip End
Jun 05, 2006
Nazca, Peru
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Once out of Cusco, travelled on excellent 2 way highway as good as anywhere - great surface, and no traffic (yet).Declined from Cusco (3600m) to Nasca (600m) by end of day, but only after declining and climbing a couple of thousand meters(peaking at 4550 m) before resuming our decline.Started with very lush growth on the Altiplano and as we descended through valleys, but became a total rock desert by the time we got to Nasca - never seen anything like it -not sand, mainly rocks and NO top soil whatsoever (washed in to valleys).The valleys had signs of newly planted Aussie natives - Blue gums in particular, which we had also noticed on our way to MP yesterday - often close to road or railway line - we wonder if they realise how big these may grow and the trouble they will cause so close to power and rail lines? Result of some do gooding aid project to stop soil erosion, or an enthusiastic seed vendor? Who knows¿
The second half of the day was a fantastic blast down a canyon on this top class road, behind the Aussie V8´s - fantastic sound, and Oggy was wishing the Ferrari was here to give them a bit of competition!By now we had a few transport vehicles coming towards us on the road, and had the sight of a large articulated vehicle coming towards us on our side of road - perhaps it was a good idea we were only doing 120kph, as if Oggy had been in the Ferrari at 200kph+, maybe the truckie wouldn´t have reacted fast enough - so there is some downside risk! All through this fantastic road were unmanned toll booths - the only road to justify them, yet no longer collected on ths road - who knows why?
THEN, after 500kms, got to a town (Puquio) which had the WORST roads we had seen ANYWHERE in SA - just after the fantastic highway! Town had large manhole covers missing that would swallow a Hilux wheel, very rough, major transport vehicles comong at you through narrow smashed up road - hard to believe after what we had just been driving on.Once through the town, improved slightly but was a broken up ill maintained bitumen road through rocky desert all the way into Nasca. Once there, that town seemed little better - our hotel was in a street of sand with piles of sand and S*1t piled high in the middle - instructions- park anywhere in the street (it was blocked to traffic) and abandon your vehicle!
Hotel very average - had a room safe - problem, safe not attached to anything - so Garns took it to breakfast the next day and sat it on the table - we should have taken the thing away!!
