17-Jan-2010

Nasca, Peru. We get up to go fly the Nasca(Nazca) lines today. Weird stuff. The ancient people here made these lines and images on the desert about 2000 years ago. It is still very visible because the desert doesn't change or recover very much ever. Pretty interesting that these things existed for centuries but in wasn't until someone flew over them in an airplane sometime in the 1920's that anyone knew they existed.

There are many theories, but just that. No overriding evidence on way or the other on why they did it. Some theories involve space aliens or an astological chart of some kind. But I have a couple of my own theories.

Mark's Theory number 1. Besides these geogliphs, these people built underground aquifers to deliver water from the mountains to thier cities. So my theory is that they had a scientific/engineering segment of their society that did that stuff and they also had a hippy, peyote smoking, artsy part of their culture that decided to kick rocks in creative ways.

Mark's Theory number 2. There was once a visionary in this culture. He decided that someday man would create an airplane, but he thought there might not be enough to do with that airplane. So he had his people go out into the desert and kick rocks in a creative way so that 2000 years later someone could have a good flying business.

Does that line of airplanes look familiar?

Well, after that flight I got quite ill. I'll spare the details but it's not been good. Nick is better, but I was in rough shape. I got up this morning and typed this and feel better. Hopefully things will be good today.