I’ve been back in Australia for a total of two weeks, and my time in South America now feels like a distant memory, a perpetual dream like state.
However, even though it’s over and I’ve surprisingly settled into my old routine (I’m not sure I could really call it a routine, it’s more like a series of intangible events which occur over time), but South America really was something else.
My time in this foreign majestic land taught me so much about myself, but more importantly it taught me about life. And since I can’t physically relive my adventures (yet), I thought I’d share my adventures with you.
So after a slightly tearful goodbye to my parents in Brisbane airport, and 17 hours of flying, we arrive in Lima the capital of Peru. We traveled down the coast of Peru, before arriving in Nazca; home of the Nazca lines.
The Nazca lines are these amazing, mysterious lines in the earth, supposedly created by the Nazca culture between 400 and 650 AD, that’s like way before the IPhone 5.
Now the only way to see the lines is by plane, and those who know me know I don’t enjoy flying, especially in a 4 seater plane shortly after signing a liability waiver form for injury and/or loss of life….#YOLO?
Our plane.
Our reaction to said plane.
After a 10-minute wait in a tin shed, we walk out onto the tarmac and we see our plane.
It’s literally no bigger than my Holden Barina and I know for a fact that my car couldn’t fly.
The co-pilot straps us in, and all I can think about is the plane that crashed over the lines in 2007, killing everyone onboard. Positive thinking: nailed it.
We take off and it was easily the worst flight of my life. My hands griped the seat in front of me for the duration of the flight. And our pilot spoke very little English, but he was wearing aviators so I’m pretty sure he was the real deal.
After a bumpy ascend the plane flips to the right and after I regain my stomach I see the figure of the monkey and somehow regardless of the extreme terror I was in, catching a glimpse of the ancient figure was worth the fear of plummeting to the ground in a ball of flames.
The Nazca Lines: The Astronaut
As we all swapped stories about how terrifying our experience was, I couldn’t help but think to myself how lucky we all were. We’re sitting in a restaurant in the Peruvian desert drinking cerveza (I’m cultured, I speak Spanish now) and right about now I’d give just about anything to be back in that little plane.
So I guess what I’m trying to stay is that South America has taught me a couple very important life lessons;
Trust anyone wearing aviators, because they will take off and land a plane with great success.
And lastly, no matter how terrifying something is, you should jump in with both feet. This has been another life lesson, tune in next week to learn how I survived the Inca Trail.
– Adios chicos
Project Me 