!!!Geoglyphs in Palpa Valley

by Stanislav Sedov and Dmitriy Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

1 February 2012

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

!Nazca and Palpa lines. South America, Peru

No one knows exactly what Nazca lines are. The only indisputable fact is
that they are located in South America, at the Nazca Desert plateau in
the southern part of Peru. They were added to the list of UNESCO World
Heritage sites in 1994. However this is where the indisputable facts
end, leaving the scientists with numerous unsolved mysteries.

Scattered around the plateau, the lines are gigantic geoglyphs
representing geometrical and nature objects. They are carved about 135
cm wide and 40-50 cm deep in the ground. It is impossible to recognize
an actual image from the ground level, as "one can only see the big
picture from the distance". This is why the Nazca Lines were discovered
only in 1939 when airplane flights have become possible.

[{Image src='01_Nazca lines, the Spider.jpg' caption='Nazca lines, the Spider' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

Ever since this time, year after year, many scientists have searched for
the answers to "Who?" and "Why?" questions. The majority of them share
an opinion that the lines were created by Nazca Civilization that
flourished at the plateau prior to 200 AC, long before the Inca
Civilization. But what purpose did the lines serve? The could be the
world's largest astronomy calendar (although researchers have not yet
figured out how it'd work); or they could serve as landing lights for
alien spacecrafts just as well.

The themes of Nazca Lines have vary from flowers, geometric shapes,
animals, and birds to even insects. The smallest figure is a 46-meter
spider, and the largest — a 285-meter pelican...

At the end of 2011 two of our colleagues left for South America: the
photographer Dimitriy Moiseyenko and the pilot of the radio-controlled
helicopter, Stas Sedov. Their assignment was to photograph the lines in
the Nazca and Palpa deserts of Peru; Machu Picchu, the ancient monument
of Inca Civilization; and the Easter Island stone figures. You may find
the virtual tour from Nazca desert here and now we present the photo
coverage of their trip to Palpa.

Chasing the colibri bird

During our first day we figured out that the dessert couldn't be
accessed neither by car, nor by foot. After speaking with policemen and
security tower guards, we found out that the local Ministry of Culture
was the only authority to grant special access permissions, and that
they would issue it only to archaeological groups. In the past the
access to the desert was absolutely unrestricted, and consequentially
wheels of SUV cars destroyed a significant number of geoglyphs.

[{Image src='02_Nazca lines, the Parrot and the Astronaut.jpg' caption='Nazca lines, the Parrot and the Astronaut' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='628'}]

Local authorities built several observation towers for tourists. We
found one of them right on the Pan-American Highway near Nazca, and
another one —  about 30 kilometers towards Palpa. Frankly speaking, the
"tourist" view from the observation towers is not that great. It is by
far more interesting to look at the figures from small airplanes flying
over the desert from the local airport.

[{Image src='03_Viewing tower.jpg' caption='Viewing tower' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='606'}]

[{Image src='04_View from the viewing tower.jpg' caption='View from the viewing tower' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

Our second day at Nazca got off on the wrong foot. Our plan was to go to
the remote point near Palpa in the morning and then to go into the
dessert and try getting closer to the figures. The observation site was
empty yesterday — there were no tourists or security guards. We assumed
that it would be empty at 6am as well. We were so naive...

We left at dawn, and here we were, standing at the observation area. Oh,
what bad luck! Just a few minutes ago the coast was clear, and now there
was a police jeep on the road: they seemed to appear from nowhere just
about 400 meters away from us. It would be practically impossible to
photograph now, since the figures were about 200-300 meters away from
the observation site. We could fly there, but it would be very difficult
to take quality photos.

[{Image src='05_Police car.jpg' caption='Police car' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='601'}]

After a few minutes of brainstorming, we decided to give it a try and
fly there. We made a couple of trial spherical panoramas, landed and
realized, that we were out of luck today: all figures looked very small
and far away. Oh well, we decided to make a deal with the police. We
drove to the Jeep just to see a sleeping police officer. Trying not to
wake up the guard on duty, we rushed back to our observation site. The
following events occurred just like in a spy movie...

We picked up the equipment and started moving through the desert towards
the figures. When we were half way there Dima noticed that the policeman
was no longer asleep. Instead, he got out of the car and was watching
us! It looked like we got busted! What should we do? Run? We opted for
an unconventional approach and started shooting right in front of the
policeman. We got up in the air, shot several spherical panoramas and
landed, constantly glancing back at the policeman. There was no
reaction. Maybe he didn't notice us? Hiding in the glens we came closer
to the figures. The terrain was perfect for disappearing from the police
patrol.

We started to fly actively, always expecting to hear shouting from
behind our backs. In about half an hour I climbed up from another ravine
just to find a completely empty road: the police Jeep drove away. Most
likely we got lucky and he didn't notice us! So we continued working
very close to the figures. We used up almost all helicopter batteries,
saving a couple of charged ones for flying over the observation site
near Nazca.

[{Image src='06_Before the flight in Palpa.jpg' caption='Before the flight in Palpa' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='560'}]

Tired, but very content, we returned to our car. At the very last moment
Dima decided to take more pictures with his telephoto lens, and while
changing the lenses, he left the car keys inside.

Now, we must say that the crime rate in Peru is quite high, so local car
alarms are designed to lock the doors automatically if the engine is not
started in a couple of minutes after you open the car. And once the
engine starts, doors get locked right away.

As you can imagine, our car keys got locked in the car while Dima was
taking pictures.

So, we were locked out in the dessert, within several hours of walking
to the nearest village, and not a soul around. Our tools and water were
in the car. All we had was the helicopter and the camera with a huge
lens. We tried pressing down the windows — useless. After a couple of
intents, I suggested to break a back door window. Dima's dramatic
dilemma — to break or not to break — was documented, and now you can
watch it here.

I quickly imagined the police discovering our lifeless dehydrated bodies
next to the intact car, and strongly encouraged Dima to find a solution.
And so he did! After giving it some thought he suggested that instead of
the back window we should break a small back vent to reach for the keys.
After searching the surroundings for a few minutes we found several
pieces of steel wire (from a roof of the local "museum" that looked more
like a bus stop), which Dima used to "fish" our keys from the car. We
were saved!

On the way back to Nazca we took more pictures of the Tree and the
Hands, and tried to photograph the Lizard. Security personnel told us
how to find the local Ministry of Culture and so we decided to obtain
the official permit for entering the desert.

The Minister-Archeologist was absent from his office when we came there
in the morning. His secretary explained by gestures (because almost
nobody speaks English there) that we'd have to return after lunch.

What should we do? Dima suggested flying over the desert on a small
airplane. He wanted to photograph the figures, which were not accessible
by foot, and I was supposed to film the process; but most importantly, I
had to figure out the way to access one of the famous figures avoiding
police cordons.

[{Image src='07_Nazca lines, the Monkey.jpg' caption='Nazca lines, the Monkey' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

The flight. No, actually it was THE FLIGHT!!! Although I have a great
flying experience, this gave me more adrenaline than flying a motorized
hang glider. I'll skip the details of how we had to negotiate in the
airport, and how later on they tried to cheat us on almost every point
of our agreement.

So, the plane was at the lineup for take off. As our pilot started to
play with the engine, adjusting the fuel mix, I realized what a great
"entertainment" was in store for us. Surely, instead of stopping at the
beginning of the runway, the pilot taxied further back onto the dirt
road, trying to add another ten meters for the acceleration. The engine
roared and our "Cessna" streamlined down the runway quickly increasing
its speed. Lift off! However, it was not a quick take off. Instead, we
started slowly climbing up, one meter per second: quite an unpleasant
experience.

What makes flights over Nazca so challenging? It is a hot low-density
air with strong winds blowing over the plateau. We often noticed
tornadoes of various sizes in the desert. I even got one of those
tornadoes on video during our take-off.

In a few minutes we were flying 600 meters above the desert. Here was
the first figure — the Whale. If the second pilot (a girl) wouldn't
point it out, I would miss it. Expecting to see large geoglyphs, your
mind doesn't want adjust to their true size right away. This is why it's
practically impossible to spot them. Unlike the figures, the lines and
the trapezoids are clearly visible.

[{Image src='08_Nazca lines, the Whale.jpg' caption='Nazca lines, the Whale' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

Getting closer to the next figure, our pilots took a sharp turn, making
few circles and lurching at the most impossible angle. At the same time
strong gusts of wind threw our plane from side to side. It felt like a
rollercoaster, only several times stronger. It was amazing to see Dima
leisurely hanging from the open airplane window, taking one picture
after another with his telephoto lens, perfectly composing each frame...

[{Image src='09_Nazca lines, the Condor bird.jpg' caption='Nazca lines, the Condor bird' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

Dima recorded a GPS track during the flight, so we hoped that it'd help
us find the Colibri rather quickly. After landing at the airport we
tumbled out of the plane absolutely exhausted but reassured that one of
the dirt roads could take us right to the Colibri figure. 50 minutes of
our flight passed by unnoticed, if not to mention that my face went from
being muddy-gray to greenish in color.

[{Image src='10_After the flight.jpg' caption='After the flight' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

Another visit to the Ministry: it looked like the Archeologist never
showed up in his office, so his secretary declared with a sigh:
"Mañana", which meant: "Come again tomorrow". And so we decided to set
off to our quest for the Colibri after a short break in the hotel.

This figure was located somewhat away from the main road. We chose to go
in the evening, when touristic planes would have already finished
flying. Except for the pilots, no one could really see us — I haven't
noticed any activity in this area during our flight.

Our path to the mountains started off relatively easy, with a
well-pressed dirt road. Unfortunately, I couldn't spot any particular
landmarks during our flight so we had quite an emotional debate with
Dima about which way to go and where to park our car. Dima kept showing
me his GPS track and pointing to the opposite direction (from my point
of view). I insisted on my choice of direction relying entirely on my
visual memory, and just by a miracle I was able to persuade Dima (and by
using some convincing words) to follow my lead.

According to our estimations, there was only 15-20 minutes of a daylight
left. The time was pressing, especially taking into account that we
didn't exactly know where to go.

We climbed up the mountain, heading towards the desert. As we got to the
top I looked around and felt rather desperate: it wasn't the plateau, it
was just one of the spurs on the way to it. We had to go 70 meters down
a steep slope made of sand and stones, cross a valley and climb up about
100 meters more. We're not going to make it! Dima doubted that we could
even descend there without breaking our legs. However, we pulled
ourselves together and ran downhill, scattering stones...

Our ascent was a blur. I lost my energy somewhere halfway up the
mountain: running at this elevation with the 15-kg backpack, the
equipment hanging around my neck, and the helicopter in my hands was not
the easiest task in the world. Dima took his camera out and shot a short
video.

Five more minutes of ascending, and we were on the plateau.

We made it! So where is the figure? We checked the GPS track again: we
should be very close, but there was nothing on the ground. We found some
lines that looked like the Colibri tail... We brought the copter up and
took some pictures. As soon as it landed Dima rushed to the camera. No,
that was not the Colibri, it was a strange little "sun" and a huge
landing strip for alien spacecrafts.

We kept on walking in the desert; the sun descended faster and faster.
There was just a couple minutes left of the daylight. We came across
another trapezoid or a line, and Dima said: "This place is called the
Nazca Lines, so since we couldn't find Colibri, let's shoot the lines".

I flew the copter quite high and we shot a spherical panorama. Then Dima
asked me to spin the helicopter around its axis, without shooting. I
usually don't do that due to the limited flight resources, but this time
I decided to go ahead. I really don't know why. I span off the
helicopter despite of the strong wind and average visibility, and
suddenly Dima yelled right into my ear: "COLIBRI!!! Shoot!!!

[{Image src='11_Nazca lines, the Colibri.jpg' caption='Nazca lines, the Colibri' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='600'}]

It turned out we were standing very close to this geoglyph (a very
little figure, to be precise — the bird was very small), without even
realizing it. Actually, it was clearly visible on the ground from a
short distance.

The Nature awarded us with a fantastic sunset. We haven't seen anything
like it in the past couple of days: clouds in the pink light, the moon
casting its silver shadow... We almost forgot why we got here in the
first place.

As we came to our senses, we made a couple of flights over Colibry,
before the sun has completely set behind the horizon. It is hard to put
in words the emotions we have experienced on this plateau. Apparently,
those who picked the location for this "little bird" knew something
beyond our comprehension. Or perhaps, we were just overwhelmed with
positive emotions of our successful mission...

While I was packing our equipment, Dima ran around the figure in
excitement, trying to shoot a documentary video and some ground-level
photos.

One thought was pounding in my head on our way to the car: we must
always keep on fighting, even when it seems that all is lost, that we
didn't make it, that we didn't find it...

The luck favors the persistent.

\\ \\
[6 Panoramas of Geoglyphs in Palpa Valley|Geography/America/Peru/Pictures/Panoramas_of_The_Geoglyphs_in_Palpa_Valley]\\
[9 Panoramas of Nazca Lines. South America|Geography/America/Peru/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Nazca_Lines._South_America]










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