Don ´t let Lonely Planet be your only source of information for Nazca!   Coming from Lima, we weren ´t really expecting much out of the dusty city, but we were very fortunately wrong.   Our stay in Pirwa Hostel was cozy like grandma ´s house and its manager, Fernando, was chock-full of all of the information that we could possibly need.   He also organized our tour to the Nazca Lines and another one to the incredible Chauchilla Cemetery.
The sleepy town came alive during one evening when we were wandering around, about to retire for the night.   As we came upon the Plaza de Armas, we saw a glittery, blue stage set up with hundreds of spectators cheering and waving balloons.   We heard what was happening way before we saw it…It was Nazca Idol:   the pre-teen version.   On stage was a young girl, no more than eleven years old, hand on hip while the other gripped the microphone with confidence that I still can ´t muster, imploring the crowd, ¡arriba las manos!   Apparently the judges weren ´t too impressed with her talent, because her scores were quite low.   My personal vote went to the nine year old boy who hit the floor on both knees while crooning ¨Contigo Períº. ¨   We paid 2 soles for a plate of fried donuts with honey and enjoyed the show, complete with a parade of fully-costumed school-children.