 A lost moai looks vainly out to sea |
I'm almost ashamed to admit that it was the altogether incredible author, Erich von Daniken, who fired my fascination with far-off and mysterious lands.
When Chariots of the Gods burst onto TV screens in the early '70s, I was but a naïve, goggle-eyed youngster all too ready to consume these wild theories. But quite apart from perpetrating outlandish notions of alien interference, the charlatanic von Daniken did introduce me to some of the little known mysteries of the ancient world.
The magnificent and mysterious realm of the Mayas of Central America, the perplexing and complex Nazca lines of Peru and the huge, stony-faced inhabitants of Easter Island intrigued me to the point of near-fanaticism. It was then that I resolved to visit each of these fascinating locations and discover for myself the wonders within.
Now, some thirty years later and with a modicum of wisdom in tow, I am beginning to cross these enigmatic sites off my very short list. Each visit duly dispels any rumours of extraterrestrial involvement, but rekindles anew my childlike enthrallment with the persistent mysteries.
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