Category: Peru

Peruvian Jungle Madness

Peru

Our trip to Peru included a steamy, exhilarating push into the Amazonian Jungle. A two hour boat ride  took us down the Tambopata River where there were no roads and few people.

We flew into Puerto Maldonado to begin the jungle excursion. This was the second jet plane needed to make it there since the first one experienced engine trouble and we turned back to Cuzco. I knew something was amiss when the pilot came on the intercom and asked us to ” remain calm!”  It was a hard landing in Cuzco but we all remained calm….

 

Moto Taxis in Puerto Maldonado. No emergency landings needed.

 

This boat looked safe……

 

 

Local kids

 

Apocalypse Now?

 

Cute Cayman

 

Our jungle lodge

 

Sheets were used to keep the giant insects from devouring us through the night.

 

The house Monkey, Pepe. Pepe was like your pet dog or cat and would jump into your lap while relaxing in a hammock

 

El Gato Falls

 

Searching for the Lost City of Z. Didn’t find it either.

 

Forbidden Fruit

 

Love was in the air…

 

Our guide took us on a nighttime boat ride, spotting for Cayman.

 

He also showed us a walking tree. It moves a few inches during the day in order to find sunlight through the thick canopy overhead.

 

This tarantula was definitely moving.

 

Thick vegetation, thankfully we had a guide.

 

 

Cuzco, Peru

Peru, Photography

Cuzco is a Quechua word that means center or navel and Cuzco was just that as the capital of the Inca Empire.  Spanish Conquistador Francisco Pizarro took control of the city in 1533 and the Inca Empire which totaled more than 12 million people at that time.

A major earthquake in 1650 heavily damaged the city but the Roman Catholic priests and monks  greatly influenced the reconstruction, most of which you can observe today in Cuzco. Cuzco is also a major tourist area as a starting point for trips to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley.

Church of the Society of Jesus.

 

MOTHER HANDLES NEWBORN IN ALLEY IN CUZCO, PERU

 

THE STEEP AND NARROW COBBLESTONE STREET OF CUZCO,PERU

 

 

COURTYARD OF CUZCO PERU’S LA CATHEDRAL

 

 

 

THE YOUNG

 

 

 

 

THE OLD

 

 

 

CUZCO PERU’S LA CATHEDRAL IN THE PLAZA DE ARMAS TOOK 100 YEARS TO BUILD, STARTING IN 1559

 

THE COLORFUL

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE RED-TILED ROOFS ACCENTUATE THE ARCHITECTURE IN CUZCO.PERU

 

 

 

SPIDERMAN AND A MANNEQUIN ON A CUZCO, PERU STREET

 

 

Window shopping for Inca Chess Boards

 

Reaching Machu Picchu

Peru, Photography

Post two of my Peru images.  Arriving at Machu Picchu. I don’t think Hiram Bingham saw Machu Picchu like this in 1911. As a matter of fact, it was covered in vines and other vegetation. But the archeologist discovered the remains with help from the locals and eventually determined that this was the lost capital of the Inca Empire. This view has been disputed since many think Vilcabamba was the real lost city.  Most impressive is its precisely-cut stone walls, bound together without mortar. It is thought that Machu Picchu was built around 1450.

 

Temple Of The Sun

 

URUBAMBA RIVER FROM THE TOP OF MACHU PICCHU IN PERU

 

From nearby Huayna Picchu, which rises steeply  850 feet above the ruins. It’s amazing from this view to see that Machu Picchu is rather small compared to the surrounding landscape.

 

The climb up Huayna Picchu is very, very steep……

 

My friend Bob stood out amongst the ruins. We arrived early in the morning when it wasn’t so crowded.

 

 

Finely carved rock walls.

 

 

My friend Jennifer poses.

 

The terraces of the agricultural zone.

 

The house llamas

 

A LONE TREE GROWS IN THE PLAZA OF MACHU PICCHU. THE TREE WAS FIRST A STUMP USED FOR SUPPORT BUT SPROUTED INTO A FULLY GROWN TREE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Memories Of Peru

In The Country, Peru, Photography, Rivers, Seasons, Waterfalls

A good friend of mine is leaving for Peru today and I’ve told her all the must-see places to photograph. So I decided to post some images from my trip there 10 years ago. It’s quite a place that includes colorful landscapes and people. This first of five posts covers our trek to Machu Picchu via the Salkantay Trail

Our destination for this trek.

 

The bus leaves at 5am from Cuzco, bringing us to Mollepata, the beginning of the Salkantay Trail.  The bus not only took us, but stopped along the road and picked any locals looking for a lift.

 

Three Colorful Peruvians

 

Family in Mollepata.

 

Leaving Mollepata.

 

I believe this was Pablo Escobar’s Hideout….

 

That’s Nevado Salkantay in the distance, rising some 20,000 feet in the Peruvian Andes. We would eventually make it to Salkantay Pass at 15,000 feet.

 

Packing up, day two.

 

 

 

THE RIO BLANCO

 

Heading up the fog-shrouded pass.

 

Spoiled Cattle

Salkantay Pass where it was snowing and then raining….

 

 

Our trek was at the very end of the rainy season so all the rivers and creeks were quite swollen.

 

The roaring Rio Santa Theresa winds its way through the Andes.

 

Tired.   

 

During part of the trek, it was necessary to be transported by van. I was thinking I’d rather walk.

 

The young woman nursing her baby was actually pressed up against my right arm so I moved a bit to get the photo. I don’t think she noticed. The baby certainly didn’t.

 

On the other side of Salkantay Pass, we made it to a tropical valley.

 

Vegetable stand in Santa Theresa.

 

 

 

I’ll take an order of flies with that…….

 

THE URUBAMBA RIVER FLOWS THROUGH A LUSH TROPICAL VALLEY NEAR SANTA TERESA,PERU

 

The easy way to cross the mighty Urubamba River.

 

 

A WILD POINTSETTIA FLOWER GROWS IN THE URUBAMBA RIVER VALLEY,PERU

 

The town of Aguas Caliente at the foot of Machu Picchu. The train takes you right to your hotel.

 

Wood-fired Peruvian pizza!

 

 

 

 

The Colorful People Of Peru

Images, Out In The Field, Peru, Photography, Photos

Peru has its amazing landscapes and lost cities but I was really struck by the people. The young, old and in between. All photos by Dawn2Dawn Photography.

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