Pictures from Peru!

[Jawo]

I finally getting around to posting photos from this year. Just posted some of the favorites from the trip. Of course, I got sick on the day I went the citadel of Machu Picchu itself...so I didn't get any of the pictures that I was hoping for. Still had a great time see the different culture in mountainous Peru. I have also included many pictures of the food and dinner-tainment as well.

Comments / criticism welcome!

http://flickr.com/photos/10070...ets/72157607246729785/

 

[andylawcc]

was it difficult lugging around with your canon and gear? Was you particularly worry about dust and such since you were hiking through the mountains?

 

[OdiN]

http://flickr.com/photos/10070...set-72157607246729785/

I'm sorry....but I don't eat any food that still has claws.

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: OdiN
http://flickr.com/photos/10070...set-72157607246729785/

I'm sorry....but I don't eat any food that still has claws.

yea WTF is that


also i love those stone walls, those things are amazing considering when they were built

 

[corkyg]

Your pictures took me back to my Machu Picchu vists in 1966. I was filming 16mm movies then - got a very nice 800 foot reel out of it.

We spent three nights there at the inn, and did a lot of hiking. The spot where you were standing and the temple and Huayna Huayna were behind you is near the top of the ridge trail where there was an Inca sentinal post. That was the overland access trail The switchback road leading up from the Urubamba River was added in modern times to provide access to the railroad.

We flew in by Huey helicopter (Peruvian Air Force) and it landed right in the temple courtyard. That was really a thrill.

Were you able to climb Huayna Huayna?

Altitude sickness or "siroche" was common. A local remedy worked.

Did you eat Guinea pig? (a local delicacy.)

 

[Jawo]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Your pictures took me back to my Machu Picchu vists in 1966. I was filming 16mm movies then - got a very nice 800 foot reel out of it.

We spent three nights there at the inn, and did a lot of hiking. The spot where you were standing and the temple and Huayna Huayna were behind you is near the top of the ridge trail where there was an Inca sentinal post. That was the overland access trail The switchback road leading up from the Urubamba River was added in modern times to provide access to the railroad.

We flew in by Huey helicopter (Peruvian Air Force) and it landed right in the temple courtyard. That was really a thrill.

Were you able to climb Huayna Huayna?

Altitude sickness or "siroche" was common. A local remedy worked.

Did you eat Guinea pig? (a local delicacy.)

Yes, I ate Cuy, and it was rather unimpressive, kinda gamey. Not to mention the fact that it was a rather small meal. A friend had the still recognizable Cuy that Odin and Anubis noted.

I didn't get to fly there via the Peruvian Air Force....but that sounds like the way to do it. I hiked in over the trail (which is now highly regulated). Sounds like you had a blast there before it was a place to see! Aguas Calientas is a big tourist trap now, however its hard to avoid it considering its the ONLY town within a long distance.

I wanted to climb Huayna Picchu, however, I had the runs the night before (tried to shed too much weight) I also heard that someone fell off of it mid day and it was closed way early. The switchback road was probably the worst part of the experience...a unimproved narrow dirt road with 40 people on a small bus!

 

[Jawo]

Originally posted by: andylawcc
was it difficult lugging around with your canon and gear? Was you particularly worry about dust and such since you were hiking through the mountains?

I was (and still am) paranoid about my gear. I got a fanny pack from LL Bean to carry everything around in where I could keep an eye on the pick pockets. As I am a tall blonde, it just made me stick out like a bigger sore thumb than I already was. It worked out well though for about <1/4 of the cost of a real camera fanny pack from Think Tank. Theres always a danger to dust, but just be careful....and the majority of the pictures were taken with my Tamron 17-50.

 

[ghostman]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Did you eat Guinea pig? (a local delicacy.)

Cuy = guinea pig.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: ghostman
Cuy = guinea pig.

Yep - among other names.

cuy

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Sounds like you had a great adventure

Would you happen to know if one could spend the night there.... on the ground... somewhere... like go off into a forest nearby, hide, and just spend the night? Next morning wake up to the sunrise on the ruins?

How as the language barrier? Or did you pretty much keep to yourselves?

And yeah, Huey helicopters would be the way to do it

 

[Jawo]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
Sounds like you had a great adventure

Would you happen to know if one could spend the night there.... on the ground... somewhere... like go off into a forest nearby, hide, and just spend the night? Next morning wake up to the sunrise on the ruins?

How as the language barrier? Or did you pretty much keep to yourselves?

And yeah, Huey helicopters would be the way to do it

You can't camp in Machu Picchu itself, as I was told they search it every night. Its a pretty remote area (hence the fact it has lasted so long), there is the Sanctuary at the top, but it charges about $850 a night...if you go down the the town of Aguas Calientes, you can find rooms for 1/10 of that (or much less)! However, the first bus goes up at 6 am, which you can see the sunrise over the mountains (remember they were entering winter down there in May). I wanted to do that, but got sick and couldn't

I didn't really have a problem with the language barrier, most of the people spoke (shop owners, hotels, few restaurants) at least a few words of English.

 

[scott916]

Originally posted by: corkyg
A local remedy worked.

Let me guess, chewing coca? I've got to make it out to central america in the next couple years... it seems like one of the last places on the planet where the dollar still goes far enough to make it worth it for us broke college folk.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: scott916

Let me guess, chewing coca? [/quote]

Actually, no. It was a locally made pill - sort of aspirin-like, but most likely contained coca.