What I Did On My Summer Vacation: Peru 2011
Here are some pictures from my recent trip to Peru! It was rather bumpy (too many ridiculously early wake-up calls and LONG, sometimes scary, bus rides) but I saw some amazing places. It was particularly exciting to visit Machu Picchu on the winter solstice and in its 100th anniversary year. Traveling during the winter solstice (time of the Inti Raymi celebration) also meant some extra hassle, but it was exciting to observe the festivities that are part of their culture. The best surprise was the visit to the Uros Islands, because the way of life there is fascinating and the people seemed to have a wonderful sense of humor. Lastly, I think I could go the rest of my life without seeing a guinea pig again! (I’ll spare you the shots of the roasted one with its big nasty rodent teeth.)
Lima - Mosaics at the Parque del Amor (with views of the Pacific beyond)
Lima - The Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas
Lima - Bronze fountain in the Plaza de Armas
Lima - The Church of San Francisco
Chinchero - Close-up of a local woman weaving textiles
Sacred Valley - View from scenic outlook, en route from Chinchero to Urubamba
Sacred Valley - A view of the Andes, en route from Chinchero to Urubamba
Ollantaytambo - A narrow thoroughfare in part of the old city
Ollantaytambo - Flights of terraces (Spanish at the time of the Conquest report they were planted with brightly colored flowers)
Ollantaytambo - “Bath of the Princess” fountain
Maras - Local farmer and laden donkey
Moray - An amphitheater built by the Incas (possibly used for agriculture or spiritual ceremonies; the climate varies from one level to the next, suggesting it may have been a laboratory for farming methods)
Sacred Valley - View of Andean peaks across barley fields, en route from Moray to Maras
Maras - Salt pans from above (these pans receive salt water flowing from below the mountains; I tasted it - like ocean water but 10x more intense!)
Maras - A closer view of the salt pans, with some harvested salt in bags
Maras - Surface of a salt pan with crystals
Machu Picchu - The winding road from Aguas Calientes to the archaeological site (imagine riding up this narrow dirt road…on a bus…in the mud…and meeting another bus headed in the opposite direction)
Machu Picchu - View of surrounding mountains, with a bird in flight (upper right)
Machu Picchu - First view of the citadel with Huayna Picchu in the background
Machu Picchu - A view of building ruins
Machu Picchu - The Temple of the Sun, lower level (note how the masonry intermingles with the bedrock)
Machu Picchu - The Temple of the Sun, upper level (particularly significant on the solstice because it was built so the sun would shine directly into the window at dawn)
Machu Picchu - View of Huayna Picchu (right) and the hill the Intihuatana sits atop (left)
Machu Picchu - The Intihuatana (called “Hitching Post of the Sun”)
Machu Picchu - Terraces and the summit of Machu Picchu (llamas roam freely around here)
Machu Picchu - Portrait view of the citadel with Huayna Picchu backdrop
Machu Picchu - Wide view of the citadel with Huayna Picchu backdrop
Machu Picchu - The citadel and mountains viewed in the rain from Intipunku (Sun Gate) on the Inca Trail (quite a hike!)
Machu Picchu - My last view of the World Wonder (in both rain and shine!)
Machu Picchu - Double rainbow created by the paradoxical weather
Cusco - La Compania de Jesus, with Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) celebration in the Plaza de Armas
Cusco - The Stone of 12 Angles (quintessential example of Inca masonry, they fit stones so exactly that no mortar was needed)
Cusco - The Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas
Cusco - The bell tower of the Convent of Santo Domingo, built over the Inca temple of the Qorikancha
Raqchi - Central wall of the Viracocha Temple (likely the tallest roofed structure built by the Inca)
Raqchi - Ruins of the buildings surrounding the Viracocha Temple
En route to Puno - Local woman by the road
En route to Puno - View of a lake and surrounding countryside
En route to Puno - Camelids (probably alpaca) running off the road
Puno - Uros Island settlements on Lake Titicaca
Puno - Traditional boat on Lake Titicaca
Puno - Uros School children dressed for an Inti Raymi celebration
Puno - First hints of dawn over Lake Titicaca
En route to Arequipa - “Llama Crossing” sign
Nasca - The Trapezoid (below plane wing), a figure of the Nasca Lines
Nasca - The Hummingbird (center), a figure of the Nasca Lines
Nasca - The Spider, a figure of the Nasca Lines
Nasca - The Hands, a figure of the Nasca Lines
En route from Nasca to Lima - View of the mountains
Thanks for taking a look at my vacation pictures! I would like to share ones from my trip to New Zealand as well, which I did quite a bit of work on in the spring. But with recent laptop issues, I will probably have to start over with those, so it may be a while. If I get ambitious, I could pick out some Brazil/Argentina ones, since they are already edited. We’ll see!
Lima - Mosaics at the Parque del Amor (with views of the Pacific beyond)
Lima - The Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas
Lima - Bronze fountain in the Plaza de Armas
Lima - The Church of San Francisco
Chinchero - Close-up of a local woman weaving textiles
Sacred Valley - View from scenic outlook, en route from Chinchero to Urubamba
Sacred Valley - A view of the Andes, en route from Chinchero to Urubamba
Ollantaytambo - A narrow thoroughfare in part of the old city
Ollantaytambo - Flights of terraces (Spanish at the time of the Conquest report they were planted with brightly colored flowers)
Ollantaytambo - “Bath of the Princess” fountain
Maras - Local farmer and laden donkey
Moray - An amphitheater built by the Incas (possibly used for agriculture or spiritual ceremonies; the climate varies from one level to the next, suggesting it may have been a laboratory for farming methods)
Sacred Valley - View of Andean peaks across barley fields, en route from Moray to Maras
Maras - Salt pans from above (these pans receive salt water flowing from below the mountains; I tasted it - like ocean water but 10x more intense!)
Maras - A closer view of the salt pans, with some harvested salt in bags
Maras - Surface of a salt pan with crystals
Machu Picchu - The winding road from Aguas Calientes to the archaeological site (imagine riding up this narrow dirt road…on a bus…in the mud…and meeting another bus headed in the opposite direction)
Machu Picchu - View of surrounding mountains, with a bird in flight (upper right)
Machu Picchu - First view of the citadel with Huayna Picchu in the background
Machu Picchu - A view of building ruins
Machu Picchu - The Temple of the Sun, lower level (note how the masonry intermingles with the bedrock)
Machu Picchu - The Temple of the Sun, upper level (particularly significant on the solstice because it was built so the sun would shine directly into the window at dawn)
Machu Picchu - View of Huayna Picchu (right) and the hill the Intihuatana sits atop (left)
Machu Picchu - The Intihuatana (called “Hitching Post of the Sun”)
Machu Picchu - Terraces and the summit of Machu Picchu (llamas roam freely around here)
Machu Picchu - Portrait view of the citadel with Huayna Picchu backdrop
Machu Picchu - Wide view of the citadel with Huayna Picchu backdrop
Machu Picchu - The citadel and mountains viewed in the rain from Intipunku (Sun Gate) on the Inca Trail (quite a hike!)
Machu Picchu - My last view of the World Wonder (in both rain and shine!)
Machu Picchu - Double rainbow created by the paradoxical weather
Cusco - La Compania de Jesus, with Inti Raymi (Festival of the Sun) celebration in the Plaza de Armas
Cusco - The Stone of 12 Angles (quintessential example of Inca masonry, they fit stones so exactly that no mortar was needed)
Cusco - The Cathedral in the Plaza de Armas
Cusco - The bell tower of the Convent of Santo Domingo, built over the Inca temple of the Qorikancha
Raqchi - Central wall of the Viracocha Temple (likely the tallest roofed structure built by the Inca)
Raqchi - Ruins of the buildings surrounding the Viracocha Temple
En route to Puno - Local woman by the road
En route to Puno - View of a lake and surrounding countryside
En route to Puno - Camelids (probably alpaca) running off the road
Puno - Uros Island settlements on Lake Titicaca
Puno - Traditional boat on Lake Titicaca
Puno - Uros School children dressed for an Inti Raymi celebration
Puno - First hints of dawn over Lake Titicaca
En route to Arequipa - “Llama Crossing” sign
Nasca - The Trapezoid (below plane wing), a figure of the Nasca Lines
Nasca - The Hummingbird (center), a figure of the Nasca Lines
Nasca - The Spider, a figure of the Nasca Lines
Nasca - The Hands, a figure of the Nasca Lines
En route from Nasca to Lima - View of the mountains
Thanks for taking a look at my vacation pictures! I would like to share ones from my trip to New Zealand as well, which I did quite a bit of work on in the spring. But with recent laptop issues, I will probably have to start over with those, so it may be a while. If I get ambitious, I could pick out some Brazil/Argentina ones, since they are already edited. We’ll see!