Bathing Optional

Peru : Aug. 2006

Continents

Continents

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We entered Peru via the most remote border crossing from Peru and quickly combined forces with a Dane (Rienk) and a French couple (Gils and Florance).
One difference we quickly noted between Ecuador and Peru is the ubiquitous motorcycle taxi which can be found on pretty much every street weÂ´ve seen in Peru so far!
Boy on donkey in northern Peru.
Barbershops on every corner give us no excuse for our dissheveled and uncut hair.
Motorcycle taxi driver taking a break.
Love those motorcycle taxis.
Flowering tree.
In these small mountain villages youÂ´re more likely to find chickens running around in the streets than a paved road.
Boarding our mini-bus for the semi-important junction town of Jaen in northern PeruÂ´s mountains, we knew weÂ´d be safe with all the icons and religious stickers filling the interior of the van.
They REALLY love Jesus in South America. Stickers, posters, paintings, etc. cover most buses and many buildings.
Another image keeping us safe during those long, harrowing trips at breakneck speeds along mountain roads.
The passengers behind us on one of many mini-buses we took that day including the rooster that would spontaneously unleash a cock-a-doodle-do that shook the entire van ever 20 minutes or so.
One of many mountain villages we passed during our long day of travel to the larger town of Jaen.
One of the mini-buses we traveled in that day.
Village locals.
Beautiful scenes whizzing by our bus windows on our way towards Chachapoyas in northern Peru.
Ashe in the back of a motorcycle taxi.
More great scenery along the way.
Rice fields, roaring rivers and mountains.
Fancy mudflaps on a local motorcycle taxi.
San Pedro Ruiz, a lovely mountain town, with those half built, half unbuilt brick and mud buildings so typical of this part of Peru.
A view down PedroÂ´s river.
A local dog, and one of few non-mangy dogs.
Upon seeing us eyeing their dog, the owner quickly began to show off its tricks such as standing on its hind legs.
Motorcycle taxis everywhere!
A reminder that we are in Amazonas province in northern Peru.
Chachapoyas has a wonderful white-washed colonial main square.
One of ChachapoyasÂ´ main square buildings.
Chacapoyas block.
Tingo, our access town for the pre-Incan ruins at Kuelap.
Tingo homes.
Our hostel in Tingo.
The Virgin stands everywhere in South America!
Old bridge in Tingo.
Nice flowers.
Old square of some sort in Tingo.
Crumbling but beautiful.
Great home!
Balcony and garden flowers in Tingo.
More nice growth in Tingo.
Since weÂ´ve seen women openly breastfeeding just about everywhere in South America so far, we thought that this sign at the fringes of Tingo was very appropriate.
Seems any and all walls are used for political campaigning down here. WeÂ´ve seen all kinds of messages and slogans but this was the best! Vote no on chicken.
Taking the cows in at the end of a long day.
Sunset skies over Tingo.
Maciej enjoying the chilly evening peace by the stream in Tingo.
The next morning, we were up bright and early hiking up the mountain above Tingo on our way to the Kuelap ruins on the 3200 meter ridge above.
Views from the trail.
Home we passed along the way.
Llamas were making the hike up the hill as well!
Brother and sister selling snacks by the entrance to the Kuelap ruins.
Happy siblings.
Some llama feeding going on.
Love those llamas.
Another llama looking particularly distinguished.
The walled city of Kuelap was once filled with small circular homes like this one.
Approaching the ancient city of Kuelap we were faced with its immense fortifying wall.
Baby llama.
KuelapÂ´s city wall.
Ashe hiking towards the ancient city.
Another look at KuelapÂ´s great city wall.
One of several entrances into the city.
Ashe making the walk up the ancient staircase and into the lost city.
Inside the cityÂ´s walls, things were pretty overgrown especially with trees that dropped these wonderful buds.
Ashe with a couple more buds.
KuelapÂ´s beautiful walls.
More walls.
Ashe doing her climbing thing.
KuelapÂ´s thrilling ridgetop location offered perfect views.
More views from Kuelap.
Ashe up high on the ridge at the edge of the lost city of Kuelap.
Looking down from one of two watchtowers at Kuelap.
Flowering trees.
Maciej up high on the watchtower keeping his eye out for invading tribes.
Danger, do not pass. We did.
Great.
Ashe hiking around the ruins.
More ruins.
Beautiful old designs can still be found along many of the old homes in Kuelap.
Some of the old homes have been rebuilt and restored.
Old home foundation in Kuelap.
More beautiful home foundations.
Some of the less crumbled homes at Kuelap with fantastic mountain views.
Looking into one of the homes.
Flowers on the wall.
Little boy chilling by the old city of Kuelap.
Bringing up the donkey.
The new village by the old city of Kuelap.
Maciej on the way back down to Tingo from Kuelap.
The Peruvian hairless dog -- so incredibly ugly! (This is the dog that tried to have his way with Ashe)
Recovered stone carvings from the sandy ancient city of Tucume near Chiclayo in northern Peru.
What the city of Tucume once looked like.
What the ancient city of Tucume now looks like. Can you make out the pile of sand that once was a pyramid?
Ashe, uninpressed by the ruins at Tucume.
The DevilÂ´s Hill (background) and the Tucume pyramids (foreground). Can you tell the difference?
Another of the loud, hairless Peruvian dogs. So ugly!
His mohawk deserves another look.
TheyÂ´re still building of the same stuff they did a few thousand years ago: sand.
Streets near the Tucume site.
Election time means redundant posters everywhere!
The pyramid site of the Lord of Sipan near Chiclayo.
Layer after layer, the Lord of Sipan was buried in style!
The look of the tomb and its contents when it was discovered in 1987.
How the Lord of Sipan dressed while still with us.
Gold earing found in the Lord SipanÂ´s tomb.
Golden necklace.
Golden face, another find in SipanÂ´s tomb.
One of the sub-tombs lies recreated as unearthed at the site of the Temple of Sipan.
The LordÂ´s protectors, killed and buried with him.
What the LordÂ´s tomb itself looked like. Buried with his gold, his soldiers, his dogs and llamas, and his women.
The Lord, looking great even at 1367 years old.
This poor guy (the Lord SipanÂ´s spiritual advisor) also had to join the party -- he was buried alive, sitting cross-legged in a nook in the tombÂ´s wall.
The Lord couldnÂ´t travel to the afterlife without his best dinnerware.
Who was this guy?
Ashe roaming around the pyramidal tomb of the Lord of Sipan.
Viva el Peru! Flag on our bus back to town.
Traveling along the coast of Peru from Chiclayo to Trujillo. The scenery: coastal desert.
An early morning arrival in the big northern coastal city of Trujillo didnÂ´t mean that the streets wouldnÂ´t be packed.
Another busy street scene in Trujillo.
TrujilloÂ´s main cathedral is a fantastic colonial church in white and orange.
Colorful colonial buildings with Moorish details surround TrujilloÂ´s main plaza.
More buildings with fine details along the plaza.
Faces of the statue in the center of TrujilloÂ´s main plaza.
Another finely preserved colonial building along TrujilloÂ´s main plaza.
Off the main plaza, the buildings are still fantastic if not as well maintained.
Trujillo has many old churches. This is one of them.
The courtyard of one of the many Spanish mansions in TrujilloÂ´s center.
Another of TrujilloÂ´s old colonial churches.
Early, early morning in central Trujillo and the streets are almost all but empty.
Another church.
Sweet ride. Lots of these old boats cruise the streets in Peru.
Fine, fine balcony off the main plaza.
They love their shoes in South America! Everywhere weÂ´ve been, weÂ´ve seen alley after alley after alley of shoe vendors like this one.
Enjoying some great ice-cream in TrujilloÂ´s main square.
Flowers in the main square with the main cathedral beyond.
Ashe taking a rest on the grass of the main plaza.
Another great colonial building along the main plaza.
Jesus or god? You pick the sketch in TrujilloÂ´s main plaza.
TrujilloÂ´s Spanish mansions have simple fronts with locked gates but inside are fantastic and ornate!
Inside one of the old mansions.
Fountain in the mansion garden.
Great floors, walls, doors... everything!
Roofline of the mansion.
Back down the stairwell in the mansion.
Back on the streets of Trujillo.
More fine architecture along TrujilloÂ´s avenues.
The main cathedral at sunset.
Cross at sunset.
Moon rising.
Us at sunset in Trujillo.
Traveling presents us with almost constant paradox. Here we have a semi-nude beer girl sharing the same piece of wall space as a Jesus clock.
The grungier side of Trujillo: peeling paint and mangy dogs.
The ancient sand city of Chan Chan is a fanastically huge complex stretching for kilometers along the Pacific coast near Trujillo.
Walls and passageways -- the city of Chan Chan is an incredible site to wander around.
Images of ?? along the walls of Chan Chan.
These images we could decipher! Fish were obviously very important to these coastal dwelling people.
Water fowl.
More fish.
Crumbled walls still mark clearly the maze of rooms and passageways that once was the home of hundreds of spiritual leaders in Chan Chan.
More fantastic images.
Great carvings!
Long passages and high walls.
Pond within the Chan Chan palace compound.
Ashe loved the sentence in the middle of this paragraph: In those secondary tombs were placed BURIAL ITEMS including concubines, officials, and many other GOODS.... People were regarded as mere goods to be buried with the king. WeÂ´ve come a long way.
Wooden icons and statues once filled the many nooks built into Chan ChanÂ´s walls.
Storage sheds.
Not all of Chan Chan is as well preserved as the one palace complex which has had the most restoration done to it.
Where heÂ´s taking, we didnÂ´t know, but it sure looked great!
One of the two pyramids we visited in Trujillo was caught in the urban sprawl of the city with only a few feet surrounding this ancient structure from the homes beyond.
Inca Cola! What an appropriate brand name in Peru.
The second of the Pyramids we visited in Trujillo is marvelously preserved.
Ashe checking out the incredible carvings along the wall of the Esmeralda Pyramid.
Buried under sand until just recently, the details of the Esmeralda Pyramid are exceptionally well-preserved.
Pyramid details.
Two sea creatures trying to eat the same thing at once?
Ashe with sand figure at the Esmeralda Pyramid.
Fantastic carving!
One last look at the Pyramid with the sandy mountains beyond.
The suburbs of Trujillo virtually merge with the desert sands and hills.
Arriving into the Lagunas Llanguaco valley from Huaraz and Yungay was thrilling with snow-capped peaks surrounding us.
Tiny mountain refuge.
Fantastic peaks like this one make up the Cordillera Blanca, PeruÂ´s phenomenal central range with more than 50 peaks over 5000 meters!
Great views!
Ashe enjoying the scenery from our trail into the mountains.
Following our trail, higher and higher, passing 4000 meters and gasping for air!
Great scenery all around.
Valley cascades.
Stunning peaks.
Fantastic snowy peak with water run-off.
Stunning peaks everywhere!
Great!
Beautiful!
Waterfall.
Nice alpine flowers.
The Lagunas Llanguco valley above Yungay is known for its string of beautiful, alpine lakes.
A closer look at the surreal colors of one of the lakes.
Closer to the lake.
Mountains above the lake.
Another of the lakes.
One last look at one of the lakes.
Another one.
Local home turned restaurant up by the lakes.
Villagers in Yungay can enjoy mountain views every day!
Luggage at the bus stop. WeÂ´ve seen dozens, hundreds, of local women using traditional fabrics to carry huge loads.
Great scenery along the long, mountain road to the city of Chavin.
A closer look at that wonderful peak and lake.
Donkeys outnumber cars in the streets of Chavin deep in the central Andes of Peru.
Man with his donkey.
Lady on the street.
Ladies in town.
Doing the laundry in the river.
Townscape.
Ashe enjoying our time by the river.
Local lady crossing the bridge.
The ancient site at Chavin de Huantar was once one of the most important indigenous temples in the Andes with tribes crossing ranges from hundreds of kilometers away in order to come to this spiritual site.
Steps and platforms at Chavin.
The remains of the great temple.
Temple wall and staircase.
Carvings of deities along the temple wall.
The Phoenix Gate, the templeÂ´s main entrance.
More great carvings along the walls.
Maciej at the Chavin temple site.
Under the temple, the Indians built a huge network of tunnels.
Ashe in the tunnels.
Looking out of the tunnels.
The famous spear-like carving discovered deep inside the tunnel complex.
Ashe at the temple site.
Maciej crawiling and climbing out of the tunnels.
More carvings.
Intricately carved heads like this one once decorated all walls of the temple but now only this one remains.
Llamas feeding by the creek.
Ashe showing off here swollen ankle following a mystery bug bite.
Local market.
These kids insisted that we take their photo.
Early one morning, we arrived in Lima and headed straight for its trendy, coastal suburb Miraflores. From the cliffs, we could see this famous restaurant right on the Pacific.
Ashe, enjoying the coast for the first time during our this trip.
Our first visit to the coast in South America! Why did it have to be in Lima?
The path making its way down to the beach.
View of the beach.
Miraflores municipal building and main cathedral.
Our first impressions of Lima were: polluted, grungy, and busy. The next few photos try to capture that.
More first impressions of Lima.
Despite being blessed with plenty of fantastic historic buildings, Lima often doesnÂ´t look too attractive due to their state of disrepair and as a result of the pollution.
Another of the beautiful, unmaintained old buildings.
Layers of traffic pollution mar many a fine, old building in Lima.
Walking the streets of Lima.
The Museum of Contemporary Art.
Nice building in the park.
One of LimaÂ´s grandest old buildings at the foot of the Italian Plaza.
Llamas can even be found in big cities like Lima.
Nice.
Great detailing.
Somewhere in the maze of LimaÂ´s old center, near the French Plaza.
Taking an afternoon nap.
Looking out at the plaza.
Colorful buildings in the French Plaza.
Lonely vendor.
At the window.
Watch your step.
One of LimaÂ´s two main central plazas.
Ashe taking a break in the plaza.
LimaÂ´s busy pedestrian street.
Nice finishes.
The great Iglesia de la Merced.
This statue ended up with a llama on her head instead of a flame due to the double meaning of Â´llamaÂ´ in Spanish.
Interesting to see just how these buildings are made.
Love those wooden, Moorish balconies.
Another great, historic church.
Fine workmanship.
Lima street.
The ArchbishopÂ´s Palace on LimaÂ´s main plaza has the best example of Moorish balconies.
LimaÂ´s main plaza, all yellow, balconies and streetlamps.
The Legislative Palace.
LimaÂ´s main plaza is completely surrounded by yellow, colonial buildings such as this one.
Really love those balconies!
Entrance to LimaÂ´s main cathedral.
Fountain with the Legislative Palace.
Last one, I promise!
The main plaza and cathedral.
Covered shopping street in Lima.
Just in case things get a little out of control, the police is always ready to do some crowd control.
Unlike Quito, we noticed that the historic buildings were less apt to be taken care of as you go further from LimaÂ´s main plaza.
The church at the Convent of San Francisco in Lima.
At the end of the afternoon, the plaza in front of the Convent filled up with people.
Pigeons make their homes in every available place along the Convent churchÂ´s walls.
Girl feeding the pigeons in the plaza.
Inside the Convent church.
Nothing brings Mary to life like neon lights.
Fantastic statues.
Fantastic local interpretation of Mary and Child.
Jesus in gold.
Church dome through one of the ConventÂ´s cloister arches.
Cloister arches.
NunsÂ´ quarters.
Fine tile work from Seville fills the bottom level of the cloister completely.
Great tiles -- havenÂ´t seen tiled walls liked these since Portugal!
Great!
Tiled angels.
Bad photo, great painting. Nice interpretation of the Last Supper inside the Convent.
Underneath the Convent of San Francisco is a huge catacomb complex full of skulls and bones.
Nice arrangement.
Catacomb chapel.
Dark passageways.
Back in the cloister, enjoying the tiles.
Around some corner in Lima.
One last look at the busy, dirty streets that are Lima.
The main plaza by night.
The main cathedral looks great night and day.
Taking the coastal highway south from Lima to Arequipa.
Views from the highway when we awoke during our 17 hour, overnight trip.
Fishing boats.
Turning inland to head for Arequipa, we were back in the desert.
Picking up another (very well-dressed) passenger.
More passengers waiting to board our bus from Arequipa to the tiny village of Cabanaconde deep in the mountains along the very deep Colca River Canyon.
For the first time in Peru, we found locals exercising their cultures with most women dressd in fabulous traditional clothing.
It was great to wake up the next morning in this great mountain location.
The Colca River Canyon, the worldÂ´s second deepest canyon reaching depths of 3100+ meters in some spots.
The town of Cabanaconde where we spent our one night while in the Colca Canyon.
Morning view over Cabanaconde.
Another look over Cabanaconde.
Moonset over a small chapel on a hill overlooking Cabanaconde.
Maciej with the very friendly and very funny hostel owner in Cabanaconde.
Great reed cross at CabanacondeÂ´s main church.
Hanging out by the local church.
Great looking local cowboy.
Most women in this region looked somewhat like these two.
Child on the bus with fabulous embroidered dress.
ItÂ´s all about the hats in this region! Most women keep their hair long and in braids too.
Views from our bus as it followed the Colca Canyon.
More great views!
Ahh! Too many tourists! Arriving at the Cruz del Condor, a spot well-known for its great Andes Condor watching, we were overwhelmed with the tourist circus we had entered.
Condor sighting.
One of the many ladies selling her wares at the Condor lookout.
More sellers at the Cruz del Condor.
Little girl on the bus. Very cute!
Lady with baby on the bus.
Small church in one of the villages we passed on our way back to Arequipa.
Falcon on the street corner.
Cross on the hill above the hotspring town of Chivay.
ArequipaÂ´s main church is a beautiful building built entirely of white, volcanic stone.
Arequipa, the White City, is aptly named.
Another of ArequipaÂ´s great white churches.
Inside one of the chapels.
More great frescoes inside the chapel.
Nice details inside the chapel.
More painting from the chapel.
Flowers, fruits and angels were the motif.
Angels caught in vines.
Sunset in Arequipa.
Buildings along ArequipaÂ´s main square.
ArequipaÂ´s head church.
Inside the church.
The chapel at ArequipaÂ´s HUGE Monasterio de Santa Catalina.
Entry to the Monastery.
Nice carvings in white were the decorative elements of many a building in Arequipa.
Inside one of our favorite white churches in Arequipa.
WeÂ´ve never seen churches quite like these. The white blocks created a very unique setting inside each of ArequipaÂ´s cathedrals.
Praying inside the church.
AsheÂ´s favorite, Our Lady of Guadalupe inside one of ArequipaÂ´s churches.
Jesus bearing his cross in a luxury nook in the church wall.
Praying by a fine altar.
ArequipaÂ´s main cathedral at night.
The streets or Arequipa, all white and cobblestone.
Inside another church.
One of ArequipaÂ´s guardian volcanoes.
The second of the two volcanoes under which the White City is built.
Views from the bus as we drove across the 3500 meter AltiPlano region on our way to Lake Titicaca.
Great views!
First views of Lake Titicaca at the town of Puno.
Puno.
On our way from Puno to the Bolivian border our bus broke down and we were literally stuck in the middle of nowhere.
With this highway view looming ahead of us we knew that we would have to start hitching our way to Bolivia. Luckily, a local semi-truck driver obliged.
Cusco! Beautiful morning views over the Old Town from a park not too far from our hostel.
CuscoÂ´s colonial churches are spectacular!
The four main churches collectively face each direction of the compass.
Rooftops.
Grass!
Cusco has a marvelous collection of finely restored colonial buildings built on Incan foundations.
Plenty of cobblestone streets in Cusco.
Nice! We saw lots of blue and green doors during our day in Cusco.
How nice it would be to walk little lanes like this one every single day...
More white and blue in Cusco.
Ashe beside the famous 12-angled Incan foundation stone.
All of Â´newÂ´ Cusco is built on fabulous Incan foundation stones which have survived many a great earthquake.
More street views in Cuzco.
Love those balconies!
View of the main cathedrals tower.
Saints sit in little nooks along the cathedralÂ´s roof.
The dome of the equally impressive Iglesia de la Campania.
Iglesia de la Campania.
View from the main plaza to another hilltop chapel.
The main cathedral.
Looking out at the plaza through one of the arches along one of its sides.
A cactus peeking up over a high wall.
Mummy inside an archaelogical museum in Cusco.
The Convent de Santo Domingo, a huge church and convent built on top of one of CuscoÂ´s more important Incan palaces.
Santo DomingoÂ´s tower.
The Convent stretches far behind the church itself.
Cross by the ConventÂ´s entrance.
Another view of the Convent churchÂ´s tower.
Inside the Convent Incan ruins share the space with the newer cloister.
Ashe at the Convent.
Walkways at the Convent.
The Convent had great gardens which included California poppies!
More of the Convent.
Ashe with one of the lovelier flowers in the Convent garden.
More flowers in the garden.
Great flower planter.
Inside the Convent, this is all that remains of the interior re-design work that the Spaniards had done with the Incan ruins.
This shows the Incan interpretation of the Milky Way. Look at the next photo to see the Milky Way and try to find these images there...
The Milky Way with hidden images (refer to the previous photo to spot the images).
More flowers inside the ConventÂ´s cloister.
Lining the ConventÂ´s walls, great art from the Cusco School.
Another fine alley in Cusco.
The Convent de Santo Domingo beyond what remains of an Incan city.
Green!
More green!
Ashe in one of CuscoÂ´s great Incan alleys.
Here, the colonial structures built on top of Incan foundations can be seen clearly.
Approaching the main plaza along the Loredo alley.
Bright colors can make any building look great!
Hope youÂ´re not tired of these fantastic colonial balconies yet because we sure arenÂ´t!
More colonial splendor.
Yes, another balcony.
And another.
Maciej taking a breather in Cusco.
Another look at the Iglesia de la Campania as the sun begins to set.
CanÂ´t get enough of these beautifully crafted churches.
In another plaza and looking towards the Iglesia de la Merced.
Another fine building.
Walking the balcony at the Historical Museum.
Sunset clouds in Cusco.
Main church and the beautiful old tree in the center of PisacÂ´s small central plaza.
A common sight in PeruÂ´s Sacred Valley. No, this rainbow flag is not the Gay Pride Flag but rather the Arco Iris (Rainbow) Flag representing the Inca.
We can never have enough of these mother and baby photos.
High over the village of Pisac are the Incan ruins of the same name. Climbing up to the ridge, we first passed these huge Incan terraces.
Ashe on the trail to the Pisac ruins.
View over the town of Pisac from the trail to the ruins.
Valley views from the trail.
Cliff dwellings.
The ancient temple portion of the Pisac ruins.
Maciej peering through one of the doorways at Pisac.
Old trail in PisacÂ´s residential section.
Ashe enjoying the views from the Pisac ruins.
The Incan fortress above the village.
Looking down on the residential area from the fortress above.
Great location!
The residential portion of the Pisac ruins.
Us in one of PisacÂ´s doorways.
Ashe in a Pisac doorway.
Silhouette of a portion of the temple.
The IncaÂ´s were masters of their environment with especially impressive irrigation systems.
With Pisac located in a very arid region, the mountains were bare and there were many cacti around.
Ashe on the trail from one portion of the Pisac ruins to another.
Maciej on the trail.
Ashe in a tunnel along the trail.
A portion of the ruins with the terraces below.
Us up high in one of PisacÂ´s structures.
Our new French friends Antoine and Benoit.
Us high over the Pisac valley.
Gate along the Pisac trail.
One of PisacÂ´s several village complexes.
One last Pisac scene.
Getting closer to Machu Picchu. The town of Urubamba sits under a great range of mountains.
Even closer to Machu Picchu, the town of Ollantaytambo is the last place from which to hop on the train headed for Machu Picchu.
The Incan fortress at Ollantaytambo is the only place at which the Inca won an important battle against the Spanish invaders.
Incan buildings sit high on the steep mountain above Ollantaytambo.
Last doll for sale in OllantaytamboÂ´s market.
Part of the cliff above Ollantaytambo looks remarkably like a bearded manÂ´s face.
The huge steppes at Ollantaytambo were the defensive element most important in the Inca victory over the Spanish at this site.
Recreated Incan building.
Old fortifications hige in the mountains.
Much of the fortress at Ollantaytambo is built of monolithic blocks cut to perfection and somehow transported to the site from a quarry 6 kilometers away.
Great building.
Sunset made our final hour at Ollantaytambo brilliant.
Old portal at the site.
Those huge, defensive steppes.
Some of Ollantaytambo stone blocks are of immense size.
Ashe by one of OllantaytamboÂ´s largest stone blocks. How did the Inca move that block around?
Passage and stairwell to the town far below.
One of the old walls, half intact.
View from the fortress to the buildings on the mountain across the valley.
More of the fortress high on the ridge.
Stairwell.
Ashe looking out one of the ruinsÂ´ windows.
Ashe hiking at Ollantaytambo.
Rebuilt home at the site.
Ollantaytambo has a fantastic water system with fountains, channels, and underground flows.
Water channel.
Another water channel.
Simple grooves cut into stone channel water exactly where the Inca wanted it to flow.
Water passageways flow along and down walls when necessary.
Another part of the water channeling system.
Ashe REALLY enjoyed the Incan fountains.
Maciej by Ollantaytambo wall.
Machu Picchu! A 6am arrival meant that it was still pretty dark outside.
A spearhead-like mountain sits right in the middle of the very deep valley on one side of Machu Picchu.
6am view of Machu Picchu from the classic photo spot, the CaretakerÂ´s Hut.
Us, a little tired based on our 4:40am wake up, but thrilled to have arrived at Machu Picchu.
Still dark outside but the ruins look amazing anyway.
Machu Picchu was much, much more well-preserved than we expected.
View to the Observation hill and tower at Machu Picchu.
The main plazas.
Buildings continue right on down the side of the mountain making the city much larger than it appears.
The agricultural huts.
The tombs and burial sites.
Ashe over Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu sits on sheer cliffs above amazingly deep valleys -- a stunning location.
Just a tiny portion of the Lost City.
The principal gate to the Temple complex.
View through the ruins to the mountains beyond.
Gorgeous.
Fantastically-well preserved.
Ashe is LOVING it!
So beautiful!
There are only a couple trees amongst the ruins, but they look great!
Love that morning light.
Agricultural steppes drop far down the sheer cliff on one side of the site.
Everyone in the Lost City had great views from their home.
Llamas came out of nowhere and began to wander amongst the ruins.
Maciej inside one of the old homes.
Again, the location of Machu Picchu is remarkable.
An especially well-preserved portion of the ruins.
Incredible!
A break in the morning clouds, a ray of sunshine breaks through.
The Incans worked with the rock of the mountain building on and around large boulders and making every brick of every wall a perfect fit.
Having walked across the length of the Lost City we arrived at the gate for the Huayna Picchu hike, the hike to the top of the jagged mountain that can be seen behind the Lost City in the classic photo. We had to check whether or not we are Â¨fit and healthyÂ¨ at the gate as those not fit and healthy could not make the steep and strenuos ascent.
Just a small, small part of the staircase going up the cliffs of Huayna Picchu to its peak.
Ashe on the steps up to the summit of Huayna Picchu.
Ashe on one of the ladders on the way to the top.
Rather than heading straight for the peak of Huayna Picchu, we instead went around the side of the mountain, heading for the Temple of the Moon and the Great Cavern.
On the trail for the Temple of the Moon.
Fabulous, forested mountain views along the cliff-hugging trail.
First sight of the Temple of the Moon.
The steps up to the Temple of the Moon.
The Great Cavern sits right beside the Temple.
Inside the Cavern.
Looking out of the Great Cavern.
Enjoying the solitude -- no one else was out there!
Continuing the climb from the Temple of the Moon and almost at the very top of Huayna Picchu. On top, an Incan fortress and fabulous views down to Machu Picchu.
Machu Picchu far below the fortress on top of Huayna Picchu.
Machu Picchu.
Incredible mountain views from the top of Huayna Picchu.
Deadly drops to the valley floor and river below from the top of Huayna Picchu.
The river and train tracks far, far below.
Ashe in a part of the Huayna Pichu fortress.
Us with our French friends Benoit, Filipe, and Antoine.
Us at the fortress on Huayna Picchu.
On Huayna Picchu.
Maciej walking one of the precarious, cliffside paths at the Huayna Picchu fortress.
Those crazy Inca! Check out these steps with nothing but a 1000 meter fall below!
Maciej on those crazy steps.
View from inside the fortress.
View down, down, down from one part of the fortress to another.
Ashe at the summit of Huayna Picchu.
Maciej on the summit of Huayna Picchu.
The chamber of Huayna PicchuÂ´s fortress in which we played cards with our French friends while looking down upon Machu Picchu far below.
Maciej at the fortress with Machu Picchu beyond.
Ashe relaxing on the fortress terraces.
Somewhere in the Lost City with Huayna Picchu beyond.
One of the better preserved walls within the City.
Looking through a series of windows.
Ancient paths and walls.
Sheer cliffs on either side.
Could NOT get enough of the ruins of Machu Picchu!
Lots of triangular walls once supported straw roofs.
Stone pegs.
We got lost in the maze that is the residential and industrial portion of the City.
The Incas worked with the existing topography of the mountain.
Corridor.
Fantastic workmanship.
Like we said before, great views out every window.
Agricultural steppes.
The fountain and tomb district.
As the sun began its descent, Machu Picchu began to look better and better!
Fantastic sunset light!
Beautiful!
AMAZING window view!
One of the best preserved portals in the entire Lost City.
Cave dwelling.
Baby swallows in a tiny crevice within the bricks.
Those same baby swallows with mouths open, waiting for their mother with the food.
Fountains.
Water channels.
Ashe enjoying the flow at the shower fountain.
Washing her face.
The CaretakerÂ´s Hut.
The tower.
Maciej getting right under the Incan Â´showerÂ´.
Whoops! Pressed the button by accident.
ThatÂ´s the one we wanted.
Around sunset, all the llamas came out of the woodwork and began walking the main path through the ruins together.
We had to follow those llamas...
Ashe had to jump out of the way of this stampeding llama.
Nice black llama.
Chasing the furry llama.
In close quarters with the same llama.
Finally, face to face.
Another close encounter with a llama.
Sunset cast Machu Picchu into an incredible light. We had a really tough time leaving with this scene stretched out before us.
CanÂ´t believe we climbed that mountain!
Another llama!
Eye contact.
Sunset light on the mountains around Machu Picchu.
River crossing near Salinas.
Salinas is known for its thousands of salt pans which have been around for centuries. The river running from the pans is surrounded by salt deposits.
The salt pans at Salinas.
More salt pans.
This one is just about ready to harvest.
Salt pans.
Working the salt pans.
Working the salt pans.
Children of the workers.
Tiny chapel in Chinchero, about halfway between Machu Picchu and Cusco.
Chinchero is known for its colonial church built on Incan foundations.
Incan walls an colonial white.
The cross.
The church tower.
Side street in Chinchero.
A very persistent bracelet saleswoman.
Nice.
The church tower.
Old frescoe by the church entrance.
Us at the salt pans.
Locals at the salt pans.
Every place has its beer girl. Cusquena is Machu PicchuÂ´s beer and this is the beer girl.
Another beer girl.
Some local ladies in the market in Chinchero.
Tiny box by the gearshift in a taxi with a light that lights Jesus everytime the driver brakes.
Qenko, an Incan ceremonial fountain near Cusco.
Puka Pukara, an ancient fortress near Cusco.
This old weaver strategically planted herself on the cliff overlooking Puka Pukara hoping to make a tip, or two, or three... from passing travelers.
Sunset.
Hanging, lifesize dolls. Morbid.
Sunset.
More sunset.
Maciej in a shallow grave.
Sunset sky over Sacsayhuaman, a huge fortress above Cusco.
Us at sunset in the hills above Cusco.
Sunset mountains.
Sacsayhuaman.
Taking a dark alley back to CuscoÂ´s center.
CuscoÂ´s churches look great in the evening!
More evening light on CuscoÂ´s main cathedral.
Iglesia de la Campania.
The main plazaÂ´s fountain.
Maciej with poster girl in a shoe store. You should see the shoes sheÂ´s wearing!
Coca leaves for sale in the local market.
DonÂ´t leave without your Machu Picchu chocolate.
Another church in Cusco.
Cusco -- color, Incan stones, colonial white walls.
Alley in Cusco.
View from the bell tower in one of CuscoÂ´s hilltop churches.
Hill views.
Steep, staired alleys.
Morning quinoa drink on the street.
Cusco street.
Moving all the family beds.
Cusco churches.
Flags in the main plaza.
Morning light in a church.
Last day in Cusco and we came across some huge parade in the main plaza.
Fantastic mountain scenery while driving through the Altiplano towards Lake Titicaca.
Villagers.
Always ready to sell you something when the bus makes a brief stop.
More mountains.
More of the great fresco surrounding the church entrance.
Around the church doors.
Chinchero.
The church on Incan foundations.
Ceramic bulls on rooftops ward off evil spirits.
The moon over the ruins of Sacsayhuaman.
Boats for rent along PunoÂ´s port.
Boats in PunoÂ´s harbour.
Lady on the docks.
Jesus endorses this Internet Cafe.
Bicycle taxis and shoeshine stands -- ubiquitous in Puno and many other towns.
Batman moto-taxis!
Taking the boat out to the famous Floating Islands on Lake Titicaca.
Lots of algae.
We knew we were near the Floating Islands when we saw tourist-oriented, semi-traditional boats like this one.
Reed boats parked by reed villages on floating reed islands.
More boats and a watchtower once used for defense, now to spot approaching tourists.
On one of the islands -- layers upon layers of dried totora reeds create these floating islands.
Home on one of the islands.
Lady on the island.
Cat head boats made completely of reeds.
Us on one of those reed boats.
Ashe on a reed boat.
Local boater.
Maciej loved those floating reed islands -- nice and soft and warm in the afternoon sun.
View from one of the floating reed islands.
Ladies on the island.
Edge of the island.
Our boat, the Socrates.
Another lady on the island.
Another interesting animal made of reed.
Selling handicrafts.
Boating on Lake Titicaca.
Drying reeds for the next layer on the islands surface as it slowly sinks.
Ashe on one of the floating islands.
Kids playing on the floating island.
Maciej on the floating island as seen on Ashes sunglasses.
Ashe on the island.
Back on the streets of Puno and following three lovely ladies.
Not a great photo, but a fantastic operation! These streetside fresh orange juice vendors are great and we get the best glass of fresh squeezed juice everytime we see them.
Maciej checking what hed look like with orange hair at the orange juice stall.

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