Peru

Machu Picchu, Peru. This is the view that most people seem to come to Peru for. This ancient city is WAY out in the jungle on the top of a scenic mountain ridge in the Andes. It's no wonder that it escaped the Spanish plundering that ruined so many other sites : it's hard to get to even when you know where it is! We arrived via foot, on a 4-day hike along the old Inca Trail, arriving at this photo-point (Puerta del Sol / Gate of the Sun) right at sunrise. What an experience, definitely worth the added work - in spite of a vicious llama attack on the hike in (more on that below). During this trip in 2004 we were free to wander all through the ruins and even to climb up to the top of Huayna Picchu, that tall peak behind the city. Now access to most of the site is much more restricted because the massive crowds were causing damage to the ruins (and sometimes to themselves). The sky wasn't really on fire here; I cheated a little and used a graded orange filter.

Machu Picchu, Peru. A couple more pix of this amazing place. Above is the central plaza area, back when you could roam it freely.

To the right is the less-seen view of Machu Picchu, taken from the top of Huayna Picchu, the big peak behind the city. A sketchy climb at best, access is now restricted because of a few fatal falls on the steep climb up. Nearly the entire city is seen just to the right of the plant in the foreground. It all looks so small from way up here, and nowhere near as impressive as from ground-level!

Inca Trail, Peru. The Inca Trail was such a cool and scenic hike that it seemed like a good idea to include a few trail pics on this page.

Left : The Inca Trail passes though many lesser-known ruins, and each is cool in its own way. The trail is really part of a huge network of foot-paths that covers hundreds of miles all across the Peruvian Andes, connecting dozens of ancient cities.

Below : Camp on night #2 at some unknown lake high in the Andes. Cold! But beautiful.

Warmiwanusca Pass. Up and over. This was the highest of 3 big mountain passes on the 4-day hike along the Inca Trail. This pass tops out at around 13,800 ft and is quite cold at the top, in spite of being less than a thousand miles from the equator. Check out the long line of hikers behind Beth.

Inca Trail, Peru. This llama was coming to kick my ass. And he did, too. Here I was, just minding my own business, taking pictures of a herd of grazing llamas at a rest stop with my hiking group (plus many other groups), just sitting around watching this beautiful serene scene. All of a sudden from the far end of the meadow this big guy looks up, locks eyes with me, and just sets off at full llama speed right toward me. He started about 100 yards away and I expected him to wimp out fairly quickly. But he just kept coming straight in, and when he was about 10 yards away (about when I shot this last photo, left), he was still moving fast and all I could do was brace for impact. I must have committed some kind of terrible llama transgression; he looks pissed! Anyway, when he was only a couple of feet away and I was preparing to be mowed over he stopped more abruptly than you'd ever think a llama could. Whew !! Danger over, I thought. Then he reared up on his hind legs and just started to batter me with those hoofed front paws. Over and over he stood up and just wailed on me. And I'm standing in a muddy area trying not to drop my nice Nikon in a puddle, all the while fending this guy off. I heard all kinds of ruckus behind and all around me as the 50 or so resting hikers all reacted to this strange show. After 3 or 4 assaults the llama just turned and strutted away, proud to have vanquished the tourist menace. Beth, who was standing near me, was wide-eyed, jaw about to hit the ground. She was so shocked she didn't get a single photo, even though her camera was in her hands the whole time. My guide, who was no help whatsoever, came over to me laughing so hard he could barely talk. When I asked him wtf that was all about he just shrugged and said "hey, sometimes they just don't like to have their pictures taken....."

Follow-up : So for the rest of the trip I'd pass others who had witnessed this spectacle and I'd hear some call out to me, "Yo, it's llama-man!" And so another new nickname was born..

Now fast-forward a few days later. We arrive at Puerta del Sol at daybreak, and Machu Picchu is lit up in the early morning sun. And just like a postcard, there's a llama sitting there, peacefully overlooking the city (photo, right). Just as I'm positioning the camera to get the llama in the foreground this Aussie comes up to me and says "I wouldn't get too close mate, I heard about a guy who got his ass kicked by one of those a few days ago."

A couple of porters along the Inca Trail, stuffing their mouths full of coca leaves for an energy boost. Coca is everywhere in Peru; it's legal and is used in traditional medicines and as a mild stimulant. It tastes like yard clippings and gives a 3-coffee kick. It's how stuff gets done!

Chicama, Peru. Peru isn't just all about the mountains - there's also a lot of coastline and great Pacific Ocean surf to go along with it. This is Chicama, considered to be the longest wave in the world. This photo only shows the inner section of the break; the beginning of the wave is around that rocky point, almost 2 miles further out to sea. During big days it breaks continuously all the way in but during our brief stay here the surf only got up to about chest-high, so we had to surf the wave in sections. The section in this photo was "only" about a half-mile long. Distance-wise it would take about 30 Florida waves to equal one of these!

Huanchaco, Peru. Wherever there's surf, there are surfer-chics. Here's an unusual sight, at least to gringo eyes : an Inca skateboarder girl. Go girl - good stylin' !

Cuzco, Peru. Here's a more traditional view of the 'South American' scene : an Inca lady and her llama.

This could be Spain but it's not. Cuzco, Peru has all the same architecture, most of the vibe, and some of the local characters as Spain. It's fun and interesting to walk the scenic back-alleys, like this (very steep) one.

Runkurakay, Peru. This li'l dude looked like he'd had a rough night. Just chew on a few coca leaves and you'll be up and running in no time!