Continental couldn't figure out how to de-ice this plane, so I was a day late getting to Peru.
A typical street in Cusco
Cusco has an elevation of about 11,000ft. I had a little bit of altitude sickness the first day there.
Plaza De Armas, Cusco
Walls in Cusco
YES! Ubiquitous child-with-baby-llama picture! There are tons of people trying to get you to pay to take pictures with the llamas, but I just took this one and ran.
A Cusco park with the Inca trinity: the Condor (representing heaven), the Puma (representing the world), and the Serpent (representing the underworld). Um, we sort of starting making fun of this trinity after a while.
For some reason I am in love with the Cusco block walls and courtyards
This building has some interesting bits of flair
People taking a lunch break in the Plaza De Armas
A view of the Andes from Cusco.
Another typical street shot.
We took this local bus into the Sacred Valley, and they gave us cake and poured us some tea out of a gasoline can. Awesome!
Cusco through the bus window
Kid with donkey
I forget what city this is, but it is in the Sacred Valley of the Cusco region.
This is where we started the mountain biking portion of our trek.
Country charm!
A mountain road.
Juan Carlos and Sara biking in the Andes
The Sacred Valley
WARNING: I took about 500 pictures of the mountains.
A town we biked through.
Sara got, like, 80 flat tires.
Fog
This is an abandoned train station near Santa Maria
Old Santa Maria was destroyed by El Nino about a decade ago.
Old Santa Maria
Ghost bank
Destroyed buildings
An alley in Old Santa Maria
A cable car similar to the one we used to cross the river.
Fog in the Andes
Hiking through the valley
Trail
I loves them Andes!
Our gang hiking along the river
Hints of agriculture here and there
Juan Carlos is drawing a Puma on my cheek with this weird berry thing
Sara, Victoria, Max, Ashley, and I getting all painted up
Alright, now we are covered in berry juice. FINALLY.
Um, I should remember what this plant is, but I don't.
Crops in the Andes
A view of the river below.
I just never got tired of the steep green slopes!
GATO!
Freaked-out monkey!
Sara in front of our hostel in Santa Teresa
Old Santa Teresa was destroyed by El Nino
The river valley with the modern ruins of Old Santa Teresa.
Ready for Day 3.
WATERFALL!
Hidroelectrica!
That tube routes water to a hydroelectric turbine below.
JC in front of a market strip next to the train tracks.
We performed a sweet Inca ceremony with Coca leaves and offerings
Inca temple remains
Sara pounds a beer as an offering to the God of Wind. No Joke. I offered some Oreos.
JC explains the astronomical function of these Inca basins.
More mountains, but far in the distance, on the top of the farthest mountain in the shot...
...is Machu Picchu
Victoria, Max, Ashley, Juan Carlos, and Sara at the ruined temple.
We hiked along these tracks for several hours to Agua Caliente.
That square shape is the guard house of Machu Picchu
The Andes
4am in Agua Calientes
Hiking to Machu Picchu in the morning
Morning unfolds in the Andes
Machu Picchu
Sara and JC celebrate our victorious hike.
I just like this picture because JC is pointing at something.
CHINCHILLA!
Ghostly
I think ALL cities should be built on the tops of mountains.
This rock was part of an elaborate door latch
Stonework defying gravity
stairs
Um, Juan Carlos probably told us what those holes were for, but I don't really remember at the moment.
They just found this cave about 5 years ago. Inside is an alter. I think I lost my sunglasses here.
Springwater in Machu Picchu
That is some detailed stonework.
Dramatic suckling llama shot
llamas!!
Okay, so maybe I got a little too excited about the llamas.
Apparently, they used to sacrifice llamas here.
Part of the Inca Trail
Andean slopes
Looking down from the trail on Agua Calientes
Inca trail
Inca bridge!
It is a long way down if you slip.
Inca trail and bridge along a cliff
JC is so badass he can text while hanging out on a rock overlooking a 9000ft drop
Sheer cliffs
The picture does not do justice for how scary this little rock overhang actually was.
We climbed that mountain.
The dorkiest picture we could do!
JC tells us about a stone for some reason. It probably had something to do with either a Condor, a Puma, or a Serpent.
The sun is coming out!
heading through Machu Picchu to climb Huayna Picchu
Machu Picchu from the top of Huayna Picchu
A winding road to Machu Picchu. Above the road is the line of the old Inca Trail.
Everything was a long way down.
River, road, and recently excavated ruins below.
Buildings on the side of Huayna Picchu
Ashley and Sara begin the decent down the backside of Huayna Picchu
Ladders!
More trail
This was probably by favorite part of the Machu Picchu expedition: random ruins on the backside of Huayna Picchu, where hardly anybody goes.
The picture is blurry, but I think Ashley and Sara look kind of hilarious. Also, I climbed on these walls (shh: don't tell anyone)
seriously, I love this place
more off-the-grid ruins
nice view!
recently uncovered ruins being excavated
dramatic Chinchilla shot
Dramatic Sara shot
Oh geez. New Years was pretty great.
And I think we're only, like, 3 beers into it at this point.
New Years Eve in Cusco
RANDOM HUGGING!
The gang is getting wild in the Plaza De Armas. Ashley bought Max and I some roman candles. I think this is when Max finally got his to light in the pouring rain.
Lima
More Lima
Pacific Ocean
Restaurant on a jetty
Okay, so I just kind of think this picture is awesome because of the dude and the plane placement. It's like I failed at a forced-perspective shot. I meant to take a picture of the abandoned plane in the background, but wasn't really paying attention.
The jungle air has claimed this plane
plane graveyard in Iquitos
Sara and I get ready to lose our Moto-taxi virginity
The Amazon
Iquitos
More Amazon
Floating buildings.
view from our hostel in Iquitos
Sara made me take pictures of beer we drank.
We took one of these boats down the Amazon
building on stilts!
Food boat!
a tributary to the Amazon
The river we stayed by in the jungle
a lodge in the jungle
Parrots!
Amazon Jungle
Sara eatin' something we found in the jungle.
Termites! I ate some, and also used some as insect repellent (surprisingly effective!)
Tree growing around another tree
John is so badass he can catch a fish with his bare hands.
Peruvians make me look tall. Thanks guys!
Sunset on the river
Oh wait, a better sunset on the river
Tarantula!
crazy weird spider thing that John told us not to get close to.
Morning
Canoeing down the river
Sara and John in the canoe
This river is covered in the floating plants ("jungle lettuce", apparently)
Sun through jungle vines
FALCON
WE CAPTURED A SLOTH!
AWWWW! He is so sleepy.
John replaces the little slothling in a tree.
Swimming in the Amazon
Awesome bridge
canoes by a jungle lake
jungle lake
I just really liked the sky, okay?
we ate dinner in this jungle house.
jungle pigs!
fishing as night falls
Danny, myself, Sara, Natalie, and Jose eatin' some fish and plantains we cooked up next to the lake.
our jungle camp
I used this string on a stick...
...TO CATCH THIS PIRANHA IN THE EYEBALL!
John with breakfast!
giant lilypads
swimming in the river.
more beer pics for Sara
the street in front of our hostel becomes a crazy street food alley at night!
boats on the Amazon
Blue Morpho butterfly
For some reason I started taking pictures of flowers
giant catapillars!
caterpillars
Hahahaa, this monkey totally untied this woman's shoes.
MONKEY ON A TAPIR
Sara feeds the Tapir
devious monkey thief
Alligator!
Anteater
Red faced monkey is reading something it stole
Monkey is after some of Sara's stuff.
more flower pictures
um, Sara made me take a picture of the plane for some reason (why was that again, Sara?)
Lima, again
Lima shacks on a hill
yep... more beer
and... more beer
surfers wait for the elusive waves of Mancora
BEACH!
sea critter trails in the sand
I totally nailed the wave breaking on my back thing, but Sara took the picture a second too early
Hahahaha, I have to say that I kind of love the unexpected off-center dramatic beach shot. Thanks Sara!
Sara gets blasted by the waves!
CRAB!
THERE IS A DUDE IN THOSE CLIPPINGS!
