Matt in Peru, January 2010
Lima, Peru
Lima Cathedral
Dramatic coastline of the Ballestas Islands
The most abundant birdlife in the world - Ballestas Islands
Pelicans among a cast of millions of birds
Pelicans are fascinating to watch in flight
Pelicans
Fishermen along one of the Ballestas Islands
Humboldt penguins
Sea lions, birds, and guano-covered rock
Shhh....sea lion sleeping
"I said DON'T WAKE ME UP!"
Ballestas Islands
This boat has definitely gone to the birds
Prehistoric "Candelabra" etched into the desert slope, Paracas
Paracas National Reserve
Coastline, Paracas; notice the colorful spots above the distant cliff
Paragliders
Watch the edge! Paracas National Reserve
Pelican, Paracas National Reserve
This slope shifted from an 8.0 earthquake in 2007; Paracas National Reserve
Friendly Peruvian
Hummingbird about 100 meters long, one of the prehistoric Nazca Lines etched into the desert. I shot this photo from a plane.
Monkey, another of the Nazca Lines
Condor
1500-year old mummy in Chauchilla cemetery, Nazca
Graverobbers unearthed the mummies and left them lying in the open desert air; the low humidity preserved part of their skni, hair, and burial fabrics
Huacachina oasis, surrounded by towering sand dunes
The lagoon in the oasis
Distant dune buggy on the dunes, Huacachina
Matt on the dunes of Huacachina
Can you see the dune buggy waaay foar away? Look for the black dot in the upper right of the photo
I had a blast sandboarding down the dunes
Arequipa cathedral and plaza
Misti Volcano (over 19,000') towering above Arequipa
Casa de Melgar in Arequipa where I stayed for 2 nights, used to be the archbishop's residence
Nice colors of Casa de Melgar, my hotel in Arequipa
Shaggy alpaca
Weaving alpaca fiber
This couple was happy to have me shoot their photo
Old woman on a street in Arequipa
Santa Catalina Monastery, Arequipa. It used to have 400 nuns in the 1700s, now only has 24. It is like a walled off city within Arequipa, as the nuns were usually from wealthy families and they each had their own house and even servants!
Two of the current nuns at Santa Catalina
Violinist in Arequipa
Me at an old mill outside of Arequipa
Panamerican Highway, slicing through the Peruvian desert
Beautiful, empty beach of southern Peru, seen through the bus window on a 9-hour ride from Nazca to Arequipa
Peru's Panamerican Highway is a lot like Highway 1 along California's Big Sur coast, but without any vegetation
Nice Pacific sunset taken through the window of a bus
