Peru vacation.

SteveC

"Laconic"
Staff member
Just back from a week long vacation in Peru. I'll post a few of them below. More are available on Photobucket, and even those are only a random sample that I grabbed out of the 500+ pictures that we took. Here's the link:

http://s138.photobucket.com/albums/q...20Peru trip/

Look over on the left side of the page and you will see links to the different locations, with pictures in those sub-folders. They are Arequipa, Cusco, Hike to Machu Picchu, and Machu Picchu.

For a little background info, Arequipa is located in southern Peru and is nicknamed the "White City" because much of the building material is white lava rock from the nearby volcanos. It's at about 8,000 feet elevation, and the nearest volcano is over 18,000 feet tall. There are some others in the area that are around 21,000 to 22, 000 feet high.

Cusco is located farther north, deep in the Andes. Elevation over 11,000 feet. It's the stepping off point for going to Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas. Cusco was the capitol of the Incan empire.

We took a 3.5 hour train ride from Cusco further back into the mountains, then did a 6.5 hour hike to get to Machu Picchu. The hike is on one of the old Inca trails that leads to the city, and I highly recommend it as the best way to get there. Most tourists take the train all the way to a small town below Machu Picchu, then a 1/2 hour bus ride up the switchback road. The bus/train thing is much easier, but it has nothing to compare with hiking in over the top of a pass and seeing the whole complex laid out below. The hike and Machu Picchu itself are all at elevations varying from 7,000 to 9,000 feet.

Machu Picchu is...unbelievable.

Sample of pics to follow.
 
Arequipa:



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More Arequipa:
 

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Cusco:
 

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More Cusco:
 

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Inca Trail to Machu Picchu:
 

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More Inca Trail to Machu Picchu:
 

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Machu Picchu:
 

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Cool.

I'd really like to do that hike sometime soon.

Last captain I flew with has a wife in Lima so he goes down there all the time and said the weather is real nice right now. Was it rainy at all when you were there? The weather looks good in the photos.

The location of Machu Picchu is incredible looking!
 
I lived in Arequipa for a 11-12 months. Love that place, I never got robbed or mugged. One of the best climates in all the world imo.
 
Sweet pics Steve. I was in Peru last summer - Machu Picchu was the most amazing place I've ever been to, and I've been around a bit. Highly recommended. And the food in Peru's great too.
 
I lived in Arequipa for a 11-12 months. Love that place, I never got robbed or mugged. One of the best climates in all the world imo.

If I were to do it again I'd budget a few more days and spend some time hiking at Colca Canyon.

The Peruvians have to be one of the, well, as my wife puts it, "sweetest" peoples we have ever met. Genuinely friendly and caring. The people were probably the best part of the whole trip.
 
Last captain I flew with has a wife in Lima so he goes down there all the time and said the weather is real nice right now. Was it rainy at all when you were there? The weather looks good in the photos.

No rain at all. The temperatures were cool, but still needed to keep up with the sunblock, especially at altitude. Cusco was cool, with highs into the 60's and lows at night down around freezing. You'd be warm walking around in the bright sunshine in the afternoon, then bundling up as soon as the sun went down.


The location of Machu Picchu is incredible looking!

The pictures don't do it justice.
 
Awesome photos. My buddy did his mission in Peru and had some great stories. I never got to see any photos though.

Ya'll keep posting pictures from different places and my list of 'places I need to go before I die' is growing faster than I can cross them off.
 
Great photos, I was born in Lima. Came here when I was 5. I've been back to visit a couple of times and have had the opportunity to visit Cuzco and Machu Pichu. You can also do a week long hike from Cuzco to Machu Pichu via the Inca Trail. I haven't done it myself but I have a sister that Did it and she loved it. I am also married to a Peruvian gal and her father is from Arequipa. That's where we're going on vacation in two years. Can't wait. I was visiting Peru in 1988 and thats where I actually took my first flying lesson. I have flown over the Amazon and did a lot of skydiving there as well. And yes you're right the food is great.
 
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