June 14-15, Hikin' & weavin'

Well, only a few more days of the trip left so we're trying to really pack in the adventure. Yesterday we left Ollantaytambo for a day trip up the rural and remote Patacancha. Ourbus dropped us off high above the town in open rugged land so we could enjoy the hole back down to the village of Patacancha.





Once into the town we were met by our new American friend Kennedy who took us to meet the Patacancha womens weaving cooperative. It was really great to see how they typically create textiles.





After visiting Patacancha, we enjoyed the rest of the day...and night in Ollanta.


Today we had a lazy morning before leaving Ollanta to head to the farming community of Chinchero. Nilda Callanaupa Aleverez who runs the CEntro de los Tejidos Tradacionales. Her center was beautiful and we had a great time learning about the traditions of weaving.


We then headed up to the house of my comadre, Agosta who had prepared a watya for us for lunch (a watya is a buried earthen fire used to cook potatoes).


After a ver nice visit with Agosta we took a stroll through the ruins of Chinchero before jetting back to Cusco for pizza. Here's one for the road!


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June 12-13, Salt & Machu Picchu

Covered a lot of ground in the last couple of days! We left Cusco early yesterday and drove up onto the high plateau above Cusco. We first stopped at the sunken terraces holes of Moray.


It's believed that the holes were used in crop experimentation acting as microclimates from the top terraces to the botttom.
We then made a brief visit to the beautiful colnial church in the town of Maras before continuing on. Our next stop was lunch and we were in for a treat! Adam had planned a gourmet and catered picnic on a bluff overlooking the salt ponds of Salineras.









We're talking chilled wine, fresh salads and alpaca filet mignon, followed by cheesecake!
After digesting a bit we walked down onto the surreal salt ponds of Saliners where people have been collecting salt from collecting water from the mountain stream and letting it evaporate since pre-Inca times.


We finished off our day by hiking down to the base of the Sacred Valley to meet our van and headed into the town of Ollantaytambo. We're staying at the beautiful Albergue inn an old favorite of mine.

Today we were up before dawn to prepare to catch our 6:40 train to Machu Picchu. The ride takes you along the banks of the Urubamba River through spectacular scenery, from dry rocky hills to lush cloud forest.






When we got to the ruins we split into smaller groups and spent the day photographing and taking in the epic location of the mysterious Inca site.





Amazing day which was topped off by another great meal. Off to the sauna now with a shot of Pisco in my hand! Saludos!

June 10-11, Festivities!

It's been a busy couple of days for us in Cusco to say the least! Yesterday we began with a trip up to the Inca ruins of Qenko and Saqsayhuaman, the great stone fortress that sits on the hills above Cusco. A few of the students tried to commune with one of the giant corner stones there. Don't know how much luck they had.


From there, we hiked back down to Cusco where we were just in time to see a number of the Saints entering the Plaza de Armas in advance of today's main event, Corpus Christi.
Corpus Christi is a huge holiday in Peru, but particularly huge for Cusco. In Cusco, the 15 Saints from surrounding churches are brought on giant litters carried by dozens of men, into the main Cathedral where they spend the night together before the main procession. Kind of a Saint sleep over. Here are a couple pics of the main procession today.





Tomorrow we're off to the Salt ponds of Maras and the Sacred Valley. More later!

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June 8-9, In Cusco

Hola everyone! Well we've left the megacity Lima and are now in Cusco, the Andean city that was once capital of the Inca Empire. We are staying at La Panza del Artista, a wonderful bed and breakfast run by Adam Weintraub. Adam and his Peruvian in-laws have been making us feel right at home.

















Once rested up we took A small stroll down to the plaza for a coca leaf tea in a cafe before dinner.





Today we've had another packed day beginning with a walk through the market. Then we visited the archive of the famed Peruvian photographer Martin Chambi. We were lucky to have Martin's grandson Teo Allain Chambi to give us a look at some of Martin's original prints and glass plate negatives.











After lunch we walked through the historic center of town to the Qoricancha. It was here, at the site of all important temple of the Sun, that the Conquistadors built the convent of Santo Domingo. Inside however exist some of the finest examples of Inca masonry.











From here we've walked back to the Panza for a much needed break before dinner tonight. Saludos!












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June 7, Takin' a tour

This morning we boarded a bus for a private guided tour of Lima. We started by driving 35 kilometers south of Lima to the prw-Columbian arqueological site Pachacamac. Our guide David explained the layered history of the adobe built ruins. He was quite patient considering we were a group of photographers.











After our visit to Pachacamac and a tasty buffet lunch, we drove to the historic Colonial center of Lima. David explained how Francisco Pizarro founded the city at the current site of the Plaza Mayor.


We finished off the tour with a walk down into the subterranean catacombs beneath the church of San Francisco. It was a great tour from pre-Columbian to Colonial.

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Bryan's 21st Birthday

Feliz cumpleanos Bryan!!! Sorry for the sideways pic..


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June 6, Barranco or bust

We had another art bonanza day this time in the artist haven Barranco. We were met by Peruvian art rock star Ishmael Randall Weeks who gave us a grand tour of Barranco and the emerging contemporary art scene. We visited a number of great galleries and had a feast of a lunch at La Canta Rana, a seafood institution with a lot of charm.





Ishmael Randall Weeks with Sarah & Ellen.



A huge plate of ceviche mixto with a cold beer and cancha (toasted corn).

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