Machu Picchu photos

Well after a very hectic couple of weeks crossing several borders, I'm now down in Argentina, and have got a few spare minutes to sort out some photos.

So here are the ones from Machu Picchu. There's lots of them, but I think most are pretty interesting, but none do any kind of justice to the beauty and stature of the place.

Here.

Izzy´s goodbye to Peru.

Having spent almost a month in Peru, Izzy has become rather addicted to the national drink.... "Inca Cola." It tastes kind of like a cross between cream soda and Irn-Bru, only the wild orange colour has been replaced with a vivid green... full of lots of vitmains and minerals too!

Cañon del Colca

The condors of Cañon del Colca (in southern Peru) are famous for their graceful flights as they catch the rising thermals and just cruise the skies in the world´s deepest canyon. (They´ve just re-measured it, and apparently its over 4000m deep at its deepest point!) Here its a mere 3300m deep. None of the photos I took manage to catch the moment well enough, but having these huge birds (the second largest flying birds in the world) just pass a couple of meters overhead or beside you is really unforgettable.

Another friend for Izzy

Dave hung out with us for a few days in Cusco, including the trip to Machu Picchu.

More Machu Picchu

Izzy and I take in Machu Picchu in its full glory. Its easy to see why the Inca´s chose this Sacred Valley.... or maybe "it chose them?" Either way, its a very beautiful location, and gave the perfect place to hide a city away, where the invading Spanish were never able to find it.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu, the "Lost Inca City" slowly reveals itself from the early morning cloud forest mist. The mist and cloud gave it a very special and mystic feel for the first few hours of the morning until the warm, bright sun broke through.

Izzy meets Elvis!

Ok, so its not THAT Elvis.... but still! Elvis (our guide) had a bit of an obsession for very dodgy Peruvian Ragatong music, and here Izzy is getting a serious introduction.... poor thing!

The trials of the Cordilliera Blanca

In the first photo, Izzy and I recover and celebrate reaching the top of Union Point (the highest point of our trek) after a four hour climb that felt more like four days to me... but I made it somehow! Below, on the third day it rained all morning and we managed to take a bit of a detour on some marshland thanks to our guide, but in the afternoon the sun came out and the scenery left us with smiles on our faces.

Cordilliera Blanca

Some of the stunning views we had during our four day trek through the Corilliera Blanca. Tom´s catching his breath here, whislt some lakes were so clear and still the mountains reflect perfectly in them.

Huaca de la Luna

The Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (Temples of the Sun and Moon) were built by pre-Inca people near the current town of Trujillio in northern Peru. The Moon temple is the only one that has been investigated so far, and the art-work that has been uncovered is very impressive and incredibly well preserved.

Vilcabamba.... a hidden paradise

This was the view I woke to one morning from my bed in Vilcabamba. The place we stayed here was hidden up the valley of the Rio Yamalla, and was a great place to hike for a couple of days.

Tom´s Birthday

Caroline, Tom and I celebrate Tom´s birthday in Cuenca with a great meal and five bottles of Tom´s favourite Argentinian and Chilean wine! A very good evening altogether!

Nariz del Diablo

The beautiful, and slightly scary views, from the top of the "Nariz del Diablo" train ride in central Ecuador. Its not everyday of the week you get to sit ontop of the train your riding!

Time to catch-up!

I think its been over a month since my last proper post, and a few weeks since I managed to put the photos on, so a decent update is well ovedue!

Since the last real post from Baños, I´ve ridden on top of the Nariz del Diablo train, stayed in the beautiful village of Vilcabamba (Ecuador), visited the very interesting Sun and Moon Temples in Trujillio, trekked in the stunning Cordilliera Blanca, checked out the fascinating Inca ruins of the Sacred Valley around Cusco, and been to Cañon del Colca to check out the cruising Condors (Peru). And along the way I´ve met some great friends too, who´ve added even more fun to the adventures.

I´ll sort out the Machu Picchu photos when I get a chance, but here are the best of the rest for the moment.