This country blew me away! It is an incredibly colourful country rich in culture and natural beauty. I found it very difficult to capture this on film in part because the peaks and valleys are so immense but more so because my experience was so enriched by the sounds, smells and tastes.
There was one evening when my husband and I were having dinner in Cusco’s Plaza de Armas when hundreds of performers started parading out from all corners of the square. They were acting in a huge performance about the coming of the Spaniards. There was music, costumes and even massive fireballs being rolled through the square. We also were fortunate enough to experience New Years eve here. Fireworks were let off by every other person all night long culminating in a massive display at midnight as thousands of people took their symbolic run around the square. They carried suitcases and wore yellow underwear to bring good luck for the coming year’s travels. No photograph could do this justice.
The other obvious highlight for me were the Inca ruins that seemed to be around every corner. There are no words. Hiking along the Inca trail and arriving at the various ruins sends your imagination soaring. Despite learning about how the villages were built high in the peaks, I still can’t believe that it was possible. The day we did our hike along the Royal Inca trail it poured rain. We arrived at the Sun Gate overlooking Machu Picchu only to be greeted by heavy cloud cover. I was slightly disappointed as I had just bought my Canon Rebel and was armed and ready to get that famous shot of Machu Picchu. We waited awhile to see if they would clear with no luck. As we set off on our final descent, the clouds opened up in a perfect circle right around the village. It was like nothing I have ever seen!
There was one evening when my husband and I were having dinner in Cusco’s Plaza de Armas when hundreds of performers started parading out from all corners of the square. They were acting in a huge performance about the coming of the Spaniards. There was music, costumes and even massive fireballs being rolled through the square. We also were fortunate enough to experience New Years eve here. Fireworks were let off by every other person all night long culminating in a massive display at midnight as thousands of people took their symbolic run around the square. They carried suitcases and wore yellow underwear to bring good luck for the coming year’s travels. No photograph could do this justice.
The other obvious highlight for me were the Inca ruins that seemed to be around every corner. There are no words. Hiking along the Inca trail and arriving at the various ruins sends your imagination soaring. Despite learning about how the villages were built high in the peaks, I still can’t believe that it was possible. The day we did our hike along the Royal Inca trail it poured rain. We arrived at the Sun Gate overlooking Machu Picchu only to be greeted by heavy cloud cover. I was slightly disappointed as I had just bought my Canon Rebel and was armed and ready to get that famous shot of Machu Picchu. We waited awhile to see if they would clear with no luck. As we set off on our final descent, the clouds opened up in a perfect circle right around the village. It was like nothing I have ever seen!