Andrew Clem.com home Photo gallery Peru, 2004: Part 3
NOTE: These photos were taken the old fasioned way and scanned with an Epson Perfection 1250 scanner.
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Machu Picchu: Lost city of the Incas!

Andy at MachuPicchu

Andrew at Machu Picchu.

Jacqueline, llamas

Jacqueline, llamas at Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu, from above

Machu Picchu, as seen from the peak of Wayna Picchu. The original photo was badly off-color, because someone had switched the rolls of film without telling me, and the (manual) setting was way off. Thankfully, I was able to use the retouch function in iPhoto to restore a decent color balance, though still with too much reddish tint around the edges.


Around Cuzco

Cuzco, from above

Cuzco, as seen from the edge of the ridge at the archeological site of Sacsayhuaman, on the east edge of town. To see a closeup of the main plaza, roll the mouse cursor over the photo. Compare that view to the photo of the protest below.

Cuzco protest

A protest march in Cuzco, consisting mainly of laid-off construction workers, teachers, and pensioners. I estimated at least 5,000 marchers. The smoke cloud was from a cherry bomb some demonstrators used to get people fired up, NOT tear gas. The demonstrators were otherwise peaceful, and the police were restrained. This was taken from the balcony of the restaurant where we were having lunch.


Pisac, in the Urubamba Valley

Andy, cholitos

While stopping at an awesome scenic overlook as we approached the Urubamba River, two young Indian children ("cholitos") made a heavy sales pitch for various handicrafts. I ended up buying this sample of local agriculture, including dried potatoes, corn, other grain, and even a coca leaf.

Pisac terraces

This is a view of the farm terraces at Pisac, one of the major archeological sites in the Urubamba Valley. The overcast skies and drizzle prevented good photographs, but we were lucky to see several kinds of hummingbirds and other avian species in this lush area.


Jacqueline, parrot

Further east in the Urubamba Valley we stopped at a country restaurant and enjoyed great dinners of trout and other local fish. Jacqueline, holding our field guide to birds of Machu Picchu, greets a domesticated parrot on the premises.


Lima and Ventanilla

Haya & Garcia on APRA poster

A billboard at the APRA* headquarters in downtown Lima, showing their party's beloved founder -- Victor Raul Haya de la Torre, who died in 1978 -- and its current leader, Alan Garcia, who served as president from 1985 to 1990, and just may return to that post before long...

* American Popular Revolutionary Alliance

Precarious Third World ecology. The sign reads (in part), "Municipality of Ventanilla. Ventanilla Wetlands Ecological Park. Wildlife refuge. Fishing, hunting of birds, and dumping garbage are prohibited. Municipal Ecological and Environmental Committee. Neighbors in action." The road leads to the beach, about a mile away.

Ventanilla wetlands
Andy, hill shacks

Movin' on up! Believe it or not, for many poor Peruvians, these hillside shacks are coveted symbols of upward mobility. This is on the northwest edge of Ventanilla. On top of the hill is a water tank. Service has improved in recent years, mainly because the water utility can now charge enough to cover its costs, but there is heavy political pressure to control prices, which would only lead to shortages once again.

A few members of the Jacobs family enjoying lunch at a Lima restaurant. From the left: Fabian, Carlitos, Señora Jacobs, Shary, and Jacqueline. ¡La comida era muy buena!

Family at Lima restaurant


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