Peru 2011

Three weeks in Peru - fantastic. It has always been Kathryn's dream to go to Machu Picchu, so on her special birthday, nothing could have been more appropriate. Fine weather, great people and an amazing landscape more than made up for the food…

We flew into Lima from New York via Bogota. After some time in Miraflores we flew to Arequipa and Kathryn had her first night in a Backpackers. The trip was interspersed with tons of cups of coca tea or coca leaves to chew on to help with the altitude. We spent a few days in Arequipa before getting a bus to the Colca canyon (travelling over 4900m altitude) with great views of El Misti. We were lucky enough to see the Condors as well as enjoy some thermal springs and lots of local wildlife. Then we flew to Cusco via Julianca. Then it was by car through the Sacred Valley to visit the Pisac ruins and on to Ollantaytambo where we stayed a few days visiting the ruins there and climbing Apu Pinkulluna for the views. Then it was on by train with the glass roof to Aguas Callientas. We got the early morning bus up to Machu Pichu and visited the ruins before climbing Wayna Pichu on the scariest climb in the world. On the way back from Ollanatytambo to Cusco we visited the terraces at Moray and the salt terraces at Salinas.

The photos show Damien on the trail at the Pisac ruins, us both on the terraces at Ollantaytambo, sellers on the road to the Colca Canyon, the salt pools at Salinas, El Misti from Arequipa, the intriguing terraces at Moray, a festival in Lima, Machu Picchu (of course) and us both at the top of Wayna Picchu with Machu Picchu in the background. On the bottom rows, we have the two of us by frozen waterfall, the Colca Canyon, on a walk to climb Putucusi (with the train in the background) and in a field of Llamas and Alapacas (Kathryn is the one in the striped top!)