TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY: PERU

INTO THE SACRED VALLEY
After our day acclimatizing by hiking at Pisac, we visited the famed Pisac market, bargained for some alpaca sweaters and hats that we would need for cool nights and managed to negotiate a decent deal with a taxi for the ride back to Cusco. The taxi driver wanted twice the price to take us back to Cusco that the trip out had cost. Fortunately we learned here to be the “ugly tourist” of legend. If you recoil at the outrageous price, shake your head and dismiss the rip-off artist by walking away, another will take his place at a lower rate. “Cuanta Cuesta?” is “How much?” and a very important preliminary for any conversation. “Mucho mas!” is also good-“Too much!”. We managed to get a ride for exactly the same as we had paid on the way to Pisac-but the first driver who had tried to overcharge us lost the fare.

Back in Cusco we found out that contact had been made with the arriero and confirmation was set for our Ausangate trek but not until two days later than expected. So with two days to kill we decided to go to Machu Picchu. After investigating options we decided that taking the backpacker train was the best option. It went from Cusco all the way to Aguas Caliente, the little town at the base of the mountain where Machu Picchu sits. You can’t stay at the Machu Picchu ruins unless you can book in to the Sanctuary Lodge which is pricey—for us it was out of the question-too expensive even if we could have managed a reservation on short notice. We would stay in an inexpensive eco-lodge we had found out about from a gringo in a Cusco coffee shop.
We could have had a place at Sanctuary Lodge if we had chosen the most expensive rail package on Peru Rail-the Hiram Bingham Train. Here’s what Peru Rail says about it:
The train leaves from Cuzco in the morning taking a spectacular journey through a changing landscape while guests enjoy breakfast. After the steep climb out of Cuzco, the train descends into the Sacred Valley, passing lush fields and colourful villages in the foothills of the Andes.

From there, the journey is highlighted by wonderful vistas of the mountains and the beautiful Urubamba River which runs through the Sacred Valley. On arrival in the town of Aguas Calientes at the foot of Machu Picchu, guests are taken by bus to Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge for lunch, which overlooks the ancient citadel. A private guided tour of the citadel follows before the return transfer to the station in the early evening. A sumptuous dinner is served on the train during the 3½ hour journey back to Cuzco.

For many visitors, the journey to Machu Picchu is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Taking the Hiram Bingham means passengers can focus their attention and energy on what matters most, content in the knowledge that the logistical details of the day's trip have been taken care of by PeruRail.

The rates, however, were outrageous. Here is the rate card for the three classes-Hiram Bingham, Vistadome, and Backpacker Class:

Hiram Bingham US $495 ($535 in 2007)

Vistadome US $105 ($113 in 2007) US$62(One-way) ($66 in 2007)

Backpacker US $62 ($73 in 2007) US $44(One-way) ($46 in 2007)

We went to the train station and waited in line for a long time until we found that the line was for getting a number to get into the line to get into the station and buy a ticket. So then we waited a long time in line to get into the station but just as the number before us was called we got a flash of brilliance(or so we thought). Maybe we could just get a cheap cab ride to the end of the road to Ollantaytambo where the train stops then take the train the rest of the way-saving a long section of expensive train travel and getting to see the countryside from a private car. The Backpacker rate was only US$53 and we were pretty sure we could get a cheap taxi out there. We bolted from the station line-up to the bewilderment of the people who had been waiting and to the surprise of the guy taking the number stubs at the station door. He must have thought we were weird-waiting in line until you get to the front then leaving? Loco Gringoes.

Sure enough right in front of the station there were taxis and we made a deal to get a private taxi the 60km northwest to Ollantaytambo for US$20. Off we went with our new friend Servendero who was happy to have one big fare instead of competing for twenty one-dollar fares in Cusco.

It was a great drive and we stopped a couple of times for pictures. Servendero knew a good thing when he saw it and suggested that he pick us up the next day. Not sure about his reliability, we thought we would take a chance and save some more money. Unfortunately, our train plan wasn’t going to work perfectly. To get from Ollantaytambo to Machu Piccu and then get an early train back the next day we would have to take the more expensive VistaDome. So we ended up spending way more than expected. Now we were getting a little stressed-would our taxi driver be here to meet us tomorrow? Or would we have to try to make a deal to get back to Cusco with another taxi-if there was one. We wouldn’t be in a very good bargaining position but we were forced to have faith in our man Servendero and the deal we had made in broken Spanish. He went on his way with a friendly wave pointing to a place in the dirt that we assumed was where he would meet us the next day.

We had arrived in Ollantaytambo early enough to wander over to the ruins above town for another dose of Inca culture. We could easily do a self-guided tour before catching the backpacker train. According to Wikipedia, Ollantaytambo, which means something like "Storehouse of my Lord," is thought to be the only remaining example of pre-Columbian urban planning. The buildings and courtyards as well as the narrow lanes have their original form. The straight, narrow streets today form fifteen square blocks, or canchas, which contain one entrance to a central quadrangle which is surrounded by houses. A number of fine colonial houses are constructed on finely-worked Inca walls of dark pink rock. Naturally, there is a legend associated with the town. According to legend, as documented by Garcilaso de la Vega, the people were commanded by the Inca god, Viracocha, the creator of civilization, to build the city. The ruins above town were strategically located to command the Sacred Valley. But the work was never completed-the Spanish arrived.

According to the Andean travel web, (http://www.andeantravelweb.com) after Manco Inca was defeated by the Spanish at Sacsayhuaman following the unsuccessful siege of Cusco (1536) he retreated to Ollantaytambo. Francisco Pizarro's younger brother Hernando led a force of 70 cavalry, 30 foot soldiers and a large contingent of natives to capture Manco Inca. The Inca's forces, joined by neighboring jungle tribes, rained down showers of arrows, spears and rocks upon the unfortunate Spanish troops. In an intelligent move the Inca's flooded the plains below their stronghold making it difficult for the horses to manoeuvre. Hernando, uncharacteristically, ordered a hasty retreat. Ollantaytambo became the only place ever to have resisted attacks from the Spanish.

However, their victory was short-lived when the Spanish returned with four times their previous force. Manco Inca retreated to his jungle stronghold in Vilcabamba and Ollantaytambo fell into the hands of the Spanish.

According to us, it was an interesting ruin due to the great views but it was crawling with tourists and school groups-the Sacred Valley doesn’t feel so sacred when there are too many worshippers and when you are worried about getting out of the place the next day.
We decided to get down to the station and wait for the train.

Cover-A hiker at Pisac ruins lookout

1. The road to Pisac 6. The maze at Pisac

2. A vendor of flutes wearing a Fernie pin 7. Ancient ruins above modern-day terraces

3. A modern-day Inca will play a tune for 5 Soles 8. Pisac from the ruin site

4. Terraced fields below the ruins of Pisac 9. The climb to the ruins

5. A stone entrance in Pisac ruins 10. Photographing lupines at Pisac ruins

A Day-Trip to Pisac

To get out of town we arranged a cheap taxi to Pisac for 30 Peruvian Soles or about 10 bucks US. We had heard that the small town of Pisac, about an hour out of Cusco featured some lesser-known Inca ruins that were said to be uncrowded. A recommended way to see them was to get a taxi to the ruins high above town then hike back to Pisac as an acclimatization test. Pisac also was said to have an excellent market where Alpaca sweaters and hats could be purchased at better prices than in Cusco.

From Cusco we travelled through beautiful countryside that was still green from the rainy season but had many crops being harvested as we were now, in May, at the end of the agricultural season. Pisac is a district of the Calca province, located 32 km to the northeast of Cusco at an altitude of 2,950 m.a.s.l. Our route was by paved road that would take us to the Urubamba Valley where Pisac is strategically located at the head of a canyon that used to be an important travel route during Inca times. It was via this route that the Inca Empire was connected to the Peruvian jungle settlement of Paucartambo. Pisac derives from the Quechua word "pisaq" or "p'isaqa", which means partridge, a chicken-like bird found in the area. According to the traditional Incan architecture, cities were built based on figurative designs of animals. Pisac was partridge-shaped, as we can tell from its name.

The ruins at Pisac sit high above the valley and serving once as an important citadel overlooking the Urubamba River valley. Although it is in ruin today, it still evokes awe. The Incas cut terraces and steps out of solid rock, there are working irrigation systems and many peple believe that the main feature, the Sun Temple, rivals Machu Picchu.

It is said that the cacique Huayllapuma had a daughter called Inquill; who had to get married with the man that could be able to build, just in one night, the bridge over the Vilcamayo River (a very significant bridge for the defense of the place). In spite of the hard work, Asto Rimac, a handsome prince, decided to take the challenge and ask for the hand of the princess. The authorities of the place arranged everything so Asto Rimac could start the work; meanwhile, the princess had to climb a hill without turning round; because, otherwise, she and her fiancé would turn into rock. Almost at dawn, the prince finished the work but Inquill could not stand any longer and turned round thus becoming a stone figure.

The Pisac ruins are known for the small, polished stones that fit perfectly together. In the main ruins, which are reached by a two-hour, uphill hike, you will find temples of the sun, moon, rain, rainbow, and stars, as well as a few Inca crosses rising from the ground. The cross represents the different levels of existence: The lower level signifies the underworld, and snake god; the higher level, human existence, represented by the jaguar or puma god; and the highest level, the celestial plane, represented by the condor.
Within this site are temples and solar dials to measure and record solstices.

The Pisac ruins are some of the finest and largest in the entire valley. Despite the excellent condition of many of the structures, little is conclusively known about the site's actual purpose. It appears to have been part city, part ceremonial center, and part military complex. It might have been a royal estate of the Inca emperor (Pachacutec). It was certainly a religious temple, and although it was reinforced with the ramparts of a massive citadel, the Incas never retreated here to defend their empire against the Spaniards.

From a semicircular terrace and fortified section at the top, called the Quorihuayrachina, the views south and west of the gorge and valley below and agricultural terraces creeping up the mountain slopes are stunning.

Deeper into the nucleus, the delicately cut stones are some of the best found at any Inca site. The most important component of the complex, on a plateau on the upper section of the ruins, is the Templo del Sol (Temple of the Sun), one of the Incas' most impressive examples of masonry. The temple was an astronomical observatory. The Intihuatana, the so-called "hitching post of the sun," resembles a sundial but actually was an instrument that helped the Incas to determine the arrival of important growing seasons rather than to tell the time of day. Sadly, this section is now closed to the public, due to vandals who destroyed part of it a few years ago.

Nearby (just paces to the west) is another temple, thought to be the Templo de la Luna (Temple of the Moon), and beyond that is a ritual bathing complex, fed by water canals.

A tunnel leads to a summit lookout at 3,400m (11,200 ft.). A series of paths leads from here to defensive ramparts (K'alla Q'asa), a ruins sector called Qanchisracay, and the area where taxis wait to take passengers back to Pisac.

In the hillside across the Quitamayo gorge, at the backside (north end) of the ruins, are hundreds of dugout holes where huaqueros (grave robbers) have ransacked a cemetery that was among the largest known Inca burial sites.

The ruins are open daily from 7am to 5:30pm; admission is by Cusco's boleto turístico ticket package. To explore the ruins thoroughly by foot, including the climb from Pisac, would require at least 4 hours. We opted to be dropped off by our cab driver, saving a couple of hours of climbing. Most people visit Pisac as part of a whirlwind day tour through the valley, which doesn't allow enough time either at the market or to visit the ruins but taxis leave from the road near the bridge and charge only S/10 ($3) to take you up to the ruins.

We found the ruins to be a fascinating place even though we didn’t have a guide. It was quiet and there were only a couple of other people in the entire site. The haunting sounds of the flute echoed throughout the site and the hillsides. The flute player was a local who made a few bucks by donation, posing in traditional clothing for tourists and playing very sweet Peruvian music all day long while tourists struggled for every breath.

It was a great day spent learning to walk slowly when going uphill and taking pictures of flowers and spectacular ruins centuries old.

Cover: Plaza des Armes in Cusco
1,2,3: Colonial architecture in
4: map showing location of Cusco tourist area
5: View from South American Explorers clubhouse
6: Plaza des Armes at night

ACCLIMATIZATION-THE HARD WAY
When we arrived in Lima we noticed from the aircraft that many of the airport workers were wearing masks. Later in our trip we would meet other Peruvians wearing masks but these ones were masks to limit exposure to the air quality, not to hide their identities. The extent of the bad air was not fully evident until we exited the plane. The stench was an overwhelming mix of what seemed like burning garbage, feces and a cocktail of vile chemical odours. It just plain stunk. Once inside the terminal we quickly found the domestic air counters and booked a flight directly to Cusco, the supply centre for the Ausangate trek. Although our pre-trip research had touted Lima as one of the great cities of the world due to its architecture and cultural richness from Spanish colonial times, it quickly lost appeal and I reflected its obvious downsides as we took off. Perhaps we had hit a bad day but the mix of pollution, the coastal fog (that shrouds it much of the year), and its sheer size(tenth largest city in the Americas-7.8 millon people) made it a great place to leave.

The flight to Cusco takes an hour and a bit and quickly leaves the smelly fog of the coast behind, crossing the coastal desert and climbing into the Andes. The landscape below, was arid looking, devoid of trees and became increasingly mountainous as we approached our destination. It was studded by beautiful turquoise lakes and just before arrival in Cusco we glimpsed a high mountain massif in the southeast. It rose high above the surrounding summits and had sparkling white glaciers so we guessed it to be Ausangate.

Cusco, (also spelt Cuzco with a "z"), is the mythical capital of the Inca Empire, is the prime tourist centre of Peru, heavily marketed worldwide due to its location close to some of Peru’s more famous and accessible Inca ruins and just a few hours from the rainforest of the Upper Amazon. It is definitely a tourist town but a very interesting one even if ancient culture isn’t your main interest. For those trekking to high altitudes it is an ideal place to get used to the thin air as sits at 3360 m above sea level but it is a big elevation gain of over 11,000 feet in less than two hours. Travellers on the 8-21 hour bus ride get it gradually but suffer the fatigue of Andean bus travel. Going from Lima at sea level to Cusco by air gets your acclimatization process going quickly despite the tourist brochure recommendation of taking it easy for "a few hours" it's best to take it easy for a few days.

We planned on spending a few days in Cusco to acclimatize before tackling Ausangate which would take us to over 5200 metres. There's plenty to see and do around Cusco as it's packed full of historical monuments and relics plus the surrounding countryside is accessible by decent roads. We found it to be a cool place to be a tourist with lots of hotels and restaurants and a fabulous central square for watching people and appreciating the best of the Spanish architecture. The main square, as in most Peruvian towns, is called Plaza des Armes and there you can find cafes, Internet shops and dozens of tour companies who's agents are always out recruiting any gringo they can find to take a tour to Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley or other nearby tourist hotspots. The streets surrounding the square are a non-stop frenzy of taxicabs honking at each other , at any tourist who ventures near the edge of the sidewalk and, well, just generally honking at nothing at all it seems.
Situated in the beautiful Huatanay valley of the southeastern Andes of Peru, the city of over 350,000 is one of the must-see locations. The promos say, “ The Cusco experience allows you to uncover some of the mysteries of the Incas, because Cusco was the center, the "navel" of the Andean world.”
This is not too far from the truth as Cusco is a very old city but most of the Inca mysteries have already been discovered and are interpreted on practically every street corner-by traditionally dressed Peruvians posing for a fee, guys dressed up as Incas also posing for a fee, and constant solicitations for tours of the Sacred Valley. Even the local Peruvian cola is called "Inka Cola". (Tastes like cream soda). Known as the Imperial City, Cusco's began in the 11th or 12th century when the first Inca, Manco Capac, obeying the dictates of the Sun God, founded it. Later, on March 23, 1534, Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador of Peru, refounded the Inca city as a Spanish colonial settlement.

Pre-Colombian monuments such as the Korikancha, ("Temple of the Sun"), the Ajlla Wasi, the Amaru Cancha ("Fence of the Serpent"), and the Kiswar Kancha, amongst others, complement "mestizo” mixed Spanish and native architecture such as Cusco Cathedral, the Church and Convent of La Merced and the Temple of San Blas.

From Cusco most tourists head for Machu Picchu, the fortress of Sacsayhuaman, the Ollantaytambo compound and picturesque towns such as Pisaq, Calca and Yucay, which still preserve the traditions of their ancestors. We spent a couple of days prowling Cusco, visiting the South American Explorers Club to arrange pack animals for Ausangate(they contacted the only phone in the trailhead hamlet and found someone name simply “Teo” who would meet us, hopefully, at noon at the Hostal Tinqui. Plans, however, in Peru often go awry.

A WATER PHOTO PROJECT
In May 2006 I traveled to Peru to photograph the high altitude landscapes of the Andes in two areas-the Cordillera Vilcanota, in the south, and the Cordillera Huayhuash of central Peru. Both these ranges are known for their stunning natural beauty featuring steep glacier-clad mountains that rise to over 6,000 metres above sea level.


We flew from Calgary, Alberta, Canada to Toronto then flew 8 hours overnight directly to the coastal city of Lima, capital of Peru. From Lima there are numerous daily flights to Cuzco, the tourism center of Peru and access base for trips to Machu Picchu ruins, the Sacred Valley- and the lesser-visited remote Ausangate. Getting to the Huayhuash is harder, requiring a grueling 8-hour bus ride from Lima to Huaraz, base town for mountain adventures in the Cordillera Blanca and our destination-the Huayhuash.

The purpose of our treks was to take photos of the landscapes with special focus on the glacial ice and the headwater lakes and streams. These water sources are important sourses of water that the population of Peru relies upon to feed the agricultural highlands and the coastal oases where the major rivers cross the desert margin of the country and where the major cities are located. We would also be crossing the headwater streams that run into the Upper Amazon Basin from the eastern slopes of the Andes. This ties into a project we are doing in support of the United Nations Water for Life Decade initiated by UNESCO as the International Year of Fresh Water.

This project was inspired by the United Nations International Year of Fresh Water, for which I was the official photographer for the Canadian contribution known as the Wonder of Water. (See www.wonder0fwater.ca ). Out of this initiative came a hard-cover book: Water and Our Way of Life, with text by R.W. Sandford, Chair of the Wonder of Water project, and illustrated with my photographs. www.wonderofwater.ca

This site will chronicle the Peruvian part of our current project.