Hi everyone! It has been a beautiful journey, hearing my dad's stories of Peru in 1970 and sharing my own travel stories of 2016. We went to some of the same places and had very different experiences that I've loved hearing about and reflecting on. It's been beautiful to see how some things have changed so much, and how some things have remained the same.
This photo was taken close to Lake Titicaca. Local villages had gathered together for the festival of Inti Raymi, which is a festival that took place every year on the winter solstice and was a way to honor the sun god. People came from all over the area for the festival, wearing beautiful costumes and performing different rituals and sharing food. The women identified what village they came from with the hats they wore.
People gathering for the festival of Inti Raymi, close to Lake Titicaca
This was shot in a cathedral in Cuzco. Up in the belfry my dad found a 300 year old hand printed bible (not pictured) from the time that the Spaniards colonized the Incas and built that cathedral, and anyone could walk up to the bible and touch and read it.
My dad was going by train across the prairie, heading to Puno. The women were in the middle of nowhere, herding their foraging cows.
My dad was hitchhiking at 13,000 feet in Peru. On the other side of the bridge (left side of the photo) my dad met guys hanging out with big barrels of hay and other grains. They invited my dad over and offered him some of their liquor. They made the liquor by chewing up grains, spitting it in a gourd, letting it ferment for a while, and then drinking it. They said it was around 90% alcohol.
The Laundromat just outside of Ayacucho - bring your own soap, free water, solar dryers ;-)
My dad isn't 100% sure if this shot is of Ayacucho or Cuzco - can anyone possibly identify? In the town of Ayacucho secret police came into my dad’s hotel room and searched his stuff, because at the time any outsider was suspected to be linked to the Shining Path.
This is in the ruins of Sacsayhuaman. My dad is sporting his purple leather bellbottoms...did I mention this was the 70's? While up in the ruins and looking down at the city of Cuzco, my dad had a visualization for reasons unmentioned that he was witnessing an Incan triumpant re-entry from one of their campaigns, returning back to the capital of Cuzco.
In the ruins of Sacsayhuaman.
Market day in Pisac!
More market day in Pisac!
A resident of the Machu Picchu ruins in 1970.
The narrow streets of Cuzco.
I shot this while on a hike around the ruins above Cuzco. Pictured is a couple over looking the city.
Me hanging out in the ruins of Sacsayhuaman.
Salkantay - the salt mines above the city of Urubumba. We took a bus up to the ruins, and then asked the locals about a possible foot path back down to the city of Urubumba where we were staying. We found the foot path and took a beautiful hike back into town, while licking plenty of salt crystals along the way :-)
Salkantay
A resident of Machu Picchu in 2016 ;-)
Market day in Pisac!
Lunch time in the Pisac market!
This photo is of a quinoa field in the old ruins of Ollantaytambo. I got a lot of inspiration of agricultural practices and terracing while traveling in the sacred valley. I now have some quinoa of my own growing in my newly terraced bed :-)