Tag Archives: south america

Nov22

Road Tripping in Peru

Posted on November 22, 2016 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

One of my favorite things to do in a country is drive. Of course, I love trains as well, But, driving allows you to stop at will. You see things that are not in any guide books, or posted on line. You get the authentic feel of a country, catch unexpected views, stop at random roadside stands, and see everyday life in towns.

Since as this blog posts, I am on the road again – this time in Spain, I decided to share some of my favorite random photos from driving in Peru. Mostly in the Sacred Valley.

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Nov17

Ancient Aliens Part 2: The Ruins of Moray

Posted on November 17, 2016 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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While it is true I could not stop calling them “crop circles” for the entirety of the trip – they are actually more oval and in truth, called The Ruins of Moray. Yet mystery surrounds them nonetheless. Theories range from experimental farming by the Incans, to outdoor theatre, to landing pad for aliens. All I really know is, we liked them…whatever their purpose. But, I have to say, I am leaning towards alien landing site because you can never have too many alien theories.

The walk around.

Stairs – cool and functional!

Rules don’t apply…

Bird’s eye view.

A quick stop, but worth every minute!

Also see: Ancient Aliens Part 1: Lines of Nazca

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Nov16

Ruins for Peru: Marco’s Pisaq

Posted on November 16, 2016 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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photo-jul-30-4-50-58-pm I am sorry to tell you this – but for the most part, this is going to be a boring post. It is nothing against the Ruins of Pisaq, really – they were amazing and the town was quaint and came with the appropriate amount of South American dogs (aka the street cleaners)…

This dog has done his job well!

And I always love a good market (Teen picked up a, if not cool, completely “Peru appropriate” hat)…

photo-jul-30-4-49-32-pm However, I have to say the most memorable thing in Pisaq was Marco. Marco, is apparently the man in Pisaq, who “makes things happen.” For us – well he made the best Empanades in all of Peru happen. Marco is kind of a mystery, though. All we know is that whenever there was a question on cooking, pricing, firing, ingredients, materials, you name it – in the little back-of-the-building Empanada quiosk – the workers would yell to the front of the shop for “MARCO!”. Marco would come, as if out of thin air, do…something…to make all well and disappear as quickly as he arrived. All I know is, I have never had empanades quite like these before, and fear I never will again.

All good to go now…thanks to Marco.

Don’t get me wrong, the ruins were beautiful – with perfectly formed terraces…

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Tucked inside walls of mountains…

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To the halfway point…

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And continuing up…

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To see the amazing views from above.

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All of which I feel sure…Marco somehow had a hand in.

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Nov11

Chinchero, Peru

Posted on November 11, 2016 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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She’s there.

The town of Chinchero – we were going to skip it. We had such an ambitious schedule of sightseeing on the day we drove near Chinchero, we were going to go on by. However, our cab driver, Juan – who was taking us from Cusco to Oyantaytambo – encouraged us to make a stop. He said the church is unique, we did not want miss it. Ok, we have seen alot of churches in our day and were dubious about the claim. However, we hate to think we missed something special. So…we stopped.

To get to the church involved a walk up hill which, after hiking two ruins already that day, did not thrill the Teens. But we pressed on up the colorful, quaint streets until we reached the church yard. The church was an old village church – And what do you know, the man knows his country! It goes down in my book as not only one of the most beautiful churches I have seen, but also as one of my favorite places in Peru.

Honestly, I am not sure I captured it in pictures – but I tried.

A little Llama shopping.

The market.

The church yard

The church.

The beautifully painted ceiling

A little fun.

She’s still there.

Next time: The Ruins of Pisaq

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Nov10

Ruins of Peru: Rock Sliding in Saqsayhuaman

Posted on November 10, 2016 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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Jaguar Teeth

The ruins of Saqsayhuaman were impressive – ok, maybe not Machu Picchu impressive. Nonetheless, in addition to the pretty cool “Jaguar Teeth” rock construction (see above and below),

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And some awesomely huge, oddly fit together stones,

That is one big rock…

Saqsayhuaman Ruins had one thing no other ruins we have ever been to, offered…

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A naturally smoothed rock slide! Nothing was put on the rock to make it smooth – no Disney-esk manipulations. Just smoothed by time, and a lot of behinds. We felt the need to contribute…

The Teens spent most of our time at Saqsayhuaman going down one way,

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or another…

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Racing with new local friends,

photo-jul-30-11-33-37-am Until it was time to leave,

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Nov8

Beautiful Cusco and the No Tocar Lady

Posted on November 8, 2016 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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Planning the next adventure…

Cusco is a stunning city and as it happens, the perfect jump off point for our quest to Machu Picchu! We spent days there both coming and going. In that time we were able to learn some very pertinent pieces of information about Cusco and Peru.

Like, for instance, Peruvian cats are pretty much the same as cats everywhere as in “Lady, hurry up and take my picture and move on down the &$# road so I can get on with what’s really important… my nap time.

Queen of the market.

As the ever present South American stray dogs, take whatever they can get and sleep wherever they can…

A rest between trash pic ups…

The merchants work and sell in style and technicolor…

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Teen became a Chincha drink connoisseur … I ~~think~~ hope the kind without alcohol…

Processed with VSCO with g2 preset The churches were grand and beautiful so as not to be outdone by the majestic surrounding mountains..

Santa Monica Monastery

Compania de Jesus

Side Photography Note: There was a big sign in the way, preventing me from taking this photo symmetrically. Teen pointed out later, the sign said “no foto”.

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I like my Jesus in a gold sequined loin cloth…

And unless you want to be boosted for soles for services rendered – as in payment for letting you take their photo with the baby Llamas…

Seriously? I only bribe my kids and pets to pose for me…

Take the photo from the back…

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Be prepared to walk, alot…

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Catch stunning views everywhere you go…

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Oh – and very important! If you are going to seek out the not to miss, but hard to find 12 sided stone, watch out for the “No Tocar” Lady. No matter the time of day or night, the minute you get anywhere near the ancient stone, she will leap out of the shadows proclaiming her battle cry of “No Touching!!!!”. Yeah, well, can’t blame a tourist teen for trying…

So close…

On the chance of any Incan God repercussions, for my non-payment of the Llama girls, unauthorized photos, and Teens aggressive attempts to spurn No Tocar Lady, we thought it best to move on…

Cusco, Peru

Next – The Ruins of Peru.

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Oct27

Bogota, Colombia: City Sites

Posted on October 27, 2016 by LookingfortheSweetSpot

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Pigeon King of the Corn

In total, our time in Bogota, Colombia amounted to not much more than a long layover on our way to Lima, Peru. However, we are always prepared to make the most of our time – even when it is limited. In such cases, it is necessary to become street walkers.

Not the kind that make money (although we could have used the extra pesos), but the kind that leave the hotel and don’t return until the “route” is done – hitting all the necessary, not to miss, points of interest.

And while it is true, I like to make the teens hang out in doorways…

For the most part, we keep on the move in order to see all we can in our short time.

First stop, Plaza Bolivar

Plaza Bolivar

And because pigeons everywhere seem to have an insatiable desire for corn (or, well, anything) …

Pigeon feeding in the Plaza

Next stop, Senora del Carmen church (or as we came to call it “The Candy Stripe Church”). Sometimes, I get sidetracked enjoying the people in a city – like this adorable Mom and daughter in matching pink animal print…

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Senora del Carmen Church

But, I eventually get back with the program and on with the route. photo-jul-27-10-14-59-am

Candy stripe church ceiling.

We also wandered past the President’s house where they were getting ready for…something – no one seemed to know what exactly, including the police officers on duty. We stood around waiting with the rest of the mystified crowd for a while but eventually decided to press on. Processed with VSCO with n1 preset

We did not want to be too late to go through the gold museum – the Museo International de la Esmeralda. As Teen put it – he did not want to miss a chance to be surrounded by all that wealth.

And with some last appreciation of the architecture. photo-jul-27-9-56-01-am Some hanging with the locals…

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And a snack… photo-jul-26-10-07-02-pm We were back at our hotel to enjoy the view of the rooftops before flying to Lima the next day. Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset