9.12.08

The best of ......Peru

Usually, all the tourists mainly go to the southern Peru, like the Nazca line and Machu Picchu, but I found Northern Peru is the less touristic and more authentic than the south. And most of my favourite are in Northern.

Definitely, my No.1 is the jewel-like mineral lakes and perfect snow-capped snow mountains of the Santa Cruz trekking in Huaraz. The experiences were really unforgettable.

But when I talked with many travellers who have been to Peru, I found many of them don't even know the name of Huaraz. It may be a pity to them, but due to this reason, the place is less touristic and so only lucky ones who can be able to enjoy the scenic view of the wonderful Andean.

Before I went back to Peru for the second time, my No.2 is Trujillo and the ruin, Huaca de la Luna. Trujillo has the most beautiful plaza I have ever seen in Peru and Huaca de la Luna is a vivid and living ruin which impressed me a lot.

However, when I came back to Peru to take the flight and was able to visit Arequipa and the Santa Catalina Convent, I found my ranking had been changed. I has fallen in love with the elegant city Arequipa and its Santa Catalina made me even didn't want to leave Peru. I would love to stay there for a week, enjoying the elegant blue, charming orange and peru white corridors and architectures without feeling tired.

Arequipa - Santa Catalina Convent

Santa Catalina from outside.

Besides Arequipa, the city itself which I have fallen in love with, the elegant Santa Catalina Convent is also one of my favourite. Thanks for my friend, Ursina´s recommendation, I am so glad that I had visited it.

Santa Catalina is situated three blocks away from the beautiful Plaza de Armas and it is over 2ha in total. So it took me almost the whole afternoon to see all the loving architectures and decorations inside.

Santa Catalina accomondates the nuns who decide to devote themselves to the God for four centuries. And it was always in the veil until 1970 they opened it to the public so as to earn some money to maintain the convent(I think).

The courtyard of silence...actually, in this beautiful setting, I found myself couldn't speak a word.

The mild blue is a perfect match with the buttressed ceiling and the painting on the wall.





Even the not yet refurbished part is adorable.

A quiet 'meditation cave' for me.

Corridor as pure as Angel.



Amid the mild breeze, I could watch this 'picutre' for ages and wouldn't feel bored.

There is a beautiful volcano situated as a backdrop of the Convent.


I admire every detail here.







An orange cross can also be lovely.

The nuns are using this system to wash their clothes.

Lives in the Convent can be very simple.

The main fountain squre.

A quiet and lovely afternoon, maybe I can spend my whole life here?




3.12.08

Arequipa

For the first time I went to Peru, I skipped Arequipa (2380m). Luckily(or unluckily), as I needed to go back to Lima from Bolivia to take the flight to Brazil, so I could spend 1 extra day in Arequipa. When I realized how pretty Arequipa is and how I like Arequipa, I am really glad that I was given a chance to go back to Peru.

An antique car in the courtyard.

The amazingly beautiful Cathedral in Plaza de Armas at daytime.

The Cathedral was washing with the last minute of sunshine of the day.



Covered in the blanket of starnight.

The comparatively not expensive restaurant which provided me with the splendid view of the Plaza.

The city of Arequipa is as beautiful as a dream.







The kind old man who introduced us to the above elegant courtyard.

27.11.08

Cabanaconde - Colca Canyon

Far south in Peru, near Bolivia,there is the Colca Canyon, which is claimed to be the deepest Canyon(about 1300m deep), twice as deep as the Grand Canyon.

In order to view the Colca Canyon, I went to the small town Cabanaconde(3287m), usually the people just come here for a day, but I stayed here for 3nights, mainly attracted by its tranquility.

The folding of the mountain range creates the Colca Canyon.

Condors searching for food during lunch time in Colca Canyon.




Oasis deep down the canyon.


No matter how small a town is, they still have a BIG church.




The incredible magic hour in Cabanaconde. At first, it was yellow.


Gradually changed to orange red.


Purple...


Finally deep orange.


Every city or region of Peru has their own kinds of indigenous people. They have their own traditional costume and habits. I found the costume of women who are living in the Colca Canyan district is by far the most fancy and the details are the most complicated.

Indigenous women express themselves in their beautiful costume.










Machu Picchu

The first string of sunshine which reached Machu Picchu.

Sunshine finally reached the ruins before I left.

Machu Picchu (means old mountain) has already become the symbol of Peru. Before I went there, when I was studying in Ecuador, whenever I told the local people like my teachers and my homestay families that I was going to Peru. They would respond," Machu Picchu?"

Undoubtably, Machu Picchu is famous all over the world. But judging Peru by Machu Picchu is really unfair. Though Machu Picchu is really amazing in human history and the whole site is so massive and incredible, it didn't carve importantly in my mind. Maybe because of the weather (cloudy in the morning), the unreasonable price or the crowd (1000 tourists per day in low season and 2000 per day in high season) or my expectations......

The fame of Machu Pichu made me experience the unreasonable pricing in the site, the nearest town, Agua Caliente and the transportations connecting with it.

First, the entrance fee for foreigners is 122Soles (about 40USD), after that, I think the entrance fee (about 13USD) of Potala Palace in Tibet is comparativly cheaper, given that there are so many valuable jewellery inside and it is also the spiritual centre for Tibet.

Second, the train connected to the site is pricey, the cheapest return ticket is 73USD, while the most expensive one is 113USD. But it is just a 4hours ride and the scenery along is not super magnificent. Besides, tourists need to take the 30mins bus ride from Agua Caliente to Machu Picchu, which costs an extra 12USD for a return bus ticket.

The expensive Peru Rail

Third, if you want to walk there, says trekking on the Inca trail or other alternatives, which cost you at least 250USD or 150USD.

In order not to be wipe off by Machu Picchu, I chose to use 2 days to take the bus to Santa Maria, then Santa Teresa, then Hidroelectrica and finally walked 2.5hrs on the railway to Agua Caliente.

Walking on the rail.


By this way, even including the accomondation I needed, the cost is just around 35USD, which is half the price of the train. And I even bought my own food from Cusco, so I didn't bother to go to the pricey restaurants there (which are the prices of HK middle range or even expensive restaurants).

As everyone definitely will not miss Machu Picchu, so they can charge as much as they can.

Anyway, please enjoy my photos.

After climbing the super steep (some steps are 90 degree) Huayna Picchu(means the young mountain) for 1hour, we were rewarded with the overview of the Machu Picchu.

Just like lego.

The Intihuatana (hitching post of the sun).

The agriculture terraces.

Descending from the steep Huayna Picchu.

The llama is just like king kong who can destroy Machu Picchu as its will.

Or the llama can eat the whole Machu Picchu just like crackers.

I didn't do anything to attract the llamas come to this perfect spot for photos, they just came here naturally to enjoy the supereme view of Machu Picchu.

Besides the tons of mosquitoes, this little resident show his face to us.