A walk in Saint-Malo Brittany

wandering in Saint-Malo (link, enlace, lien)

click on the links above to see more pictures

Last day in Cusco and end of this wonderful 3 weeks journey in Peru

Last day in Cusco (link, enlace, lien)

click on the links above or below to see more pictures
I don't think I've said a word of the Peruvian gastronomy. Wherever we have been we ate well, even in the most simple restaurant (said by a native French :) ). One of the best: the lunch at the MAP Café located at Larco Museum. The owner J.L Coque Ossio is well-known not only for his gastronomic talents, but also for his business knowledge as a culinary entrepreneur. He studied both cooking and business and did his internship for Alain Passard at Arpège in Paris. He runs six restaurants in Cusco Lima. The cuisine is all Peruvian, the Head Chef is Manuel Cordova. We were served by a great waiter Jhon (right spelling). He was kind enough to pose for me.

My wife was looking for some special jewels. After looking in many jewelry shops she finally found perhaps the best silver artist in Cusco, Martha Cachi Yupanqui. So the day you visit Cusco don't waste your time go straight to her booth at the “Asociación de Artesanos de Cusco” near the Jesuits Church.

That's the end of trip! Next day back to Lima then Madrid.

Last day in Cusco (link, enlace, lien)

Back to Cusco

Cusco (link, enlace, lien)

click on the links above or below to see more pictures

We are back to Cusco for 2 more days. This historical city has so much to offer. Just walk down Cusco streets again with me.

In our visit we saw a photo exhibition of the Peruvian photographer Martin Chambi Jimenez (November 5 of 1891 - † m. September 13 of 1973). He was a photographer Indian born Coaza, Carabaya province, north of Lake Titicaca, he is considered one of the great figures of photography. Recognized for his pictures of biological and ethnic he has been a profound witness of his country; he has deeply portrayed Peruvians, both the Indians and the general population.

I invite you to browse the web for an overview of the work of this great photographer. In Google just type: photography of Martín Chambi Jimenez.

To check his biography go to the following link http://martinchambi.org/

Cusco (link, enlace, lien)

Machu Picchu, the Inca Trail

Machu Picchu day 2 (link, enlace, lien)

click on the links above or below to see more pictures

Well just a small portion of the Inca Trail, up to the Sun Gate, Intipunku.

We lodged at Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge which was very convenient to be the firsts to enter the site. A complete different experience from the previous day. From a photographer stand point, getting the early light was quite something. Very few photographs today but I promise they are different from yesterday. Enjoy

Machu Picchu day 2 (link, enlace, lien)

Machu Picchu day 1

Machu Picchu day 1 (link, enlace, lien)

click on the links above or below to see more pictures

No need for me to tell you about this wonder. Perhaps just a reminder about its 3 primary structures, the Intihuatana (Hitching post of the Sun), the Temple of the Sun, and the Room of the Three Windows. These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the Sacred District of Machu Picchu.

Machupicchu receives every day 2500 visitors meaning people all over the place, a challenge for a photographer!

You reach the archaeologic site only by train. From Cuszo or in our case leaving our hotel in Yucay at 6 am by car, boarding at Ollataytambo to Aguas Calientes. Then run the remaining 8 kms, on foot or by bus, but mind you a ride a little stressful.

Machu Picchu day 1 (link, enlace, lien)

Sacred Valley day 2

Sacred Valley day 2 (link, enlace, lien)

click on the links above or below to see more pictures
Salinas de Maras











Terraces de Moray

Chichero craftsman centre

Sacred Valley day 2 (link, enlace, lien)

From Cusco to the Sacred Valley

Sacred Valley day 1 (link, enlace, lien)

click on the links above or below to see more pictures

Písac is a Peruvian village in the Sacred Valley on the Urubamba River, best known for its Incan ruins, known as Inca Písac, which lie atop of a hill at the entrance to the valley. The ruins are separated along the ridge into four groups: Pisaqa, Intihuatana, Q'allaqasa, and Kinchiracay. Intihuatana group includes the Temple of the Sun, baths, altars, water fountains, a ceremonial platform, and an intihuatana, The Inca constructed agricultural terraces on the steep hillside, which are still in use today. They created the terraces by hauling richer topsoil by hand from the lower lands. The terraces enabled the production of surplus food, more than would normally be possible at altitudes as high as 11,000 feet.

With military, religious, and agricultural structures, the site served at least a triple purpose. Researchers believe that Písac defended the southern entrance to the Sacred Valley, while Choquequirao defended the western entrance, and the fortress at Ollantaytambo the northern. Inca Pisac controlled a route which connected the Inca Empire with the border of the rain forest.

Ollantaytambo

Around the mid-15th century, the Inca emperor Pachacuti conquered and razed Ollantaytambo; the town and the nearby region were incorporated into his personal estate. The emperor rebuilt the town with sumptuous constructions and undertook extensive works of terracing and irrigation in the Urubamba Valley; the town provided lodging for the Inca nobility while the terraces were farmed by yanaconas, retainers of the emperor

Sacred Valley day 1 (link, enlace, lien)