The Peruvian Amazon, Andean Cloud Forests and Machu Picchu: September/October 2014

[graceland]

What a wonderful set of Hummingbirds; I 'm sure you were disappointed not to get the "Gallina" snaps but at least YOU SAW THEM!

 

The bear seems confused; but I am sure much happier than confined in a circus.

 

Inkaterra Machu Picchu is magical. Wish we had stayed longer and gone on a guided bird tour as you.( I was intrigued by the lettuce as well)

We just hung out within the property. You did it right...but of course you planned well. We actually purchased the trip at an auction so we were kind of stuck with the itinerary, though I am not complaining. It was one of my many favs.

 

I have so enjoyed reliving Peru with you.

Edited April 19, 2015 by graceland

[Alexander33]

That afternoon, we take the Peru Rail Vista Dome train to Cusco, where we will spend our two final days, meeting up once again with Maria for a visit to Sacsaywaman, a walled compound built by the Incas as a cornerstone at their capital, Cusco; the Temple of Coricancha, dedicated to Inti, the sun god, which reputedly had sheets of solid gold covering the walls and floors and on top of which is now the Spanish colonial-era Church of Santo Domingo; and Cusco Cathedral and the other Spanish colonial sites of the old city.

 

Sacsaywaman, the central fortress of the Incas overlooking their capital of Cusco.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View of Cusco from Sacsaywaman, including Plaza de Armas and Cusco Cathedral.

 

 

 

 

 

Temple of Coricancha, within the Chruch of Santo Domingo which was built on top of it.

 

 

 

 

Additional Inca ruins near Cusco.

 

 

 

 

A few scenes from Cusco.

 

 

 

 

With Cusco, our trip was coming to an end. This is normally the point at which I would write my conclusion, something like the following: "Another day and night, and then we find ourselves back home, back to routines and obligations, but richer for the journey that we have just completed and evermore rife with dreams of future travel and new experiences."

 

And that would certainly be true. However, Peru wasn't yet finished with me....

[Alexander33]

At the start of this report, I mentioned the story of the Inca emperor Atahualpa and the manner in which he was double-crossed by the Spanish conquistadors. Today, whenever a tourist is stricken with some ailment while visiting Peru, it is referred to as "Atahualpa's Revenge." Usually, Atahualpa's Revenge takes the form of a gurgling, upset stomach and frequent, wide-eyed dashes to the lavatory. We have been diligent in avoiding the most common cause of Atahualpa's Revenge: eating raw vegetables, like lettuce (remember that?), washed in improperly treated water. By the time our last evening in Cusco arrives, I'm feeling almost cocky that ole Atahualpa isn't going to get to me. Ha! I have bested Atahualpa!

 

Well, you know what they say: "Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make proud." And in my case, Atahualpa's aiming for my head, not my midsection.

 

Returning from dinner in a rainstorm that signals the end of the dry season, a taxi careens down the narrow street we are crossing. I jog up onto the sidewalk just in case the taxi's tires don't hold fast on the wet cobblestones and, in the darkness, fail to see the two steps in the sidewalk that descend downward. Before I know it, my body is in the air, perpendicular to the sidewalk. The building immediately adjacent to me, extending right up to the sidewalk, is of Spanish colonial construction built on top of an old Inca stone foundation that stands about 5 feet high and juts out into the sidewalk. Now, I have praised Inca architectural standards throughout this report, so it should come as no surprise that when Atahualpa decided on this occasion to use my head to test the strength of his subjects' construction skills, my head lost.

 

I regain consciousness as J. and two Australian tourists are dragging me in to the J.W. Marriott Hotel across the street. And may I give a shout-out to the staff at the J.W. Marriott? As soon as they confirm that I'm not some sloppy drunk, a medic is attending to me in their chic lobby. Less than 10 minutes later, a doctor is driving me to a clinic and the X-ray technician is driving from her home to open it up for us. Having made it up Machu Picchu Mountain and back down again without a single mishap, it is a sidewalk in Cusco that ends up finishing me off. The irony is not lost on me.

 

In the end, all is fine. A big goose egg on the lower back of my head that throbs from time to time is the only reminder I will have that one should never disregard the power of Atahualpa.

 

Of course, it all depends upon one's perspective. Maybe it wasn't Atahualpa's Revenge at all that caused the incident. Maybe, instead, it was the Luck of the Chinchilla that saved me from it.

 

 

 

 

 

[Atravelynn]

Gould's Collared - a birdwatching and photographic coup! Can you go back and look at what settings you had for your camera when you click on your photos? I was going to ask you since most hummingbird shots are a long beak and a blur.

 

I think your hummingbird photos are great, one after the next. So many quality ones. Since you mentioned noise, one of my fellow Peru travelers was a serious bird photographer and she mentioned that she has special software (not Photoshop, but a specialized program) that reduces noise. I've thought about getting that. Though first I'd have to find out what it is called. While it would not surpass having a several thousand dollar camera, giant lens, professional flash, and massive tripod, it could help some of my borderline blotchy photos. She especially mentioned it for the cock of the rock photos she took. Since the Cock of the Rock Lodge is on your list, you might want to check out that special software because the cock of the rock environment is very unforgiving.

 

Do you have a photo of William? Remind me which company he worked for. Wondering if he was "my" William.

 

So many of your comments and descriptions of Peru really resonate with me. Here's yet another..."Fickle Peru strikes again." While all wildlife destinations have an element of fickleness, I felt the highs and lows of fickleness more intensely in Peru. That's part of its intrigue.

 

I hope the Spectacled Bear is proceeding on its path to a wild existence once again.

Edited April 20, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Alexander33]

@ Tom Kellie

@ graceland

 

Thank you for your supportive words.

 

@ Atravelynn

 

Gould's Collared - a birdwatching and photographic coup! Can you go back and look at what settings you had for your camera when you click on your photos? I was going to ask you since most hummingbird shots are a long beak and a blur.

 

I had a Nikon D5200 with a 55-300 mm lens. These were shot at 300 mm. I had the camera set on (experienced photographers, cover your eyes) "Sports" mode, because I had previously had some trouble autofocusing in the shade, and this setting provided me with a single focus point, a default wide aperture and fast shutter speed. I think most of the shots of the Gould's Collared Inca are at f/6.3 or f/7.1, and most are at 1/1600 second, some as slow as 1/1000 and one at 1/2000. (I will need to double-check that, and I will let you know if my memory serves me ill on this.) The ISO was set at an eye-popping 6400. These were all taken in bright sunlight. I really didn't know what I was doing. Now that I've started educating myself in the nuances of photography, I don't think I'd ever recommend this course of action. But, I'm sure happy with what I got under the circumstances.

 

Since you mentioned noise, one of my fellow Peru travelers was a serious bird photographer and she mentioned that she has special software (not Photoshop, but a specialized program) that reduces noise. I've thought about getting that. Though first I'd have to find out what it is called. While it would not surpass having a several thousand dollar camera, giant lens, professional flash, and massive tripod, it could help some of my borderline blotchy photos. She especially mentioned it for the cock of the rock photos she took. Since Cock of the Rock Lodge is on your list, you might want to check out that special software because the cock of the rock environment is very unforgiving.

 

I've started looking into noise reduction software, but as of yet, I don't even know Photoshop (I'm signed up to take a course this summer). These shots actually read a little better as prints than they do on this site, but I do intend to learn additional post-processing techniques and apply them here if I can. (I certainly didn't detect any noise in your cock-of-the rock photographs, though. You appear to have handled those perfectly).

 

Do you have a photo of William? Remind me which company he worked for. Wondering if he was "my" William.

 

I did not end up capturing him in any of our photos. He was employed directly by Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo in their eco center. I was walking around the grounds late in the afternoon after our climb with bincoulars and camera, and he approached me and told me they could sign us up for a private 1/2 day bird watching and nature tour. He was very good and probably the most gregarious and friendly of the guides they had on staff.

 

So many of your comments and descriptions of Peru really resonate with me. Here's yet another..."Fickle Peru strikes again." While all wildlife destinations have an element of fickleness, I felt the highs and lows of fickleness more intensely in Peru. That's part of its intrigue..

 

"That's part of its intrigue." I completely agree. It's as if Peru reveals her secrets only when she wants you to know them. And you never know when that might be. But when she does, you truly relish the moment.

 

This trip really challenged me, and I'm not one to give up in the face of a challenge. After our return, I signed up for a certificate program in digital photography at a local university, booked a trip to Costa Rica for next January, and have spent a small fortune on a new camera body, a longer lens (but one I can still handhold for long periods -- very important to me), a tripod, and an off-camera flash. I am going to improve in my jungle photography skills if it kills me (and it may). We'll see what next January brings.

 

Thank you for your continued interest and for following along.

Edited April 20, 2015 by Alexander33

[graceland]

Well of course I echo @@Atravelynn's thoughts on Peru - very high thoughts of fickllness. Yet we totally went for the Sacred Valley, Cuso and MP....and added Amazaon last minute as we were NEARBY, June Not being optimal, but we did meet the owner of Inkaterra while there (JOE) and had special times talking with him privately about his beginnings, his conservation efforts and what was to come. A lovely friendship forged. He spent a day with us in the Amazon and though the "boss" was there,the birds had not yet arrived to we had plenty of getting to know you space.

 

Therefore when we proceeded to MP he had arranged several activities for us in advance, on his own, which I appreciated.- one being our own guide and also events aroud the town/properties.... he gave us a villa in Sacred Valley to which I would return yearly if the funds prevailed. Nice.

 

Cusco was our downfall.....Sick,sick, and moresick. DH ended up in a private clinic for 24 hours (Mr Outdoorsman!) but the Hotel Monasterio treated us a rock stars...who knew, I could have been Cindy Lauper for all they knew????......

 

As "Ciindy" I had our driver take me to the best of the best alpaca shopping nearby as DH though I might be resting .Afterall DH was sleeping 24 hrs, take advantage! i still wear it in winter......best ever. There is something for everyone!

 

Thanks @@Alexander33 for bringing those memories back. This was when we just flew in and went. No cares, no troubles, no itineraary......The BEST~ (we did let Inaterra book us at their lovely spots; afterall it was for a "cause".

 

I do love a trip to Peru....amazing people.

 

Yet another amazing report.

[Atravelynn]

Good old Sports Mode! On one of my cameras it is a running guy and another it's a guy swinging a golf club. I used many settings on my Canon SX50 superzoom P&S for the Cocks of the Rock, including Auto. Auto was often very good. If the birds pop out into the sun for a moment, then the quality improves.

 

6400 ISO? Wow! That tells me you have a good camera to handle that.

 

I agree that prints (I get 5x7s) often look better/sharper than what I post here.

 

Good luck with your Photoshop class. Very timely. I opted for the easier Photoshop Essentials and took a class back when it was version 8 and still have that one even though the program has advanced to version 13.

 

Was William one of the shorter guides and more portly than some? If so, maybe he is "my William." Gregarious and friendly definitely accurate descriptions! He was an InkaNatura guide. I don't have a photo either.

 

You are getting all the tools and the knowledge to take even better jungle photos, which hopefully won't kill you!

 

I am enjoying following along very much!

 

----------------

 

And I just read your thrilling conclusion. Saved by the chinchilla, cursed by Atahualpa, attacked by the architecture, attended to by the Marriott staff and local doctors! What glass half full/half empty grand finale. And what a scary one it must have been once you gained consciousness. Glad you can see humor and irony in retrospect. It puts your comment about getting good jungle photos if it kills you in a new light.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Atravelynn

[Alexander33]

@ Atravelynn

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the report. Thanks for taking the time to post your comments. I always think that gives people a more in-depth understanding of the experience.

 

 

Was William one of the shorter guides and more portly than some? If so, maybe he is "my William." Gregarious and friendly definitely accurate descriptions! He was an InkaNatura guide.

 

Nope. Ours was tall and lanky. So does that make him "my William?"

[Alexander33]

@ graceland

 

What a bummer to be sick in Cusco. But at least you were well taken care of. I certainly can't complain about the medical care I received.

 

 

As "Ciindy" I had our driver take me to the best of the best alpaca shopping nearby as DH though I might be resting .Afterall DH was sleeping 24 hrs, take advantage! i still wear it in winter......best ever. There is something for everyone!

 

I should have mentioned the alpaca products. Thanks for the prompt. If you want alpaca blankets, scarves, ponchos, sweaters, you name it, Cusco is the place to get it. You do need to be careful that you are buying the genuine thing, however, especially if you are looking for products made from baby alpaca fleece, which is the softest. Our guide joked that there are two types of alpaca products available in Cusco: baby alpaca and maybe alpaca!

[michael-ibk]

Atahualpa´s revenge ... interesting, in German it´s Montezuma who´c causing all that bad stuff. Well, whatever, in this case it was apparently good to be thick-headed.

 

Really impressed with your hummingbird shots, and the Golden-Olived Woodpecker is terrific, too.

 

You shouldn´t have told about your photography advanced trainging - you just raised expectations for the next report to an uncomfortable level.

 

So, what´s next in SA ... I seem to remember Tswalu ... Phinda?

 

Thanks for the report, greatly enjoyed it.

[Alexander33]

@ michael-ibk

 

Thank you for following this report from the start and for your patience as I completed it in bits and pieces.

 

Montezuma wreaks havoc in Mexico, where he, as emperor of the Aztecs, met with pretty much the same fate as his "cousin" to the south. Living in Texas, I am rather familiar with Montezuma. I hadn't heard of "Atahualpa's Revenge" until this trip. I just looked it up, and, apparently, there are similar colloquialisms in other parts of the world, including "Pharaoh's Revenge" or "Mummy Tummy" in Egypt. Who knew?

 

in this case it was apparently good to be thick-headed.

 

Aha! Another theory I hadn't thought of. I certainly am hard-headed!

 

You shouldn´t have told about your photography advanced trainging - you just raised expectations for the next report to an uncomfortable level.

 

I knew I was doing that as I typed out the words. I look at it as built-in discipline. It'll make me work harder!

 

And yes, I'm leaving the jungles (and all those secretive creatures skulking in the darkness) behind for a while and heading back to South Africa in late August -- Tswalu and Phinda, exactly. I may not have been able to get the otters in focus, but I'm feeling pretty good about my chances with lions!