Southern Peru

27th August 2010

Arequipa, dubbed the white city for its many colonial buildings made from light coloured silla volcanic stone, is Peru´s second largest city.  It lies in the shadow of 3 volcanos.  Santa Catalina de Siena Convent, a city within the city of Arequipa remained closed to the public for 391 years until it was opened in 1970.  30 nuns from 18 to 90 years old remain.  We tried Rocotto Relleno, a Peruvian dish of red peppers stuffed with a mixture of minced meat, raisins and nuts (riquísimo). 

.

Nearby Colca Canyon at 3191 metres is twice the depth of the Grand Canyon.  A patchwork of terraced fields dating from 400 AD lines both sides and condors soar high on the thermals.  There are many hiking opportunities between traditional villages.  The women wear bright, intricately embroidered clothing and hats.

.

Only appreciated from above, the gigantic Nazca Lines are truly awesome.  They consist of some 800 lines, 300 geometric figures and 70 plant and animal drawings made by the Nazca people between 900BC and 600AD in the desert sands.  The lines were made by removing the sunburnt brown stones leaving the lighter desert sand exposed.  Wind keeps the channels clean.  Their purpose remains a mystery today.  1600 years ago the Nazcas constructed several kilometres of underground aqueducts to bring water to their fields.  Every 6 meters, wells allow access.  The aqueducts and wells have survived time and earthquakes to still function perfectly today.

.

We have celebrated 1 year of travelling.

.

Cathedral of Arequipa

Jesuit Church (1648) - Arequipa

Santiago Matamoros on the Jesuit church

Santa Teresa, another Convent

San Francisco church

Teledo Street inside the Santa Catalina Convent

The dome of the church in Santa Catalina

One of the nun´s cells

A courtyard inside

Volcano (6000 meters) outside Arequipa

Colca Canyon

Terraced fields in the canyon

Condor soaring

16 th century church at Cabanaconde

Women wear this style of embroidery around the Colca Canyon

Nazca - the spacemen did it

Hands - frog?

Condor

Monkey

Spider

Hummingbird

Dog

Spirals leading down into the aqueduct

Tags:

Amazon River – Peru

21st August 2010

From Iquitos, a 3 hour boat trip 140 kilometres up the Amazon and then into a smaller tributary bought us to the Muyuna Amazon Lodge for a 4 day stay.  The lodge is built from bush materials on the water´s edge, deep in the jungle, and is lit at night by kerosene lamps.  Being the dry season, the water level in the river was low, but can rise by 10 metres in the wet, inundating the jungle.  The villages along the river banks take advantage of the exposed alluvial soil to grow rice and other crops between June and November.

.

With Clider, our experienced local guide, we explored remote locations by boat and on foot, looking for plants, animals and birds.  We had fun fishing, visited Clider´s village, spotted a sloth high in the trees, saw monkeys, tiny bats, pink river dolphins and the giant waterlilies growing to 2 metres across.  There was still time to relax in the hammocks and listen to the strange noises all around us.

.

River boat on the Amazon

Cabaña at Muyuna Lodge

Jeff relaxing in the hammock

Early morning on the river

The elusive Amazon pink dolphin

Clider showing us how to fish

Black collared hawk

Tiny bats, 5 centimeters long

Monkey jumping between trees

Pigmy monkey (10 centimeters)

Village on the river bank

Jaguar shot whilst trying to come into a village house

Village child

Fishing the Amazon

Large buttress root

Giant waterlillies, up to 2 meters across

Giant waterlily flower

New leaf of the giant waterlily

Sunset on the Amazon

Tags:

Iquitos

20th August 2010

Iquitos, on the banks of the Amazon River in Peru´s steamy jungle region, can only be reached by boat or plane. The Jesuits established a mission here in 1757 but the indigenous people resisted being converted. We arrived in time for the morning downpour. The city buzzes with moto-taxis. Boats ply the river carrying produce from villages up and down stream. Crumbling mansions stand as reminders of the more prosperous days of the rubber boom in the late 19th century.

.

From early morning, canoes paddle around the floating shantytown of Belén, selling all kinds of jungle goods, including monkeys and turtles dead and alive. We picked up 2 local guides in the Belén market (or they picked us up), Lito (Phone 965835320) and Marlon. They showed us parts of Belén into which we would not have been brave enough to venture. We then went by boat past the floating houses, shops, bars and restaurants, some now high and dry to visit Lito´s own house on stilts, and saw the giant water lilies on the way.

.

In the nearby village of Padre Cocha there is a butterfly farm but unfortunately the butterfly section was closed the day we went.  They also have a refuge for local animals which was open.

.

Flying over the Andes to Iquitos

Landing at Iquitos

One of the busy ports of Iquitos

Bananas from up the Amazon

Floating resturant

Former mansion in Iquitos

Tiles were the height of fasion

School in Iquitos

Moto-taxis are the best way to get around in Iquitos

The Iron House - made by Eifel in Paris and shipped to Iquitos

Lito and Marlon in Belén market

Boats unloading for the Belén market

When the water level drops, the floating house doesn´t float anymore!

Looking out from Lito´s house

Rainy day

Giant waterlilies near Belén

Houses on balsa logs anchored by upright poles when they float

Twin Otter on floats landing on the Amazon

Pam with a baby sloth at the animal refuge

Lazy sloth (oso perezoso)

Prehistoric turtle

Ginger flower

Front page story in the Iquitos Times

Tags:

Lima

13th August 2010

Lima, Peru´s capital, was founded in 1535 by the Spaniard Pizarro and became the capital of the Viceroyalty of Peru.  In 1991, UNESCO declared the city centre a historical monument.  Downtown contains many impressive colonial churches and 19th century houses with stunning balconies as well as lovely plant filled plazas.  Lima also boasts the oldest bullring in the Americas and the third oldest in the world.

.

The area around Lima had been inhabited for thousands of years and in the nearby suburb of Miraflores is Huaca Pucllana, a pre Columbian ceremonial complex made from adobe bricks.

.

The Government Palace on the Plaza de Armas

The Government Palace on the Plaza de Armas

Lima´s Cathedral

Lima´s Cathedral

The Archbisop´s Palace

The Archbisop´s Palace

Lima downtown

Lima downtown

Osambela House

Osambela House

San Francisco Monastery has extensive catacombs underneath

San Francisco Monastery has extensive catacombs underneath

Santuario de Santa Roas de Lima

Santuario de Santa Roas de Lima

Carved front of the Iglesia de San Agustin

Jeff checking out the carved front of the Iglesia de San Agustin

Iglesia de San Marcelo

Iglesia de San Marcelo

Convento de Santo Domingo

Convento de Santo Domingo

Courtyard inside the Convent features tiles from Spain (1606)

Courtyard inside the Convent features tiles from Spain (1606)

Stained glass windows with Lima´s Saints

Stained glass windows of Lima´s Saints

Detail of the entrance to the Iglesia de la Merced

Detail of the entrance to the Iglesia de la Merced

Iglesia de San Pedro

Iglesia de San Pedro

Central Lima building (19th century)

Central Lima building (19th century)

The sculptor was told to put llamas (flames) on her head but put llamas (llamas)

The sculptor was told to put llamas (as in flames) on her head but put llamas (as in llamas)

This bullring is the oldest in the Americas and still used

This bullring is the oldest in the Americas and still used

Building in Miraflores (suburb of Lima)

Building in Miraflores (suburb of Lima)

Miraflores church

Miraflores church

Pyramid of Huaca Pucllana

Pyramid of Huaca Pucllana

The shark was important to the pre Inca Lima people

The shark was important to the pre Inca Lima people

Pre Inca funeral masks

Pre Inca funeral masks

Clay figure found at the Huaca Pucllana site

Clay figure found at the Huaca Pucllana site

Succulents grow well in Lima´s desert climate

Succulents grow well in Lima´s desert climate

Tags:

The whales of Puerto Madryn

08th August 2010

Unesco World Heritage Peninsula Valdés, in Argentina´s Patagonia, is one of the finest wildlife reserves in South America.  From June to December, southern right whales come to the sheltered waters of Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San José to breed and bear their young.  The southern right whales, so named because they were the ¨right¨ whale to kill, were facing extinction but now over 1100 visit these waters each year.

.

That is why we travelled 20 hours by bus (and back again) to Puerto Madryn.  The whales did not disappoint.  They can be observed from the town jetty and from other vantage points around the coast, frolicking with their newborns just metres away.  To see and hear these 20 meter, 10 tonnes animals so close to the shore you can almost touch them is really something.

.

Also on the peninsula are penguins, sea lions, elephant seals and dolphins, but it was the whales we came to see.

.

Puerto Madryn

Puerto Madryn

The long jetty makes a great whale viewing platform

The long jetty makes a great whale viewing platform

The whales come close to the jetty

The whales come close to the jetty

Whale surfacing in the clear water

Whale surfacing in the clear water

Ten tonnes of whale

Ten tonnes of whale

Playfull whales

Playfull whales

Seagulls land on their backs; the whales hate it

Seagulls land on their backs; the whales hate it

There are dozens of whales near the jetty

There are dozens of whales near the jetty

Whale makes a dive

Whale makes a dive

A face only a mother could love

A face only a mother could love

There is a load hollow noise when the whale exhales

There is a load hollow noise when the whale exhales

Whales showing off

Whales showing off

The tail gracefully sinks below the water

The tail gracefully sinks below the water

Seal playing under the jetty

Seal playing under the jetty

P1160437

P1160360

Tags:

Down the River Paraná

05th August 2010

After crossing back into Argentina from Paraguay, we followed the Paraguay River south until it joined the second longest river in South America, the Paraná, near Resistencia (a big country town with big wide streets).  Corrientes, across the river, has a bit more to offer in colonial buildings. 

.

Continuing south we made stops in Santa Fe and Rosario.  Santa Fe was originally founded in 1573 but was moved to the present site in 1653 due to constant flooding.  In Rosario we finally got to taste the delicious river fish.

.

This just about sums up Resistencia

This just about sums up Resistencia

Church at Corrientes

Church at Corrientes

Another church at Corrientes

Church of San Francisco at Corrientes

Murals ...

Murals ...

... tell the history of Corrientes

... tell the history of Corrientes

Indigenous face adorns this building

Indigenous face adorns this building

River fish are sold beside the road

River fish are sold beside the road

Cathedral at Santa Fe

Cathedral at Santa Fe

Jesuit Church at Santa Fe from 1640

Jesuit Church at Santa Fe from 1640

Convent of San Francisco in Santa Fe

Convent of San Francisco in Santa Fe from 1683

Church at Rosario

Church at Rosario

Rosario street cafe

Rosario street cafe

Tags:

Paraguay

01st August 2010

Paraguay-120-animated-flag-gifsAcross the River Paraná from Posadas in Argentina is the Paraguayan city of Encarnación.  Nearby the ruins of 2 of the 8 Jesuit missions established in Paraguay, Trinidad del Paraná and Jesús de Tavarangue, are both deserving of their Unesco World Heritage status.

.

Paraguay is a small poor country surrounded by Brazil, Bolivia and Argentina.  Guaraní, the language of the original inhabitants is still spoken along with Spanish.  Chipa sellers are everywhere, even on the buses.  We devoured many of these dense, odd shaped rolls, made from manioc flour, eggs and cheese, kept warm in a cloth covered basket. 

.

The capital, Ascunción has seen better days.  Colonia Nueva Australia, southeast of Ascunción, was founded in 1893 by a group of Australians led by William Lane as the world´s first communist settlement. We didn´t get there.
.

The remains of the Jesuit church at Trinidad de Paraná

The remains of the Jesuit church at Trinidad de Paraná

Trinidad is the best preserved/restored of the Jesuit Missions

Trinidad is the best preserved/restored of the Jesuit Missions

The pulpit at Trinidad

The pulpit at Trinidad

Carved figures ...

Carved figures ...

... of angels playing musical instruments ...

... of angels playing musical instruments ...

... adorn the walls of Trindidad´s church

... adorn the walls of Trindidad´s church

Doorway at the church

Doorway at the church

The church walls were 2 meters thick

The church walls were 2 meters thick

Housing for the indigenous

Housing for the indigenous

Outside of the church at Trinidad

Outside of the church at Trinidad

P1150609

DSCN2917

The church at Jesús de Tavarangue was not completed before the 1767 Jesuit expulsion

The church at Jesús de Tavarangue was not completed before the 1767 Jesuit expulsion

Inside the church at Jesús

Inside the church at Jesús

Doorway shows Spain´s moorish history

Doorway shows Spain´s moorish history

P1150515

DSCN2857

DSCN2853

P1150528

A taxi in Paraguay

A taxi in Paraguay

Chipa seller at the Encarnación bus station

Chipa seller at the Encarnación bus station

The President lives here in downtown Asunción ...

The President lives here in downtown Asunción ...

... meanwhile 5 blocks away in one of the central plazas people live like this

... meanwhile 5 blocks away, in one of the central plazas, people live like this

Asunción´s old railway station

Asunción´s former railway station

Tags: