While searching for a company to go trekking with in Peru, you'll find tons of options. They mostly do the same treks and the Inca trail is the one that gets booked up months in advance. Since Peru was a last minute trip for us (we were supposed to go to Japan, but changed course after the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear reactor disasters), we were too late to receive permits for the Inca trail. So we opted to do the Lares trek instead and loved every minute of it!

We chose to do our trek with Apus Peru for two reasons. One was that they treat and pay all their workers well (guide, cook, porters), and two, they donate 5% of their profits to Threads of Peru, a nonprofit that brings weavings of indigenous Peruvians to the international community by selling their weavings on ebay.

In the wee hours of the morning, Drew and I had to drag ourselves out of bed to get ready for our 4am pickup. In the van were our driver, cook (Herbert), and most awesome guide (Arturo), along with all the supplies and equipment we'd need for our four day trek. We slept through most of the ride until the sun started to slowly peep out.



Heading high up mountains. Altitude sickness definitely came into play later in the day.



We arrived at the village of our porters a few hours later. They were a father/son team who brought along their two mules and horse. Breakfast was laid out for us on a small table with plenty of food and three chairs set up for us and Arturo. This was way more than what I had expected!

Our team for the Lares Trek. I felt like we had the best guide, cook, and porters that any trekker could've asked for. They were all the nicest, most accommodating, helpful people! (From top: me, Arturo (guide), Cesar (porter), Drew (who looks like a staff member -he was mistaken for being Peruvian so many times!), Cesar's son (porter), and Herbert (cook).


After breakfast, poor Drew threw everything back up because he had gotten food poisoning from the night before. He blamed it on the guinea pig, but since I had eaten it as well, we concluded that the culprit was the lemonade he drank. I had bottled water with dinner that night. We almost didn't go on the trek because at 2am that morning, he woke up with a high fever and started vomiting. Being the trooper that he is, he wanted to give it a go. So we went. And we're both so glad that we did, despite the poor guy suffering so much, and here's why.







LLamas and alpacas were out and about in the mountains. Their look gives me the giggles sometimes.


A few skulls and bones laying around.


Homes that remind us of The Lord of the Rings.


Being there in April, we got to experience greenery!




Arturo was an excellent guide giving us all sorts of information on local plants, animals, culture, and politics of Peru.


We experienced all sorts of weather on our trek from fog, to sun, to rain.


While trekking, our cook and porters were always ahead of us. One, because they sometimes took a short cut, and two, because they're used to the altitude and went at a much faster pace than Drew and I could. Hiking at 14,000ft was definitely not an easy task. There were times when I would literally walk five steps, stop to catch my breath, just to walk another fives steps and do the same thing all over again.

I was so happy when we came upon the site of our lunch camp!

Yes, there was a toilet tent. They dug up a nice little hole in the ground where you can do your business and put a little zip up tent around it. Genius!

Our horses and mules hanging around at lunchtime.


After our cook threw some salt on the ground, one guy got really huffy when the others wanted some of the salt.


While the crew was cleaning up, poor Drew suffered another bout of vomiting. He was so sick and the altitude was not helping. :(


Thank goodness for the emergency horse, which he rode the rest of the trek that day to our campsite.


On parts like this (waterfall crossing!), Herbert had to guide the horse across.


As we got close to the village where we would camp for our first night, some of the local children came running toward us hoping for candy.


They still wear their traditional outfits.


Sometimes mixed with western clothes. These two cuties were so fascinated when I showed them pictures of themselves on the LCD of my camera. We then went through all the pictures I had taken on our trek. They loved it!


We camped in the schoolyard of this particular village.


Their bridge is awesome.


Before we had even descended upon the village, Drew and I both had the most massive headaches of our lives due to the altitude. He was sick as a dog and couldn't even eat dinner. So we had a discussion with Arturo and decided that we should cut the trek short and go home tomorrow so that Drew could get some much needed rest and recover. That evening, we both headed to bed early and the crew got to "eat like kings!" -as Arturo told us the next day.

After breakfast the next morning, there was a surprising bout of hail falling while we were in the dining tent. We waited it out, and then started our hike to the Lares hot springs where we would be picked up by a driver. Half an hour later, it was sunny and beautiful!








Incan terraces that make marvelous agricultural and irrigation systems still stand and work today as they did centuries ago.


Some of the plants and farm animals we saw along the way.




Drew and our guide Arturo, who was really like the Encyclopedia Britannica with all the wealth of information he's got stored in his head.


Although our four day trek had to be cut down to two days, we still felt like we learned, saw, and experienced much of what life is like for Quetchuans, the indigenous people of the Peruvian Andes. I am so glad we got to experience this instead of the Inca Trail actually. We got the whole package it seemed like, with gorgeous scenery and culture combined.

If you're considering doing a trek in Peru, I highly recommend Apus Peru, and getting Arturo as your guide!!!

On our second day in Cusco, I volunteered with Threads of Peru to take pictures of weavings made by the local indigenous women so that the organization can put these up on their ebay store site. Threads of Peru is an NGO that "connects remote villages to an international market - enhancing the economic livelihoods of weavers, enriching their textile and cultural traditions, and supporting the health and well-being among community members."-Threads of Peru website.

It was a gorgeous day and I had some of the best scenery around for a fashion shoot! On the day of, Drew and I were picked up by Katy Shorthouse (a contributing author of Lonely Planet Peru and owner of a bar in Cusco called La Chupiteria) and a few of her friends who would help model some of the weavings. We headed out to Chinchero first to get some mountain scenery. This area in April is so beautifully green.





A few images of the models wearing scarves and bags.







Drew had no idea he'd be modeling that day, but he did well. A natural, I say!





This was taken during our lunch break that day. The sheep remind me of two dogs happy to see their owner coming. =)



On our way back to Cusco, we stopped by a tiny market and the pops of color from these potatoes were calling my name. Potatoes are a major Peruvian crop, and their origin are thought to have began in southern Peru thousands of years ago.



We ended the day at The Muse, a restaurant close to the Plaza de Armas in Cusco owned by one of our models of the day, Claire. They make the best mango shakes there. Oh, and the banana chocolate shake was divine!





If you're ever in Cusco, stop by the Muse for some great live music and yummy shakes. Great atmosphere, friendly service.

Next post: Lares Valley 4 day trek. Things go awry...

{Cusco Peru Travel}

Peru, Peru, I love Peru! A land filled with culture, amazing food, and breathtaking scenery. What's not to love?

Drew and I flew into Lima and out to Cusco, the former Incan capital, the day after. I had no idea what to expect, but was so excited when we arrived in this bustling city with big, old world charm. Narrow cobblestone streets and Spanish influenced architecture built sometimes upon original Incan stones that were masterfully laid together were what captured my eyes while roaming around.



Peruvians are one of the friendliest peoples we've met on our travels, rivaling the people of Thailand. These two kids were so happily curious with my camera.



Cusco is definitely a crowded city. So many Peruvians move here from other parts of the country, and a lot of foreigners have fallen in love with this town and taken up residence here as well. Besides your own two feet, taxis are the best way of getting around. But with all the traffic, we easily walked everywhere, unless our destination was FAR away. (Note the white Ferrari taxi!)



On half of our stay, Drew and I stayed at Second Home Cusco. If you ever go to Cusco, I highly recommend staying here if you can get one of the bigger rooms. Carlos, the owner, and ALL of his staff are truly some of the nicest and most accommodating people we've ever met! When we had to leave for our trek one morning at 4am, Raul got up at 3am to make us breakfast before we left!



When we arrived, the first thing we were offered was coca tea. Not so we can get a big rush, but so we could acclimate to the high altitude of Cusco which sits at almost 11,000ft. Altitude sickness is sometimes a problem here for newcomers, and the coca tea really helps.



Two things really caught my eye when we entered Second Home Cusco. One was this beautifully hand-crafted pillow.



The other was the giant Puma fireplace made by Carlos' father, Victor Delfin -a famous Peruvian artist. And for those who like trivial knowledge, the city of Cusco was laid out in the shape of a Puma, which created some debate between me and Drew about whether we were staying near the head or tail end of it!



Once we got settled, we did some wandering around town. As much as I love this city, it was a bit annoying being constantly bombarded with vendors asking if we wanted to buy this or that or get a massage. Thank goodness we stayed in the San Blas neighborhood, which is a bit away from the main square. No harassment issues there! First thing Drew did though was buy a beanie from a lady who has a little shop near our B&B.
I liked her pigtails tied in the back.



These are some of the steps we have to walk up to get to our B&B. Great exercise!



The street we took to get to the Plaza de Armas (the main square).





Around the main square, there are plenty of little girls and women dressed in traditional Cusqueno outfits holding baby llamas or lambs asking if you'd like to take a picture with them. Of course, on Day 1, I happily said yes! I asked them how much and the older girl said, "However much you want to pay." So I asked Drew for the change he had in his pocket and showed it to her, asking her if this was enough. She said yes. I took one picture of them, and the girl then asked me to come into the picture with them. I said ok and gave Drew the camera. After we took the second picture, both their smiles turned upside down and they started to tell me that that wasn't enough money I gave them. Being a former teacher, I told them that they should have told me that in the first place and that it wasn't nice to trick people like that. "Next time you need to tell people how much you want, and they will pay you that much for the picture, ok?." I walked away and the little one started chasing after me!



Aside from the aggressive vendors, Cusco is a wonderful town to explore. At times you can see amazing pieces of history as you're walking. Incan walls, with the stones cut to fit perfectly with no need for mortar, were hidden gems on some streets.



This stone, with 10 different angles, caught my eye.





Drew and I are always fans of street food, so we had to get a stick of meat & potatoes, even though we're not usually meat & potatoes kind of people. It was good though!



A delicacy for Cusquenos is guinea pig. Yes, the dear, sweet furry animal we know as pets here in the States is made into a dish to be eaten on special occasions in Cusco. There were a few restaurants in Cusco serving this for tourists, so we had to try it.



Drew, giving thanks to his food before devouring it moments later. I have to say, roasted guinea pig tastes pretty darn good.



In the Plaza de Armas are a couple of churches, the Iglesia de la Compania being the largest.



We happened to be in Cusco on Easter Monday, which is when tons of Cusquenos gather in the Plaza to honor Taitacha Temblores, the black Lord of Earthquakes.









In 1650, a massive earthquake struck Cusco, and reportedly, a few Cusquenos decided to haul the statue of this black Jesus out, and the earthquake stopped. From then on, he has become known as Lord of Earthquakes and believed to protect Cusco from any future tremors. Now on Easter Monday, he is paraded around the plaza with people throwing red petals on him.



The celebration is huge and apparently lasts well into the night. We apparently had no idea how big it was and just saw tons of people out when we ventured into the plaza that night. Oh well, you snooze you lose kids!



After spending two days in Cusco, Drew and I ventured on a four day trek through Lares Valley. We should have spent one more day in Cusco though to acclimate, but more on that trip in the next post! =)


{Travel Photographer}

Drew and I just got back from Peru this past weekend and it's been a bit of a whirlwind getting back into the swing of things with a boudoir shoot and preparing for the Arizona Women's Expo this weekend. (Come out and visit Boudoir in Bloom's booth near the main stage if you get a chance!)

So for now, just one teaser image from Machu Picchu to share, though I can't wait to post more pics and stories to go along with them! =)