Boat ride into the Jungle (Madre de Dios, Peru)

These two poor creatures were captured by one of my boatmates as we went deeper into the jungle, to the village of Boca Manu. I guess he has his own view of ecology.. "if you can, grab it!"

Inca Arquitecture (Machu Picchu, Peru)

Looks really cool, these walls. A pity that only a few remains are left. This is in Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu, a pleasant tourist trap (Peru)

Most people know this one, a typical image about mystical Machu Picchu. With two C's, yes. I personally was not enthralled. It takes a lot of effort and money to get there: either take the expensive, foreign-owned train, or reserve an entrance to the Inca trail 2 weeks in advance. Plus pay the fees and wade through the crowds of tourists. All you find is ruins with little archeological meaning, at least when compared to Maya or Aztec cities, for example. Now, the scenery, that's something exceptional. Walking around the ruins and contemplating the deep slopes, the rivers down at the valleys, the peaks touching the clouds, yes!

Killa Raimi, the Moon Festival (Cusco, Peru)

One of my favorite moments from Latin America, almost a magical performance. I saw the ad in a low-key poster in some wall in Cusco, and went to check it out, on the outskirts of town. It turned out to be a great show, a reanactment of the Moon Festival of the Inca, by youngsters from basic and high-school. It lasted for more than two hours, with all kinds of dresses, rituals, dances, performances (even flame throwing) and speeches in Quechua. The kids are not professional, but I could see they prepared a lot for the show. The fact that they are "into" it, makes the whole difference, for me at least. Not a tourist event - there were less than 10 foreigners in the whole crowd. People were looking at me quite a lot, and for some time I was even afraid to take pictures.

Deformed Heads (Cusco, Peru)

Skulls... Deformed skulls, can you notice? This was an ancient pratice among the Inca, and was reserved to people with some status. Possibly has a way to distinguish them. The shapes were achieved by pressing the head with wooden plates and similar techniques, from an early age - when the skull is more flexible. These dudes should look pretty weird, alive and dressed up, he he!

Lake Titicaca Islands People (Peru)

Now on solid land islands, me and Sabrina slept at these folks' place. They live a simple life in a simple, and beautiful, place. Notice the animal :-)