Short Trip to Peru - need help

[ken davis]

Hi folks,

 

I know of no other forum on the web today that I trust more than

photo.net for my photo questions. That is why I'm posting here.

 

I have read the articles on this site on this issue, and still have

some questions and need advice. So, here goes.

 

I am going to Lima, Peru, for business for a week. I leave Sunday,

Oct. 12, and return on Monday, Oct 20th. Most of the week I will be

stuck in meetings from 8:0-6:00 or later. However, on Friday my

associate and I will have time to head out to do some sightseeing

prior to return. This gives us just Friday night through Monday

morning at 1:30 AM to see Peru. I know it's not enough time, but I

want to make the best of it. We're thinking of heading to Cusco and

then catching Machupichu in the early morning light. I'm thinking

of taking my Hasselblad for the trip. Given the short time we have

and the limited knowledge of the area that I possess, can you folks

give me any ideas of equipment, travel, etc that I can use to make

the most of this time? Thanks for your help and your prompt replies.

 

Sincerely,

[william_vickers1]

I definitely recommend going to Cuzco if you can get the flights during the short time frame you have. It is very different from Lima and a wonderful place to photograph. But don't take tight shots of people unless you have their permission. If I were you I would try to travel light ... a 35mm camera would do for me. But this is your decision. The less conspicuous the camera and gear the better. Conceal your camera when you aren't using it. The last time I was in Cuzco I was sitting in a park and a tourist sat on a bench nearby, placing her SLR beside her. A few minutes later I heard her exclaim that her camera had disappeared. Neither of us had seen anything.

 

Don't let my comments put you off. Cuzco will always be one of the highlights of my traveling experiences.

[bloosqr]

We just got back from a two week peru trip (Lima, Cusco, arequipa

and a few small towns in the middle of nowhere). I took the canon

28-135 "travel" lens and a 20mm. While we had absolutely no problems

w/ theft or muggings we had heard many horror stories. I would not

really recommend taking anything very bulky and/or obvious theft

targets i.e. take stuff you can carry w/ you easily . You won't

really need fast film in Cusco since it is so far up. I took a

polarizer w/ me as well (some people say it makes the sky look a bit

abnormal at that altitude). Lima is like any western city but a bit

dirtier perhaps. Incidentally if you do go to cusco one thing I

recommend is going horse back riding btwn the ruins .. its very

inexpensive ($20) for an all day thing and a very nice way to wander

around the "sacred valley" and the surrounding mountains. (in

retrospect, I found this much more enjoyable than our 4 day hike to

machu picchu)

[paul compton]

Little to really see in Lima, but if you can book into a hotel at Machu Picchu over night all the better, as once the last train leaves the site about 3 if I remember correctly, the site is almost empty and you have it to your self, to wonder round. Cusco is nice, but we were warned to be careful while wondering round the town, but the site there is good. I would only take a 35 mm myself.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/elevate/peru.html for some of my snaps.

[gregor_hryniszak]

I think that since you only have 2 days you may have to give up on Machu Picchu. The magnificent site is located in remote mountain region reachable by a 4 day hike or train-and-bus ride that takes almost a day in itself, as far as I remember. The train is VERY slow.

If you do get there though, be aware that the early morning light (and no crowds) are available pretty much only to those who hike in or stay in the hotel at the site. If you decide on staying in Aquas Calientes (train station town in valley below), you will have to take a bus to Machu Picchu. The first bus arrives AFTER it is already crowded and quite late at the ruins.

On the lighter note, Cusco is a great place to visit. I spent a month there, living with a local family, photographing extensively and studying Spanish. The city's immediate surrounding area is full of Inca ruins, villages, small market towns, etc. I recommend a trip to Sacsayhuaman, a complex of ruins and walls on a mountaintop overlooking Cusco, Qoricancha and royal palace. Also, perhaps, take a trip along Urubamba Valley from Pisac to Ollantaytambo along the Urubamba river or "Sacred River."

So, as you can see, you do not have the time to even begin exploring the area, and my advice is to pick a couple locations and just work your camera there.

[keithdunlop]

The information provided by Gregor is not correct. The first shuttle bus from Aquas Calientes leaves very early in the morning and gets to the top of the hill at least couple of hours before the first train. It's the only way to have the site relatively empty before the trains arrive.

[jose_helfer]

Hi

I am peruvian, live in Lima and I am also a travel photographer.

I think there is not problem at all of coming here with your hassy. I work here with a Contax, Linhof and other big stuff, and I never had trouble. Just don´t risk, like any other place in the world.

I think you can manage to go to Cusco and Machu Picchu. You won't need a polarizer, but for sure a ND filter, UV filter, sky light also. The light in the Andes is very "blue" or violet, so you need to warm it. Also there is this problem with high contrast.

Lima is also a nice city. I mean the colonial area and places in front of the sea (the Pacific). Good luck.

[quentin_smith]

Lima is very uninteresting.

Cusco is great. all the inca stuff is work doing around cusco. trying to get a picture of a ruin without a person in it is a challenge.

Arequipa is also interesting (and colca canyon)

Colca canyon is the greatest place to photograph condors.

 

often ladies and kids in traditional dress want money if you take a photo. decide for youself whether you want to do this.

 

take what ever camera gear you are happy with but NEVER let go of it.

NEVER put anything in the overhead compartment on a bus.

 

we didn't have anything taken but 80% of travellers we spoke to did.

[ken davis]

Hello all,

 

I want to thank all of you that responded to my post. I will have photos shortly. The pictures were great, but nothing like the actual experience of Cuzco and Machu Picchu. I'll post photos once they are scanned. I'll post a couple of my digital photos, which did not turn out as well, as a teaser for the others. Here's a summary of my trip:

 

First of all, some lessons learned.

 

220 volt outlets look like 120 volt outlets, and if your transformer is not able to convert the power, it will burn out. Be sure to take a converter.

 

Aguas Calientes is a charming little town but some of the inhabitants are bloodsuckers. Not talking about the curio merchants but rather the flies they call mosquitos. I lost count at 200 bites on my forearms and neck. Bottom line, take bug repellent, long sleeves, and pants. Also a hat.

 

Ollantytambo and the route up to Aguas Callientes is extremely remote. Time tables and modern conveniences are not only not relevant, but entirely non-existant. Be patient and flexible and don't expect to be able to move about freely.

 

Buy your return tickets at the train station right after you arrive in Aguas Calientes. We almost wound up spending another night there because all but the last train, a VistaDome transparent roof single car self propelled train were full.

 

All that said, here's what happened and a summary of my experience. I hope this helps all of those people that are considering a trip up there. It's definitely worth the effort.

 

We flew in to Cuzco from Lima about 7:00 AM Saturday. We found a very helpful member of the tourism council that helped us find a car, driver, and guide for the day. Considering our short time there, we thought this to be a good idea and it paid off. We were taken by taxi to a great little tea shop next to the cathedral where we had some coca leaf tea (for the altitude sickness we were both already feeling :-) and waited for our ride.

 

Our guide, Romolo, showed up promptly at 8:30 and took us around town. We saw many sites in town that I can't remember now and then headed out of town. In retrospect I would have liked to have had more time in town if for at least the chance to take notes of the museums and sites we saw.

 

We drove to Saqswahwaman (I think that's how it's spelled, he told us remember "sexy woman") and toured the ruins for about an hour. We then went to another site, then to an alpaca wool wholesaler where we petted the alpacas and bought some sweaters. Then, back in the car and on our way. We stopped at several little places along the way including a stop in Pisca for lunch. Interesting enough the place we stopped at was owned by a person from Taos, New Mexico and we enjoyed getting caught up since Taos is only an hour or so from my home town.

 

The Sacred Valley is awesome. The views from the highway going in to town were spectacular, and the people were charming. This was our first encounter with large groups of women in the traditional garb of derby style white hats and very colorful scarves and wool skirts.

 

We made our way to Ollayntytumo and toured the ruins there before getting on the last train to Aguas Callientes. The train was over an hour late, and our arrival at Aguas Calientes was around 11:00 PM. We turned in and debated what time to get up.

 

Well, fatigue, altitude, and the wear and tear of business travel won the battle of when to wake up and we didn't rise until 7:00 the next morning. We promplty showered, had a bite to eat, and caught the bus to Machu Picchu. The trip to the top of the hill is not for the faint of heart. The winding road is a challenge in itself, but the ride in a full sized tour bus rapidly ascending the hill while other busses even more rapidly descending the hill miss each other by inches. I found myself most of the trip with eyes closed and deep in prayer.

 

We arrived at the front gate, paid our admission, and walked in. Wow....that's all I can say. The size, the splendor, the energy, the atmosphere of the place all hit us at the same time, and we were awestruck.

 

We decided to take the high road and work our way down which was a good choice. Getting the uphill hike done first made it possible for us two desk jockies to see the ruin without falling totally to exhaustion. It also allowed for us to get several shots of the compound below, including the obligatory village with peak in the background shots, with few people visible. We then descended into the main ruins and toured for several hours before finally deciding to head back down. We were "planning" to catch the train at 1:00 to Ollantytambo so we figured we should be on hour way.

 

As mentioned before, the best made plans can be laid to waste in this remote area. We wound up with several hours to spend in the town of Aguas Calientes because all the trains were full. So, we shopped the souvenir stands and got devoured by mosquitos before finally catching this expensive one-car train back to Ollantytambo. Once there, we met up with some hikers on a tour package that told us there were extra seats on their bus to Cuzco.

 

36 hours after we were back in Cuzco at the Hostal Raymis which is a bargain at $25 per person. Back to the airport the next day at 2:00 gave us some time to shop, tour, and snap shots until we had to go.

 

So, in summary, it is possible to see Cuzco, Machu Picchu, and several points in between in three days. You have to be patient, flexible, and open minded. Protect your gear as there's lot's of people around and you don't know who will try to take your stuff. Pace yourself in the altitude to avoid headaches. Take slow film, a warming filter, a ND filter, a wide angle lens, and let yourself go. Machu Picchu is a once in a lifetime encounter that all should enjoy once in their lives.

 

Thanks for letting me rattle on and share this experience. Once the photos are ready I'll perhaps provide a travel article to help others plan their trip.

 

Thanks for all the responses and well received advice.

 

Ken

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[kristen_green]

<p>OMG!!! It really is breathtaking!!! after seen your photo and your post suddenly I have this crazy felling of going to Peru! lol<br>

For being honest I been investigating, I plan to go on December so I can spent my Christmas and I'm so exited!I just have one question what agency did you use 'cause I was thinking about hiring a <a href="http://www.totallyperu.com/">peru travel</a> agency but if you do it without I guess I'll be fine.</p>

<p>Thanks for that amazing post! :)</p>

<p>best,</p>

<p>kristin</p>

[tamara_london]

<p>:) wow machu picchu</p>

[tamara_london]

<p>I'm going to peru in 3 months and I'm s exited about it, after this picture I'm more interesting in going to peru I want to there!! I hope I have a great time I already have my <a href="http://www.totallyperu.com">peru tours</a> because I want everything goes right, I will take lots of pictures and post them here. :)</p>