Walking around Arequipa - inside a former monestary
I guess this is why selfie sticks were invented, because random people you ask to take your picture will always butcher it
Tallest man in Arequipa.
Top of Colca Canyon
Welcome to Machu Picchu
Top of Huyana Picchu (means young mountain) which overlooks Machu Picchu - pouring all day
Post hike up the mountain, we explored around Machu Picchu itself
Boris staking his claim to officially rediscovering Machu Picchu
Sup
Machu Picchu was abandoned about 400 years ago, and "resdiscovered" by Hiram Bingham 100 years ago. There is a carbon copy of this historic site in the amazon - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choquequirao
Fighting with tourists for pictures - we won
Lot of cropping to remove the other tourists - but it had to be done
From this angle, the mountains combine to look like someone with a huge nose
Beginning the Rainbow Mountain hike - starting at 4400m (14,400 feet) and ending at 5100m (16,700 feet) - 5 miles each way. Altitude is no joke - this was extremely difficult to do and the weather changed from around 65 degrees to 25 degrees and snowing
Most tourists opt for horses as they can't make it up the mtn - for locals this is their cash cow (horse)
Every person has a different colored 'vest' on - this is to identify which group you are with so that you get on the right bus (many tour groups operate here at the same time). We were team orange
The bags are filled with horse feed
One of my favorite pics of the trip - this is not a small adult, it is a boy of around 6-7 years old, who is leading the horse up the mountain, in sandals, while the adult tourist sits comfortably
I originally thought the garb was a gimmick - but this is actually what they wear, it's not just for 'the gram'
Obligatory handstand pic - Alpacas in the distance
Bought this hat, gloves, and some other gear the night before when we found that it can get below freezing on this trip. Major key - we would have gotten very sick without them. You can stock up on whatever supplies you don't have in Cusco on the cheap
