Peru!

Peru - May 2005
Weather: Warm and sunny. Colder at higher altitudes.

The main reason for visiting Peru was to take part in the Machu Picchu walk. We did the 4-day walk, nearly killing me, but ultimately I ended up feeling quite fit. A very rewarding experience, I would definitely recommend it.

The trip was spoilt a little by having a bad reaction to a couple of Malaria pills. This was whilst visiting the Amazon. The Tour Leader said I shouldn't have bothered, 'There hasn't been a case of Malaria here for over 50 years!'. Thanks for that.

But the country was beautiful and the people were wonderful.
I went with Explore.co.uk and more photos can be found HERE.

'Going to Peru is, well, if you ever have an opportunity in your life to go there, you should do it because it is absolutely mind boggling'...Dean Stockwell

Amazon
After 859 days and thousands of miles, former British army captain Ed Stafford became the first man known to have walked the entire length of the Amazon river. When asked why, he replied 'Simply because no one has done it before'. Don't it make you proud to be British!

Caiman
'An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last'...Winston Churchill

Cusco (jumping off point for The Walk)
'If no man could become rich in Peru, no man could become poor'...William Prescott

Lizard
'What law, what reason can deny that gift so sweet, so natural that God has given a stream, a fish, a beast, a bird?'...Pedro Calderón de la Barca

Machu Picchu
'To visit Machu Picchu, you must prepare the soul, sharpen the senses. Forget for some minutes, the small and transcendental problems of our lives, of modern man'...Napoleon Polo

Mountain View
'If you like trekking, go to the Himalayas or Peru. I love those kinds of trips. But it all depends on your own life and what you like and what you expect'...Diane von Furstenberg

Orchid
'Nothing in this world is a gift. Whatever must be learned must be learned the hard way'...Carlos Castaneda

Rufous-collared Sparrow
'I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn'...Henry David Thoreau

Skippers
'The butterfly is a flying flower, The flower a tethered butterfly'...Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun

Spider
'When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion'...Ethiopian Proverb

Swallow
'One swallow does not make a summer'...Aristotle

Vicuna
'The Vicuna is a woolly sort of fleecy hairy goat, with an indolent expression and an undulating throat; like an unsuccessful literary man'...Hilaire Belloc

A typical Spanish-speaking country of South America. But the people were genuinely glad to see us. They were very keen to show us their land, their culture and their beer! Not to mention a speciality: Guinea Pig and chips!

I would definitely visit again, if I had time. But would spend longer there.
I hope this has given you a flavour of Peru and I hope you enjoy the photos.

Best wishes, Graham