I’ve almost abandoned this blog/photo diary for months. My focus has been more on film and video lately. After my latest drive from the coast to Cusco, time to share some photos, thoughts and stories.
Into the mountains
We’ve spent the last few months on the coast. I shot a documentary in a port town in Ecuador and then we hung out on the beach in North Peru. I edited some videos there. It was nice, but… finally, finally we’ve left for the mountains,
The coastal road is mostly pretty unspectacular. Except for some parts where you drive past insane dunes that I thought I could only see in the Sahara.
I love the desert, but thousands and thousands kilometers of it? I’ve also driven this same road too many times for my liking. There and back. There and back… No thanks.
“A Google search for some of the places we went through brings up some horror stories. News of buses falling off roads, floods, entire villages isolated from the world. ”
It was a joy to finally head off into the mountains. Even if the weather quickly got crappy. It’s now rainy season through most of Peru.
These roads are prone to landslides. Sometimes they just collapse. A Google search for a few of the places we went through brings up some horror stories. News of buses falling off roads, floods, entire villages isolated from the world.
Luckily for us, the rains had only just started. Nothing more extreme than drizzle and fog for most part.
The mountain rivers get very intense during these times. I couldn’t stop in the parts where this river was at its’ most intense to make a photo. But, I could imagine how powerful and scary it could be with torrential rains.
When you drive through the mountains in Peru – you’re always going up and down. Sometimes you just keep climbing and before you know it, you’re over 4000 meters above sea-level!
“The village where we were meant to spend the night was at 4,300 meters. A jump from sea-level to 4,300 wasn’t a good idea. ”
Sometimes it’s dark and rainy and it feels like the twists and turns of a mountain road will never end. Then, you go over a mountain pass. On the other side… a valley. A high altitude lake. Sun peeking through the clouds. Magic, but, at 4,700 meters – my head was starting to hurt.
I didn’t plan things very well. The village where we were meant to spend the night was at 4,300 meters. A jump from sea-level to 4,300 wasn’t a good idea.
A few hours of driving through some really narrow, enough-space-for-one-vehicle-only-dirt-roads led to asphalt. Just before dark. The nearest acceptable place to spend the night (Huancayo 3,200m) was still pretty far. But on asphalt, we could manage even at night.
towards Ayacucho – a little known jewel
Huancayo was only a stop along the way. I was too low on energy from the sudden altitude change to want to do much, or to take photos there. Mia on the other hand wanted to run around and play. The previous night, on the way she felt sick and vomited. The next day she was full of energy. It’s amazing how kids can adapt.
Parts of the road towards Ayacucho were pretty full on. Yes, I know - show, don’t tell! But, there was nowhere to stop in those parts. This is probably one of the less risky stretches. I’ll do a lot for a photo, but I can’t endanger the family.
Ayacucho is known for its’ many churches. There’s a pedestrian-only street which takes you past some of them towards the market. The streets always seem to be full of colorful locals and residents from the surrounding villages. They come to sell cheese, produce, sometimes crafts.
The market of Ayacucho takes up a large portion of the cold city centre. You can wonder around for a while. Especially if you’re making photos.
Above, some of the folks visiting the food court section of the market get their drinks consume them and organise their things by the window.
While the shoe-seller was arranging his stock, the woman was watching TV from one of the shops. She looked at us, fascinated, since very few foreigners pass through Ayacucho. But the allure of TV seemed to be stronger.
It seems that many of the visitors from the countryside glue themselves to TVs when they visit the market. I suppose they might not all have electricity in their homes.
Ayacucho’s bread is famous and tasty. Many of the vendors wear these white hats like the woman in the photo. They’re like uniforms. Bread is sold next to bras. Cheese - next to shoes. The market is a mix of everything.
Morning conversations near Ayacucho market food court. Markets are one of the few places in South American towns that seem to be buzzing early in the mornings.
Many of the people were probably even more curious in us than we were in them. It’s a little hard to be discreet when all eyes are on you as soon as you’re noticed.
There are vendors all around the market. Feels like online shopping isn’t a thing here yet. It’s all still very much about people. Very hands-on. Very much based on human psychology and one’s power to persuade or to bargain on the spot.
Fruit vendors are on the steps at one of the entrances to the market. Everywhere you look, something is happening. The market area of Ayacucho is one of those places where you can keep walking around and something new will keep happening.
Parts of the market are really crowded. Vendors with carts compete with cars and pedestrians. It can get a little overwhelming, but there are a few really nice places to chill around the main square - Plaza Mayor.
People come from all around the city of Ayacucho and from the nearby villages too. At the end of the day it’s time to hop on a bus and head home.
Plaza Mayor was full during Christmas day. The first time I came to Ayacucho, I don’t remember seeing so many people there who seemed to be from the countryside. This time, I think they came for the Christmas tree, for the lights and just to absorb the festive atmosphere.
Mia looking at Plaza Mayor from a restaurant balcony. There are few places in Peru that I remember, where the view is great, the food is very decent and not over-priced.
Andahuaylas, Abancay & beyond
There are quite a few things that amaze me about the geography of Peru. High altitude valleys are on the list, or, valleys of any kind in fact. It’s strange to travel through winding roads, through such an uneven landscape and then… to be met with a large flat expanse like the one above.
““Griiingo!” He quickly ran down and poured me what looked like an alcoholic a beverage.”
The day was ending. The workers were making their way back home from the fields. One of them spotted me through the open car window.“Griiingo!” He quickly ran down and poured me what looked like an alcoholic a beverage. “Drink, drink!”
“You’re trying to kill me. Look at this road! No way! But, thank you!” That was my reply. I saw his disappointed face in the rear-view mirror as I kept driving.
There are a few mountain passes on the way to Andahuaylas. They often reach over 4000 meters above sea level. Many are just spectacular.
“What do you say to one of these colourful characters? Sometimes you ask if you can take a photo and they freeze, or they get shy, or they refuse. ”
So many scenes like these along Andean roads. I still don’t know how to go about photographing them sometimes. It seems that I’m always in a rush somewhere. In a race with time, the sun, the weather.
When you do stop, what do you say to one of these colourful characters? Sometimes you ask if you can make a photo and they freeze, or they get shy, or they refuse. Some of them don’t even speak much Spanish (the native language is Quechua).
I took my chances and asked this woman. Positive reaction. She laughed. Moments later she saw Mia peeking out of the car window. Looked like her heart melted. “Que bonita!” she exclaimed. She stopped as I pointed the camera at her. That’s her photo at the top of the post. An exchange of smiles. And off she went. As she turned, I took another photo. It better represents how I first encounter these sorts of scenes.
“You really get to feel it this way. The smells. The wind. The changes in temperature as you go up and down. Even those damn flies that bite and make you itch for days. ”
Abancay –the city of eternal spring. It seats in a valley at about 2,600 meters. Hard to believe that there’s a valley this big after all the twists and turns of the mountain roads. Like I said. Valleys amaze me.
It’s incredible to be able to explore this land by road. You really get to feel it. The smells. The wind. The changes in temperature as you go up and down. Even those damn flies that bite and make you itch for days.
“I always look for visual cues, things that say something about a place or a culture, people’s beliefs. The cowboy hat was a part of just that.”
A lunch in Abancay and we headed to a hotel we booked outside the city. But… on the way, we saw a sign “Parque ecológico el mirador” which means something like “Eco park - The viewpoint”. Would be a good place to walk around with Mia after a long day driving. While walking around I saw this man in his cowboy hat.
I always look for visual cues, things that say something about a place or a culture, people’s beliefs. The cowboy hat was a part of just that. When I saw the man near the cross, I thought - I’ve gotta make a photo.
Next morning. The smell of nature. Cold air that reminded me of the countryside in Belarus. As we ascend the fog gets more intense. The temperature gets even cooler. That wonderful feeling of morning in the mountains. We go over another mountain pass. As the sun rises the fog begins to dissipate.
“The sight was so powerful, the presence of nature, of something divine was so strong that I almost shed a tear. ”
A few more kilometers reveal ice-capped mountain peaks. They’re stunning, but just minutes later they’re hidden behind the clouds.
I remember, being suddenly confronted by these towering ice-capped mountainsthe first time I drove to Cusco. The sight was so powerful, the presence of nature, of something divine was so strong that I almost shed a tear. Maybe I’m getting old and sensitive, but, it was special.
Another great part of travelling by road is being able to stop at little local roadside eateries. Some tasty potatoes and chicharron (deep fried pork) above. Surprisingly tasty.
I’ve been waiting to bring my girls along on this drive since the first time I came to Cusco. There are few things more special than being able to share a journey like this with Mia. It’s funny… thanks to her, I stop in places where I normally wouldn’t stop. I see things differently. Perhaps I can appreciate whatever moment comes my way a little more.
New year’s eve, Cusco and rain
All that driving from the coast to the mountains was to get to Cusco before New Year’s eve. I’d read that the celebrations in Cusco are some of the best in Peru. I love the city. I wanted to show my girls the mountains of Peru anyway, so why not try to make it to this magical city before the new year?
We made it to Cusco a couple of days before new year. Somehow we avoided the intense rains all along the way. But then, they began.
The rain is either intense for a few hours, or it drizzles for hours on end. It definitely restricts what you can do, but, we were in holiday mode and nothing was gonna ruin this stay.
Over the past few months I’ve spent much of my time on work, projects, editing videos. I decided that at least the time in Cusco would be the time which I could devote to wondering around, doing the tourist stuff and just being with my girls.
Apparently the design on these hats is from Ayacucho. Makes sense. Tanya first saw a hat with a similar design in a shop in the city of Ayacucho, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted it. In Cusco there were more designs. She got one. Then Mia wanted one. Now Mia is a forest ferry with a hat of flowers.
Since it was family time, I didn’t shoot much in Cusco. But, I did go out a couple of times to simply capture life on the side streets.
Some of the street vendors, called ambulantes, get uneasy when they have a camera pointed at them. I spoke to one of the elderly women selling bananas on the street. She said “You people show these photos and laugh at us, at our struggle” I replied “One has to be a heartless idiot to laugh at hard working people struggling to make a living.”
“The police kick out people like her because she has no permit. She pays no fees, no taxes on her income. ”
The woman continued to explain that she was there selling bananas (30 cents for a dozen) and even for this meagerly income she had fight hard. The police kick out people like her because she has no permit. She pays no fees, no taxes on her income. I listened, sighed and bought a few bananas.
Around the historical centre of Cusco there aren’t shopping malls. There aren’t even large super markets. It’s all about the vendors and the smaller shops. This gives Cusco it’s unique ambience. Since I traveled around South East Asia much before South America, it reminds me of some of the places there.
Not as much traffic in Cusco as in other Peruvian cities, but the hands-on approach applies here too. Traffic police regulate traffic at a few of the busier intersections.
“ To be honest, I don’t even remember hearing about Christmas until we cam to Australia and I was almost 11. ”
If anyone reading this is from the region of the former USSR, you know that New Year’s eve is the biggest family holiday for the people from there. Back when USSR existed, we never celebrated Christmas. It was a foreign, capitalistic holiday, with religious roots – i.e. not compatible with communist ideals. To be honest, I don’t even remember hearing about Christmas until we came to Australia and I was almost 11.
Now Christmas is celebrated, but it’s seen as more of a religious thing. And, the date is different. Most of the Christians in the region are Russian Orthodox, so they celebrate on the eve of 6-7 of Jan.
With that little background info, it should make sense why Tanya is still following the old USSR tradition of celebrating New Year’s eve in a very similar way to how most of the Western world celebrates Christmas.
So… Tanya and Mia made an improv Christmas/New Year tree from a rosemary branch. Tanya has a “celebration kit” in her bag, with all the Christmas lights. And Mia made some decorations. Santa Claus, who’s actually called “Ded moroz” would bring Mia presents over night, if she had been good through the year.
“Just after we rolled into 2020, I got an urge to still go to Plaza Mayor, to see at least a hint of what all the fuss of celebrating in Cusco was about. ”
We wanted to go to Plaza de Armas in the historical center of Cusco, but, it started to rain. And, the rain was pretty hard and long-lasting. We were exhausted from walking around all day. The crowds were pretty big. Mia fell asleep well before the clock hit 0:00, so, no celebrations outside for us.
Just after we rolled into 2020, I got an urge to still go to Plaza de Armas, to see at least a hint of what all the fuss of celebrating in Cusco was about.
It was still raining. The fireworks were over and most people were just moving in all directions. This girl was with her mum, who was one of the vendors. “Pretty miserable new year’s even, don’t you think?” I asked. She laughed.
Wet ground, wet people, wet dogs, wet everything. Everyone mostly staying under cover of the arches around Plaza de Armas.
Some families came from afar. Even bad weather wasn’t going to deter them from enjoying their time.
By the end of my outing I felt very similar to this dog. Wet, cold and… I assume he is pretty miserable. Not a great way to start 2020, but, having my girls nearby definitely makes up for the crappy new year’s eve.
At last I’m finally on the road. Photographing. Experimenting more than ever with video. More to come. Happy belated new year everyone.
