Podcast: South Peru – Colcan Canyon, Lake Titicaca, Cusco & Machu Picchu

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This podcast is second in a series of two podcasts I’ve made in Southern Peru. (Listen to part one here)

Podcast: South Peru - Lake Titicaca, Cusco & Machu Picchu

It begins in Colca Canyon, where I go Condor spotting before heading up to Puno (3,800m) on Lake Titicaca – the highest navigable lake in the world. At Lake Titicaca I visit the floating islands and Taquile island. Following this I get the bus to Cusco, ancient capital of the Inca empire, where I visit some of the Inca ruins around Cusco and within the Sacred Valley of the Incas – including Pisac and Ollantaytambo. I finish the podcast at Machu Picchu, perched precariously on top of Huayna Picchu and feeling highly emotional whilst looking down on the most famous of all ancient Incan ruins.

Links

Podcast: South Peru – Lima, Nazca & Arequipa
Photos of Colca Canyon
Video of Colca Canyon and Condors
Photos of Lake Titicaca
Photos of Cusco
Photos of Ollantaytambo Inca Ruins
Photos of Machu Picchu

Video: Arequipa, Peru

This a just a 3 minute compilation of short video clips I made in and around Arequipa, Peru. It’s by no means a masterpiece, it’s simply intended to give you a quick overview of Arequipa.

This clip features: Miners’ protest march in Plaza de Armas, another clip from the main square, some panoramics of the city showing El Misti volcano, Arequipa market (including the Police warning my mother about pickpockets!), and the last couple of scenes are from the Santa Catalina convent.

Links

Podcast: South Peru – Lima, Nazca & Arequipa
Photos of Arequipa

Podcast: South Peru – Lima, Nazca & Arequipa

[Download MP3 | Add to iTunes | Subscribe to Podcasts]

This podcast is part one of a series of two podcasts I’ll be making in Southern Peru, and it begins in Lima in the Plaza de Armas. I then head down underground into the catacombs of Monasterio de San Francisco – the old cemetery of Lima – and resting place of an awful lot of bones. I then head to the coast at Miraflores, and to the super cool Larco Mar bar complex.

Podcast Southern Peru - Lima, Arequipa and Nazca lines

The following day is museum day, with trips to Museo Larco Rafael Herrera – home to 50,000 pre-Colombian pots, and a fabulous and famous collection of erotic ceramics, and later on to the ‘main’ museum in Lima – Museo de la Nacion.

Following Lima, I get a bus 9 hours south to Nazca and take a rollercoaster flight over the Nazca lines, then head on another 10 hours South to the beautiful Colonial town (and UNESCO World Heritage Site) of Arequipa 2300m up in the Andes where I visit some frozen 500 year old Incan ice mummies in Museo Santuarios Andinos, and finish the podcast in the incredible 16th century ‘citadel’ Monasterio de Santa Catalina.

This podcast will be followed by another podcast from Southern Peru in the next couple of weeks covering the Colca Canyon, Puno, Lake Titicaca, and Cusco, followed by a long stay helping to develop an Eco-yoga community in the Sacred Valley outside Cusco, where I hope to finally get a chance to learn and practice yoga, and also learn about eco-building and organic cultivation.

Links

Photos of Nazca Lines
Video of flight over the Nazca lines
Photos of Erotic Pots from Museo Larco Rafael Herrera
Video of Arequipa
Photos of Lima
Photos of Arequipa

Video: Flight over the Nazca Lines, Peru

The Nazca lines are a series of mysterious 2000 year-old drawings cut into the the stony floor of the Nazca desert in Southern Peru. There are many hundreds of them, and they include animal figures, people, an astronaut and various geometric shapes and lines.

There are many theories as to their origin, some of which include: religious iconography, guidance for flying/tripping shamans, race tracks, irrigation channels, art for ancient hot air balloonists, and that they were part of a giant alien landing site – this theory is obviously supported by the presence of a 2000 year old astronaut figure.

Due to their size, they are best viewed from the air in a small plane – half hour flights go from Nazca airport and cost $55 include airport tax.

This short video was made on a slightly terrifying flight over Nazca. As it may be hard to see some of the figures in the video, you may want to have a look at the accompanying photos.

Links

More Photos of Nazca lines
Podcast from Southern Peru
Wikipedia on the Nazca Lines
Note: If in this video it is hard to see the Nazca lines, you could try the version in our YouTube account directly as it is larger.