Peru - Lima

Lima main square

white house - Lima

main square, Lima

Huaca

catacombs

Ccaccaccollo Homestay - A Planeterra/GAP Adventures Community Project

A little bit of background on one of GAP adventure's project (taken from the Planeterra website)
Since 2005, we have been working with the Ccaccaccollo community to develop a women’s weaving cooperative. Most Gap Adventures groups are able to visit this community as part of the Sacred Valley Tour where they meet the women and learn about all the stages of the weaving process; from hand-spinning the wool, dying the wool using natural dyes, and participating in a weaving demonstration. Travelers are also given the opportunity to purchase high quality textiles directly from the women who made them. By working with the women of this community we are encouraging them to be proud of their cultural heritage by showcasing their intricate weaving skills. This also enables the women to help provide for their families and benefit from tourism in a way that avoids negative social and cultural impacts

Girls of the Ccaccoccollo community

Dying of the alpaca wool

making a slide out of  the truck ramp

learning how to spin wool the Andean way

Marco staring off in the distance

Llama used for wool

Guinea Pig (aka Cuy) raised to be eaten

Alpaca wool being spun for knitting/weaving

Andean lunch

cleaning ticks off the sheep

with the kids of the pre-school

dressed in traditional Andean dress

Peru - Market In Cuzco

Wandering the market in Cuzco was a pretty interesting experience. There is food, clothes, and housewares. Much more authentic than the handicraft markets we later saw in Lima, since most of the people at the markets were locals and not tourists.

Peru - Cuzco

Somewhere in the middle of October I got a phone call from my boss asking me if I had ever been to Peru (no!) and would I like to go? (YES!). Nov 26th we departed, flying with LAN airlines via JFK and Lima to Cuzco. We spent a couple days in Cuzco, wandering the streets and exploring the markets. We ate amazing food and got a taste of the Incan Culture. 

Viewing a parade from a streetside balcony

begger

Andean lady

rest time

Plaza des Armas after the rain

France - Le Tour d'Eiffel

I only had a short short time while I was in France to see the main sights. One of the main things I wanted to do was see the Eiffel tower - something that can be enjoyed without spending a tonne of money and doesn't require a line up (only partly true-both money and a LOT of time are needed if you desire going UP the tower). I walked from my hostel to the tower and proceed to take a LOT of pictures. And then, before I left the next day, returned to the tower to take pictures at night. Every hour, on the hour for 10 minutes, the tower lights up with 1000s of little blue LED lights - the whole thing twinkles and it's beautiful. I managed to get there in time to see the event at midnight and joined the massive amount of people laying on the grass enjoying the view before heading back to the hostel to get some much needed sleep.