General Chat / Five Weeks in South America

I got back yesturday from 5 weeks in South America. I visited Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.

Brazil










Ipanema district.




View from the very charming district of Santa Terresa.


Inside a favela. Although not safe to enter on your own, I took a tour which not only provided me with information and safety, but they company also runs an afterschool care program with computers and homework assistance for children.


A street in the favela of Rochina (Pronounced: Haw-see-na). Rochina is the largest and safest of Rio de Janiero's 753 favelas, with a population of 127,000 people. This is not a main street, as I was not allowed to take pictures on the main streets (This is where the drug deals occur and the drug lords don't want pictures taken, according to the tour guide).


Rochina. The guide said that about 95% of the inhabitants are good people who work in the city doing everything, including working in the hotels. On average, inhabitants make $150 USD a month.






A smaller favela with a population of 1000 and contains the afterschool care program. This favela was particularly interesting because of all the narrow passageways that delved deep underground to the sewers (where some people live).


The Museum of Contemporary Art designed by Priztker prize winner Oscar Niemeyer. It is about an hour outside of Rio de Janiero by ferry. The mountain you see on the right is Sugar Loaf.


I liked both!


Street scene on Panqueta Island, a few hours by ferry from Rio de Janerio. It is a very charming town with no cars. Everything is done by bike or horse.


A heron at Panqueta Island.


Panqueta Island.

Rio de Janerio is a beautiful city; easily the most naturally beautiful city I have ever seen (it suffers architecturally however). Unfortunetly, Rio has many social problems it has to resolve. When I first arrived I felt very unsafe, mostly because of what I had read, but I grew to feel quite safe at the end of the week I had spent there. I only had a minor run in when three young girls sort of surrounded me and grabbed at my clothes and wouldn't let go until I gave them money.

Music: "Alquimia" by Ivson Lins (Rapidshare, 11mb). Ivson Lins in a musician in Rochina with a mega-watt smile who sells his CD's for 30 Reals. "10 for the community, 10 for the children, 10 for the studio" as he said.

Up next: Peru and Bolivia.

Nate, you rule!! Those pictures are incredible. I'd love to visit there myself sometime. All of South America actually. And again, bloody well done with the photographs. Some of those are award winners.

PS - What kind of camera are you using now? Just wondering because I never know what the megapixels translate to in resolution. These look very sharp.

Ah damn there are some serious world travellers around here now. Awesome.

Really nice pictures! Sounds like great fun. Maybe one day I'll make it there.

LOVE the last picture.

Nate, will you be my butt buddy?

Peru

Music: "Cuando Floresca El Chuno" by Sol De America (Rapidshare, 10.2mb). This is by a man and his two sons who played for our group in our hotel in Pisco during dinner.
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Lima. This sums up my feelings of the place. It's the worst city I have ever been to. I have never felt so unsafe either. I joined a group here for the rest of the trip, and one of members was attacked on the way from the airport to the hotel. Someone smashed the window with her, husband and driver in the car and grabbed her purse with money, passports and more. My taxi driver carried pepper spray in case of these situations.


On the Panamerican Highway to Pisco.


Outside of Pisco, on the way to the Ballestas Islands.


En route to the Ballestas Islands.


En route to the Ballestas Islands.


En route to the Ballestas Islands.


Ballestas Islands.


Ballestas Islands. Yes, those are all birds. I have never seen so many birds in my life. These islands are also known as Guano Islands. Two people live on one of the islands and collect the droppings and export it as fertalizer. It's a major industry.


Back at the port near Pisco.


Nasca Lines from a six seater aircraft at 2000ft. This is the condor, unedited. There are many questions as to why and how the Nasca made these.


Condor edited for easy viewing.


Monkey edited for easy viewing.


Spaceman, unedited.


The city of Arequipa. Elevation: 2500m (8200ft)


In the Andes mountain range on the way to the Colca Canyon.


Rest stop before the dirt road. Here the group got our first taste of Coca Tea. Yes, tea made of the same leaves used to make cocaine. It's very foul, but tastes good with lots of sugar added. We also got to chew some of the leaves. I only tried one leaf, but chewing more can make your mouth go numb. Growing coca leaves in legal in Peru, as there are 16 different products that are made from coca, only one of which is illegal. It is however illegal to grow coca below 2000m (in Peru) as the leaves are less potent above 2000m and make for poor quality cocaine.


In the Andes mountain range on the way to the Colca Canyon.








Llama (captive).


Llama (wild).




Highest point reached during the five weeks: 4900m (16080ft).



In a village near the town of Chivy, in the Colca Canyon.


Sheep heading home on their own in the village.


Farmers in the village.


View from the village.


The Colca Canyon. It is the deepest canyon in the world at 3600m. This point where all the condors soar about is only 1200m deep. Strangely, it was only discovered to be the deepest in the world in 1981.








Colca Canyon, looking towards the developed area.




Cusco. Elevation: 3500m (11480ft). Cusco is a beautiful city of about 350,000. As some have put it, reminiscent of Florence, Italy.


Cusco.


Inca stonework. It fits without morter, survives earthquakes and they didn't have iron tools. You figure it out.


Cusco in the morning. This picture was taken from the train to Aguas Calientes; the jump off point for Machu Picchu.


Cusco by train.


Aguas Calientes


Aguas Calientes. Tomorow at 4:30am: Machu Picchu.

Great photos!
How come you didn't visit Argentina?

Thats...just.......amazing...

http://img521.images...dsc03141lp7.jpg
Don't you hate it when birds get into your shot?


Those are some breathtaking photos. I would like wallpaper sized versions of some of those. Will PM you later. But the lighting on a lot of those is immaculate.

Thanks for all the comments! I didn't visit Argentina because I only had fives weeks and the other countries intrested me more.

What kind of camera are you using now? Just wondering because I never know what the megapixels translate to in resolution. These look very sharp.

I used my new Sony H1; 5.1 Megapixel, 12x zoom.

And all the pictures are available in full size. Just let me know via PM which, if any, you'd like. About the last few photographs, I accidently through out the resized versions. Maybe this afternoon (as I only had to go in and pick up my schedual from school today), depending on how I feel.

Hey Nate, I'm curious. The photo you labeled "Highest point reached during the five weeks: 4900m (16080ft)", why are all those rocks stacked in nice, neat piles?

Thanks for all the comments! I didn't visit Argentina because I only had fives weeks and the other countries intrested me more.

I see...well, if you have a chance, come here and visit the Patagonia...it's amazing.

Machu Picchu. Unfortunely it was very cloudy and rainy when we got up there at 6:30am (no sunrise) but it cleared up by noon.








Machu Picchu is beautiful, but the setting and surroundings are what make the site what it is. The ruins themselves, though impressive, blend in with all the other Inca ruins we saw along the trip. Many stairs at the site too.




Cusco again. We used it as a hub.


Monkey in the Amazon jungle.


Tarantula in the Amazon jungle.


Amazon jungle.


Boats on the floating islands on Lake Titicaca (the world's highest lake).


We were split up into two's and set up with a local family for a night on an island on the lake. This was their kitchen in their adobe brick home. It was an amazing experiance. Very simple living.


Mountains near La Paz.


Mountains near La Paz.


La Paz, Bolivia. The world's highest capital city at 3600m.

JKay, I remember the guide telling us, but I have forgotten. There was so much!

These pictures are fantastic! I so want to go to South America now. If architecture doesn't work out for you, you absolutely could have a career as a photographer

Urban density in that La Paz picture is staggering. It might be the angle, but the buildings look like a horde of ants!

Nate, what a great and beautiful photo´s!

And what an interesting trip this must have been!
The pics are so amazingly well chosen also, that it makes you really imagine doing the trip yourself. (and longing the4 more to really do it....)
Thanks for sharing them.

Nate, you take some of the most breathtaking photographs ive ever seen. Amazing.

I want to go to South America now.

stunning my favorite so far. between you and cork i am becoming really jealous.

Aguas Calientes

amazing, i love this one. the atmosphere and the composition is great.

macchu picchu looks awesome as well.