Machu Picchu

It lives up to the hype.

The Sacred Valley

The Sacred Valley is probably the most appropriately named place on Earth, and certainly the most beautiful that I have ever seen. I feel the need to repeat myself in saying that my blog photos are, as of yet, unedited. I think when you see some of them you will know why. Unfortunately many of these images were had to be taken from a moving bus, which I do not recommend to the fellow photographer unless you have no other choice. I would love to go back and wander through this rolling scenery, and take my time with every image. That is what this landscape deserves.

view from the top of my hotel in Cusco

Centro de Lima

These are photos from two separate trips to the central district of Lima. I’m more proud of the later half because I forced myself out of my comfort zone and tried to take more portraits, some of which turned out really nice.

La Playa

Colors of Barranco

Got to spend the day in Barranco and was nearly mauled by a dog and later had to chug a beer all in the name of trying to get a good photo. It was all worth it. Barranco is definitely my favorite district of Lima and I wish I could buy a house here for the rest of ever.

a young girl showed us the crabs she caught on the beach

“What is it called when you are being really lovely with a cat and it is being lovely with you?”

My only hesitation to travel is the immense separation anxiety I go through being away from my cat, so as you can imagine I was thrilled to discover a park filled with them. However, as I continue to visit the John F. Kennedy park my feeling have grown more complicated and I’m filled with a dissonance that resonates deep within me. As much as I enjoy spending time with so many cats I can’t help but wish that I could take them all home with me and give them the love and devotion they deserve, in particular the young and the sickly. Yesterday I sat down next to a fluffy white and orange kitten who promptly crawled into my lap, hunkered down, and fell asleep. When it came time for me to leave I tried to move it but it held on to me with its paws and I wished so badly that I could take it with me I nearly cried. at least with every trip back I’m seeing improvement in my photos.

The Walk From Miraflores to Barranco

We walked all the way from Miraflores to Barranco. It probably took about 45 minutes to get the whole group down there. the scenery was beautiful but my feet were killing me. I’m also really frustrated because I carried my tripod the whole way oly to realize at the end that i didn’t have the plate to attach my camera. boo-hoo.

El Parque de los Gatos

“you know when you are being really lovely with a cat and the cat is being really lovely with you?”

My First 24 Hours in Lima

Officially 24 hours in and I am uncharacteristically at ease.
Those who know me well are aware of my borderline dysfunctional levels of anxiety. One could easily assume that traveling to a foreign country with witch I’ve had no prior affiliation, nor speak the language of, would render me hopelessly inert. However, to my own surprise it has had quite the opposite effect. Would it be corny to say “I feel as lively and colorful as my surroundings”? Probably… but it’s still true. Being here is a literal breath of fresh air from the cold monotony that has been permeating my Chicago life. I feel like I have already experienced too much to summarize in a simple blog post, not merely because of the quantity or chronology of the events of today, but because I cannot find the words to accurately describe my experience as a whole. What would you call the opposite of an existential crisis? In any case I hope that as I continue to write my thoughts and feelings may eventually become clear. Until then, here are my first few photos… (I don’t have Photoshop so try not to judge the lack of editing)