Peru Diaries 3 - Hiking in the Andes

If you are visiting Peru you MUST hike the Andes. Yes it is tough and the altitude will get to you but it is all worth it. The food that you devour as you lick the last morsel off your plate, the scenery that you see on your way up the mountains and the locals you will mingle with; will all be worth it. It is a truly unique experience.
We were picked up by Ruben our tour guide at 5:30 am in the morning; along with him were 2 ever eager helpers - the porter and the cook with their horses. We trekked from 6 am till 7 pm that night. In those 13 hours we crossed 10 mountains, saw the most beautiful valley that was covered with purple flowers and tested our limits as far as altitude sickness goes; but it was all worth it.
It was just us, nature and of-course ever eager Ruben prodding us along when we felt we could not go any further. We camped in Huchuy Cuzco which was where the Inca's first settled. We slept like babies that night. The next morning we woke up to see the sun rising over the beautiful mountains - it was magnificent. We continued to a small town called Lamay from where we would make our way to Aguas Caliente - which is the town that rests in the foothills of Machu Pichu.

Peru Diaries 2 - Cusco & the Sacred Valley

Cusco is a beautiful city. It is small, quaint and has a lot of charm. The charm comes from the city and the people who live there. We arrived in the morning and made our way to Hotel Picoaga; which is an absolutely adorable spot. The first thing yu see when you get to Picoaga is the gorgeous stone courtyard and water fountain that just took our breath away. Our first day was spent pottering around the city and eating. We tried all kinds of things including Peru's delicacy Cuy. There are over 55 varieties of corn and 350 varieties of potatoes in Peru - both of which are included in almost every dish. In Cusco the highlight was the beautiful square and the narrow cobble stone streets that take you to all kinds of places. We loved the architecture of the monuments and spent the first day exploring the various churches and temples. On Day 2 we did a tour of the Sacred Valley. Pisac was our first stop. This is a small city where we saw our first Inca ruins. It was a  peek into things to come a few days later in Machu Pichu. Next stop was Ollantaytambo; residing in this town is an old Inca fort from where the views are spectacular. My favorite though was Chinchero. Here we explored a church that was built in 1607; the white washed structure against the lush green valley and brown stone walls looked magnificent. After Chinchero we headed back for a good nights rest. The next 2 days were going to be spent hiking in the Andes mountains. We had quite an adventure ahead of us.
Recommended Restaurants in Cusco: Paititi, Andes Grill and Jacks Cafe

Peru Diaries 1 – Lost Luggage and Lovely Lima

Saturday morning April 24th, we were all set to make our way into Lima with a short stop in Atlanta – bags:check, passport:check, airplane ticket: check. En-route to Atlanta we hear “this is your captain speaking, I am sorry folks, but due to thunder storms in Atlanta and low fuel levels we will have to re-route to Charlotte”. Great will we or wont we make our connection to Lima? Well, 2 hours later we were running through Atlanta’s Hartsfield airport and have made our connection with 5 minutes to spare. Neither R nor I have ever run so fast! Of-course we made the flight, but 6 hours later, after staring at the conveyor belt for 30 minutes we realized that our bags did not – oh well. It would have to be sans bags in Lima on Day 1 of our trip. We had Raphael (old man full of advice for tourists) take us to Hotel Antigua Miraflores; which was the sweetest little place I have seen – it had beautiful art on all the walls and the most amazing coffee I have ever tasted. It was like a large bed and breakfast. After a good nights rest we set out to explore. I won’t bore you with all the details but just give the highlights. First stop El Centro; this is where all the monuments are. There was a vibrant parade in the main square (Plaza de Armas). We strolled about took a lot of pictures. The highlight for me were the Catacombs in the San Francisco Cathedral. It was eerie to walk underground and see human bones piled up from the 17th Century. In the afternoon we headed to Barranco and ate some amazing food. I cannot write enough about the food in Peru – It is Fantastic. The fish, the meat, the corn, the potatoes -  all of it is fresh and cooked with so much flavor. Barranco is an area in Lima that over-looks the sea – we whiled away our time enjoying Ceviche, Lomo Saltado and many Piscos. In the evening we chilled out in Miraflores where we bought a beautiful painting for our home and chatted with the locals. I had to stop R from eating street food that he was salivating over. Did not want a sick husband at the beginning of my trip. We got our bags at 4 am in the morning – and were all set to travel to our next destination Cuzco and the Sacred Valley ! Below are some pictures from Lima that you can peruse through.

Pretty Flowers

Flowers are so pretty. Whenever I buy or get flowers it immediately brightens up my day; I love having flowers in my home. I don't like typical flowers like Roses and Carnations - I find them too predictable. I love Calla Lilies and find Tulips so simple and sweet.  I woke up this morning and saw these beautiful purple Tulips that R had placed on the window sill. It was a perfectly composed shot that I wanted to capture, but the light was too bright and the vibrancy of the flowers were not coming through. In the afternoon as we were leaving the house the sun began to shine perfectly on the bunch and I knew I had my shot !

Pillow Fights and Easter Bunnies

I have not written in ages and feel very guilty for being so inconsistent with my postings! I took these pictures a long while back. It was a perfect Spring day probably because it felt more like summer and the weekend was full of festivities. I have always wanted to go to the Annual Pillow Fight. I have to say I was a little disappointed. I imagined beautiful feathers flying about while people tenderly hit each other with soft pillows. No tenderness was shown in this fight, it was each person for themselves. I was actually scared and took pictures from the periphery – not wanting to go anywhere near the action which looked very boisterous and intense. On that same weekend I happened to stroll down 5th Avenue and caught the end of the Easter parade. I love it when in New York you just chance upon things. It was lovely to see people dressed in their “Sunday Best” – I took some shots that captured the mood. Click here for more pictures from Spring.
   

Beautiful Winter

We have had two intense snow storms this month. During the first one I refused to leave the warmth of my cozy home; but then regretted that I did not get any pictures. When the second storm was to arrive I was determined to go out. R and I were up by 7 am most enthusiastic to go click some shots of the beautiful white powder like snow. We trekked to Central park – slipping , sliding and avoiding the puddles along the way. The park was magical – I have never seen it so serene, white and just beautiful. I felt like I was in a fairytale of some sort. There were quite a few people out and about. Some fanatics were even jogging in the park, but the ones that were having the most fun were the kids who were scurrying around finding the perfect hill to slide down. Below are some shots I took. Click here to see more, and if you want a peek into R's pictures - Click here.
 

PRojEcT fifTY3

 
I embarked on Project 53 a few weekends ago. Well, embarked is actually a wrong word to use since it signifies the start of a journey. My P53 journey lasted 45 minutes as I walked on 53rd street from 3rd Avenue to 9th Avenue. The task at hand was to stick to the right side of the street and capture whatever caught my fancy. The reason for this was that I was meeting some friends for brunch on 53rd and 9th and I was on 53rd and 3rd – simple enough. When one has camera in hand you see and notice so much more. The thing I like about photography is that you capture the picture from your perspective and no one else has that point of view. I have passed Lever House a million times but have never noticed the little Hello Kitty. I love the picture of the building with Mother Mary looking down – again would never have noticed it if I was not looking. Above I have posted a few from the set – you can click here to see more. hope you enjoy them.  

My Other Passions – Food & Cooking

I love food. I also love to cook. I think there is something very warm about cooking and its great when you can share your creations with friends and family. I made Kofta curry (minced meat ball curry) tonight and was lucky enough to share it with close friends. I decided to marry my two passions – cooking & photography and clicked a few shots – I hope you enjoy it !    
   

It’s the Small Things

I was in LA a few weekends ago all ready to hit a very fun party when I realized that I had forgotten the screw of my earring - Damn ! I ran from store to store to see if I can fix this problem. I was even ready to buy a new pair of earrings. Then from no where this guy helps me out. He gives me the back eraser of a pencil to use that holds the earring in place - Genius! It was perfect and I was ecstatic. He had no reason to help me, but he did. It is amazing how the small things that people do makes one happy. The smile from a stranger on the street, or the musician at the subway playing a familiar tune just when you have missed your train. Babies and flowers have the same effect – you can’t help but feel warm mushiness when you get a bouquet of flowers or hear a baby chuckle. I have posted a few pictures that have made me smile in the last few weeks.

Bombay Meri Jaan

Bombay – a city that is often compared to New York; it is looked upon as the nerve center of India. On one hand, you have the most mesmerizing structures that were built centuries ago, and on the other you have an urban jungle that is built on greed and chaos. My visit this winter was a whirlwind, but I did notice a few things that disappointed me – the dug up roads, the pollution, the poverty. All of these have always existed in Bombay, but the level to which it had escalated was terrifying. I wondered, how long can it take this kind of abuse? There is so much positive press about India – we are a country of a billion people, but it is these people that live in conditions that are un-acceptable and basic requirements like water, cleanliness & clean air to breath are difficult to come by. We have a lot of potential, but no infra-structure in place to take it to the next level. With greed and corruption all around how will Bombay / India succeed. I see a beautiful country with so much, and yet depleting itself bit by bit till nothing will be left. I hope we can change this course and give some respect to our city – Bombay !

Note: The pictures were actually taken as I was driving from Bombay to Pune and in Sinhagad Fort - but I felt they depicted a piece of life in India that we see in Bombay as well.