Tierra del Fuego or Bust!

Publisher's note: In September through November 2012, the “second” portion of this journey was completed. We successfully toured Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. Below are some photo highlights of Peru. On September 3, 2014, I started the final leg of the Pilgrimage through Americas. We start at the roof of the Americas (Bolivian Andes), travel through steamy jungles to walk in the final footsteps of “Che” Guevara, be amazed by magnificent waterfalls (Iguazu Falls in Argentina), ride the pampas with guachos, live with indigenous people of Tierra del Fuego, and explore the first place humans inhabited the Americas (Monte Verde in Chile), see glaciers, penguins, orcas, and eat exotic foods. Please join me on the final push to the “Uttermost part of the world”. On to Bolivia, Argentina, and Chile . . . 

Peru

Open air transport to Peruvian border with Ecuador

Landscape between Ecuador and Peru

Low stress crossing: walking across the border into Peru

Main Plaza of Chachapoya in northern Peru

Transport to Chachapoya

Mountain top location of pre-Inca fortress of Kuelap

Kuelap a Chachapoya stronghold served as a model for

and predates Machu Picchu by over a thousand years

Only entrance to Kuelap where numerous invading warriors

met their violent death

Current residents: wild lamas

Details of the fine construction of Kuelap that was copied by Incas

Remains of foundations of "round" houses, note the Andes in the

background below Kuelap which towers over 10,000 feet

View from the citadel allowed early warning of the approach of enemies

Stone reliefs once covered the entrance to Kuelap

Mountain road winding up the Andes to Kuelap

(not for those with a weak stomach)

Typical food of northern Peru: grilled chicken, potatoes, rice, plantain

(lots of starch and carbohydrates to fuel trekking through the Andes)

Manny with Horacio, Chachapoya guide to Kuelap & surrounding mountains

People from the Andean village of Celendin, Peru

More local people in "downtown" Celendin

Inca Atahualpa's chair carved into stone from where he overlooked 

the city of Cajamarca, Peru; the place where he was captured 

by the Spanish conquistadors

People of Cajamarca a mixture of modern and traditional dress

Sirloin steak buried under the potatoes;

yes, it was delicious!

Maranon River, one of the most important water sources of Peru

and a main tributary of the Amazon

Flying over the Andes into Cuzco, Peru

Cuzco the imperial capitol of the Inca empire

Inca wall in Cuzco, made and held together without grout

Seafood in Peru is excellent!

Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo, where the Incas made

their final stand against the conquistadors

Ollantaytambo never fell to the conquistadors, it was abandoned

and the Incas moved deeper into the jungles of Peru

Next posting we visit Bolivia and start the final leg to Tierra del Fuego. Please bear with me, the internet connections in Bolivia are slow, unstable and not widespread, so it maybe a week or so before the next posting. Let's go hike the "Ruta de Che" (route of Che's final steps) in Bolivia.