Peru

From altitude sickness and language barriers to San Blas and the Twelve-Angled Stone, a half-day wander through Cusco sketches a first impression of the ancient city in blazing sunlight, weathered stone, and brilliant colour.

The rites, military review, and parade in the Plaza de Armas stand in contrast to the daily struggle for a living in San Pedro Market, revealing beneath the festive surface the distance between Cusco’s social classes.

A sightseeing train follows the Urubamba River into the mountains, leading to a first encounter with Machu Picchu, alpacas, and the open sky—and an unplanned change of itinerary that brings the meaning of travel into focus.

Machu Picchu slipped in and out of sight through rain and mist, its ancient city, temples, and terraces slowly unveiling themselves. In sunshine and rain, the same mountain citadel revealed entirely different faces of life and time.

Crossing the Andean highlands by road from Cusco, we stopped at a church, Inca ruins, a mountain pass, and a pottery town before reaching the shores of Lake Titicaca after an eight-hour journey.

On Lake Titicaca’s floating reed islands, an encounter with the Uros way of life prompts reflections on tourism, material wealth, desire, and happiness.

On tranquil Taquile Island, lake views, terraced fields, and traditional textiles coexist with the quiet arrival of modern life, testing the serenity of this secluded, age-old community.

Returning to Cusco from Puno for what was meant to be a quiet day of rest, we unexpectedly came upon an Easter procession that filled the familiar streets with spectacle and left a lasting impression.

Following the Urubamba River deep into the Sacred Valley, we explored Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Moray, and the Maras salt pans, discovering the ancient Incas’ profound understanding of nature in their stonework, waterways, and terraces.

We slow down and wander through Cusco, from the Temple of the Sun, churches, and museums to the rhythms of everyday street life. With no fixed agenda, the old city surprises us at every turn.