Saturday, June 18, 2016

Kuelap

I've heard Kuelap compared favorably with Machu Picchu. I don't know about that (I haven't been to Cusco yet), but I will say that Kuelap was:

a) extremely impressive, and
b) extremely uncrowded, given how impressive it is.

Apparently, as many people visit Kuelap in a year as visit Machu Picchu in a day, and I can believe it; I was able to take tons of photos, without people blocking the shots, which I'm pretty sure will not be possible anywhere near Cusco.



That's not Kuelap; it's a minor ruin on the way to Kuelap. Kuelap:



(That's the outer wall, extending to the back of the photo). The site was built around 1400 years ago, and is holding up fairly well, helped by some reconstructions (the thatched-roof house in the background here):











Apparently they use llamas to mow the lawn in the site.









In the background, those are kids playing with their trucks, on the lawn in front of the ancient fortress. I suspect there's less of that kind of thing going on at Machu Picchu. Also, Kuelap admission = $3. Machu Picchu admission > $3.

5 comments:

George W said...

Very impressive. And the lack of crowds makes it better than a tourist mecca.
Nice to see a bird, though I think that's an invasive species.

Pam said...

Dare I say I was not sure what Machu Picchu was, but Google led me to Wiki and now I am well informed, or at least informed. I had heard the name before but alas could not remember what it was ...

Nathan said...

Pam, does this mean you've figured out what your next trip is going to be?

Barbara said...

Wow what a view. And you probably did not get altitude sickness going to it. I forget - does your bird have a name. It is nice to see that it is so well traveled.

Nathan said...

I keep forgetting its name...