MiraFlores, Nasca, Ballestas Island, Cusco, and MachuPicchu

Chris on the staircase going down to the Miraflores beach	We took a flight over the Nasca lines.. here is the dog..	We were on a 6 seater plane and the we all quickly got motion sickness from swerving to the left and right.. here is the bird...	Here is the monkey.. Tanya´s favourite.. She actually got to see this one!
Unfortunately there is a lot of water damage to the Nasca lines..	In Nasca we met Viktoria (who works with the Nasca lines) and 2 guys from England.. Peter and Hez.. (these guys just keep popping up!)	There are a lot of theories about who and why this shape was sculpted into Paracus island.	On Ballestas island there are thousands of bird, and there are guana mines to capitalise on the bird poo..
A seal colony on Ballestas island	More seals.. aren´t these guys cute!!??	Another seal colony.. can you see all the babies??!!	Tanya loved the seals.. check out the bird poo in the background!! ;)
The boat ride reminded us of home.. except there were a lot more seals at Ballestas island. :)	On Ballestas island, there were a lot of birds.. e.g vultures, penguins, seagulls and boobies.	Here are the penguins!	And then we arrived in Cusco.. this is the view from Sacsayhuaman.
When we arrived in Cusco we stayed with a Peruvian family for a week..this is the apartment complex ´B2´	This is a meal that we made for the family to thank them for our stay.	We had a yummy farewell pizza with the family during our last week at Cusco.	Chris standing in front of our Spanish school.
This is the view from the school verandah.. the school overlooks the city.	This is Sacsayhuaman (pronounced sexy woman), the Incan ruins that overlook Cusco.	Chris getting close and personal with the rocks at Sacsayhuaman.	We also had a traditional Peruvian cooking class.. (interesting story).. Hey! who are these guys??
This is the Incan ruin of Tambo Machay.. the water is very fresh and comes from an unknown source.	We ended up renting an apartment in Cusco for a month.. here is our room!	Here is the view from our bed.. notice how it looks very similar to the view from our school..	Our landlords John and Sylvia were so lovely. They took us around the markets.
Here are some traditional Incan custumes.	The Arco Santa Clara is the gate into Tanya´s market heaven.	Tanya and Sylvia shopping for ceramic items at the local market.	Most markets sell meat in this fashion.. hungry??
After 3 days of trekking the Inca Trail, Chris made it to the Incan sun gate to watch the sun rise over Machu Picchu.	MachuPicchu.. the postcard photo..	MachuPicchu.. the postcard photo.. now with Chris.	Chris climbed up WaynaPicchu (the mountain in the background of the MachuPichu pictures)
A week later after Chris did the Inca Trail, Tanya and Chris returned to MachuPicchu.	When we returned from MachuPicchu, we were given a tour of one of the 5 star hotels in Cusco.. this is the Hotel Monestario.. In the background is the last cedar tree in Cusco.	This is the Plaza de Armas in Cusco.	Here is a parade for International womans day.. In the background is the catedral.
Who are these guys with Tanya?? In front of the bus in Puerto Maldonado, heading for the jungle.	Tanya and Chris on the boat down the Rio Madre de Dios, on the way to our lodge.	Soon after we arrived at the lodge, we toured Monkey Island.	Here is ¨Solatario¨ the pet of the lodge.. He is a native tapir and very tame.
Chris trying jungle grapes.. don´t eat the seeds!	The view from our bungalow.	Tanya with the fish she caught (no, it wasn´t a piranha) and her clean boots. ;)	Tanya and Chris in front of the dining room... about to leave the Ecoamazonia lodge.