Uploads from Jill Clardy, with geodata

High Above Quito

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:13:49 -0700

We took the aerial tram up to the Pichincha Volcano peak above Quito for a breathtaking view over the city. More than 2.5 million people live in the valley below, the 2nd most populous city in Ecuador. I'm quite sure that the elevation of 13,287 feet is the highest I've ever been on land. We were moving very slowly and stopping frequently to take in the view ! We stepped into the café for a cup of coca tea before heading back down the mountain in the tram.
Two images are embedded in the comment boxes below so you'll have to click "View ... more comments" to take a peek :)

Lost & Found

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:01:34 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

We were walking along the boardwalk at Pacific Beach in San Diego in the morning and came across these shoes perched on the seawall. Why would you wear such shoes to the beach, and why would you forget to take them with you when you left? I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation.....
I think this also fits the theme of "unnatural" for the 365 group - wearing those shoes to the beach (or anywhere for that matter) doesn't seem natural !

More scenes from the PB Boardwalk in the comment boxes immediately below. (You may have to click the "View More Comments" link a the top to reveal all of the comment boxes.)

I am at a loss to come up with a suitable caption....

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:34:18 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

We walked (well actually I shuffled slowly in my large plastic boot) along the Pacific Beach boardwalk this morning on our way to breakfast and indulged in some irresistible people watching.... You'll have to supply your own caption for this one... :)

A Different Point of View

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:11:00 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

The cat perched on the man's shoulder seemed about to leap off at any moment ! A stroll on the boardwalk at Pacific Beach in San Diego is great for people watching. You will see the weird, the wacky and the wonderful :)

Ancient Moai Relics - in San Diego !

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:25:18 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Grumpy looking guys, eh? Maybe they wish they were facing the beautiful Pacific Ocean rather than the tacky tourist shops on the boardwalk :)

No I'm not visiting Easter Island.... spotted these on the Pacific Beach Boardwalk in San Diego. Most people just walked by without noticing the clever sand sculptures!

Hacienda Pinsaqui, Otavalo Ecuador

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Thu, 16 May 2013 20:46:25 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

We had some time after breakfast to wander the beautiful gardens and pastures of the Hacienda Pinsaqui. When it was a working ranch, it included 10,000 acres but is now just an inn with a few scenic and well-maintained acres.

Hacienda Pinsaqui, Ecuador

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:13:43 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

What a welcome sight after a long day of travel from Cusco to Lima to Quito, then a long bus trip to Otavalo, Ecuador. We arrived at the Hotel Pinsaqui after dark and didn't have a chance to explore the grounds of this 300+ year old hacienda. But when we turned the large iron key in the old-fashioned lock on our door, we gasped with pleasure to see such a large and beautiful room. It had 3 beds and a small wood burning stove and large white-tiled bathroom. When we returned to our rooms after dinner in the main dining room, the firing was blazing and the beds were turned down with hot water bottles tucked in. No Tv and no WIFI, and we slept like babies that night !

Tomorrow I will post pictures from the grounds of this fantastic hacienda.

www.haciendapinsaqui.com/

Saksaywaman Incan Ruins

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Tue, 14 May 2013 19:02:00 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Saksaywaman is the Quecha word for falcon or hawk. The huge complex of Incan ruins above Cusco is laid out in the shape of a bird. (It's easiest to remember the pronunciation of the site by thinking of it as "sexy woman" )

The ruins were impressive but the clouds stole the show that day !

We visited on a beautifully cloudy, sultry day. The Cristo Blanco (White Christ) statue stands on a hill nearby and overlooks the city. Cristo Blanco was built by a group of Christian Palestinians that were seeking refuge in Cuzco in 1945. It was a symbol of their gratitude toward the city, and was their parting gift when they finally returned to their home country. It was apparently modeled after Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, but is not nearly as large.

22 Days and Counting

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:40:56 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Went in for another x-ray today. The broken bone is healing, but still another 3-4 weeks to go before the break closes up. I'm not accustomed to being a couch potato, and hobbling around in the Aircast (removable boot) really slows me down....

"Time Heals All Wounds", or is it "Time Wounds all Heels"?

Evening In the Sacred Valley

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:21:17 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

During our journey from Machu Picchu to Cusco, we stopped along the road for this fabulous photo op. There were several peasants walking along the dirt road, but by the time I got out there from my seat at the back of the bus they were too far distant to be noticeable in the image.

This is the dramatic Salcantay peak; at 6271 meters, it is the 12th highest peak in Peru, but only the 38th highest peak in the Andes.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salcantay

Please take a moment to fill your screen with a larger version of this image - it is quite remarkable to see. Many other beautiful images from Peru are in my Peru-2013 set>>>>>

This pano consists of two scenes stitched together, each comprised of 5 AEB images blended in Photomatix.

Behold the Redwood

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:53:48 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Living in Redwood City, one might expect to see lots of redwood trees; unfortunately they were mostly logged out by the late 1800's. However in our neighborhood, they were planted in some of the common areas when it was landscaped in 1989 and they have already grown to a majestic size. Standing directly adjacent to a redwood and looking straight up gives you a great perspective - and makes you feel quite small. It's good to know that this tree will outlive me by many decades if left alone....

This meets the 365 Group theme of the week - unusual point of view.

Panoramic View From the Upper Terrace

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:01:00 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Much better viewed large ! The Original (11775 x 3757) image has an astonishing amount of detail; You can easily count the ~200 people that have arrived in the park at this early hour of 7:52 a.m. There is a large group near the base of Huayna Picchu and they are probably among the first 200 that have a permit to climb to the top of the peak. The second batch of 200 can start their climb at 10:00 a.m.

This is a 7-image handheld pano. Somehow I managed to do a good job of keeping the camera steady and with plenty of overlap between the images, CS6 did a perfect job of stitching them together. I only had to crop a little bit off the top edge of the finished pano. The lighting is quite uneven between the left and right side though for obvious reasons, and I may decide to lighten the right side a bit and re-stitch the series.

I didn't know the woman on the right was there until I completed the pano arc. What do you think? Should she stay or should she go? I sort of like the human element in this stunning scene and the fact that she's trying to capture it in her little point and shoot :).

Llama Mama

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sat, 11 May 2013 20:19:53 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

The llama mama seemed wary of me and I was so cautious about getting too close to her that I almost stepped on the one behind me !

Happy Mother's Day to all the human (and non-human) mamas out there :)

Bounty of the Farmer's Market

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sat, 11 May 2013 19:01:42 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

We made a quick trip to the downtown farmer's market today and picked up a few fresh veggies. The vendor told me that the purple garlic was the "best garlic in the world" so I bought 3 heads of garlic! I also got purple basil and a purple onion. What shall I make with all this red and purple bounty?

First Glimpse of Huayna Picchu

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:58:46 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

As you round the bend, entering onto a terrace through a narrow opening between Incan-designed rock walls, the first glimpse of the Picchu (peak) takes your breath away (and it's only 7,800 feet elevation here !).

This famous peak is actually Huayna Picchu; Machu Picchu is behind you at this point and on this day was shrouded in fog and mist.

In the Quecha language of the Incas, Huayna Picchu means "young peak". 400 people per day are allowed to obtain tickets to climb this mountain. The "trail" is a very steep series of steps and it takes about an hour to get to the top.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huayna_Picchu

At the End of the Day

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:29:00 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

On our last night at the Casa Andina in Urubamba, I stepped outside of the gates to the hotel as the light was fading to take a short walk. I didn't go far because the road was in very bad condition and I felt very exposed out there alone with some of the local men hanging out in doorways watching me. As I turned to go back, along came this young couple walking back from tending their fields for the day. It was such a charming and authentic moment. We had experienced other arranged "cultural connections" with the local people during our stay, but I was frequently suspicious that they were dressed up and playing a part for the rich American tourists. The couple smiled, looked at me and said "buenos tardes" as they walked by, and I replied in kind.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urubamba,_Peru

Buy Me Some Peanuts & CrackerJacks

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:28:49 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

Our first baseball game of the season at AT&T Park in San Francisco started with cloudy skies, though the temperature was pleasant. The Giants won in the 10th inning so it was a successful outing.

This image meets the "water" theme for the 365 group since a seat in the Upper Reserved section of the park always gives you a great view of the San Francisco Bay and Oakland shipping yard beyond.

This was my first major outing wearing the boot on the broken left foot. We took the train to the city and walked a few blocks to the stadium. Had to take it real slow on the many steep steps, but otherwise it was a fine day.

This Little Piggy Went to Market...

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Tue, 07 May 2013 19:38:55 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

One of our favorite excursions in the Sacred Valley was an early morning trip to the weekly farmer's market in the town of Urubamba. People come from near and far to a big open field in town where they set up their umbrellas and tarps to sell the products of their farms. We saw every type of potato, squash, vegetables, fruit, chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, llama, cattle, sheep, textiles, cheese, sundries, clothing, shoes, hats.... It was chaotic and colorful and fascinating. This is their equivalent of Walmart.

After wandering around the colorful market, I stood on a street corner just outside the market and watched people passing by with their wares - the Peruvian version of "street photography".

A Hacienda on Rio Urubamba

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:57:21 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

During our tour of the Urubamba area in the Sacred Valley, we stopped for lunch at the excellent Tunupa Restaurant, right on the banks of the river. The buffet featured many excellent Peruvian menu choices- so many in fact that we skipped dinner that night ! We dined on the patio with a view of the beautiful gardens and Rio Urubamba.

tunuparestaurant.com/tunupa-valle/

The restaurant also has a location on the main square in Cusco. Highly recommended !

The Colors of Peru

nobody@flickr.com (Jill Clardy) — Sat, 04 May 2013 20:06:00 -0700

Jill Clardy posted a photo:

We left the Ceiba Tops Lodge at 5:15 a.m. for our boat trip upstream on the Amazon River and a bus trip across town to the Iquitos airport. The city was just awakening as we drove through at 6:30 a.m.; a banana market was being set up here. All images were snapped from the open air window of a bus (shown below).