23rd October - Paul dunn - travelling in peru

​Colin Livingstone, our President, introduced Paul Dunn as one of our long-standing members. Paul is well known within CCC for photographing music gigs and last season he had presented to the group his popular talk entitled Gig Photography. Tonight, Paul was to present to us his recollections of a trip he had made to Peru in 2023.
 
Paul explained that the trip had involved staying in 3 different locations over about 2 weeks: Lima (the capital of Peru), Reserva Amazonica and Cusco (a city in the Andes Mountains known as the historical capital of the Inca Empire and a major gateway to Machu Picchu).
 
Paul said that he arrived in Lima expecting to find consistent sunshine but soon discovered that Lima, which is on the Pacific coast, is characterised by grey skies. He stayed in the Miraflores Park area where there are a great number of stray cats which are looked after by the local population. Lima had been founded by the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizzaro, in 1535. Successful in his search for gold, Pizzaro had already completed the conquest of Peru by entering Cusco in 1533.  Paul showed us a photograph of the skeleton of Pizarro which is kept in the Metropolitan Cathedral in Lima. Paul showed us photographs of nearby ruins which are more than three times as old as Machu Picchu and are towering mounds of camel coloured clay bricks, known as huacas. In the indigenous Quechua language, huaca literally translates to "sacredness".
 
Paul next flew from Lima to Reserva Amazonica, where he stayed in an eco-lodge on stilts next to the Madre de Dios River which meanders through the Southern Peru rainforest region. From there Paul showed us photographs of nearby animals, including rodents called agouti, monkeys and caimans, and various birds. Paul visited and photographed the Inkaterra Canopy Walkway which is a bridge system at 30 metres above the ground in the rainforest.
 
The next flight was to Cusco. As Cusco is more than 11,000 feet above sea level and Reserva Amozonica is close to sea level, a number of people in Paul's group spent the next few days experiencing altitude sickness. It so happened that Paul's arrival coincided with a major festival and this allowed him to take photographs of local people in various types of colourful traditional dress. As part of the festival, the locals barbecued and enjoyed a local delicacy, guinea pig. Paul gave that a miss! 
 
Paul then travelled to Ollantaytambo, an ancient Inca town and archaeological site in Peru's Sacred Valley, and from here he spent a full, and very hot day, walking to Machu Picchu. The walk involved terrific views over the towering Andes and the opportunity to visit other Inca ruins. He first saw Machu Picchu from Sun Gate which overlooks the site. The buildings at Machu Picchu are made from stones which were transported from various parts of Peru and which are perfectly fitted together without any type of mortar. They are so close fitting that it isn't possible to insert a piece of paper between the stones. The area is prone to earthquakes, and the buildings were ingeniously designed to withstand seismic movements. Terracing, used for agriculture, is a major feature of the region and around Machu Picchu. The Spanish conquistadors knew of Machu Picchu but failed in their bid to find it. It was abandoned by the Incas in about the mid 1500s and, over the centuries, was lost to the jungle and was largely forgotten until it was again "discovered" by the American explorer and academic, Hiram Bingham, in 1911.  
 
Paul eventually returned to Lima and from there returned home. 
 
A good turnout of members enjoyed Paul's talk and photographs (modestly described by him as "holiday snaps") and he was given a warm round of applause.
 
Ray Barnes
CCC Programme Secretary