The Maras Salt Mines is located about 30min (40km) north from the tourist town of Cusco (also spelled ‘Cuzco’ by English speakers) in Peru.  The salt is actually not mined but rather it all comes from a tiny stream above the hill that has been redirected to ponds.  The ponds are stacked over and over on the hill side, with the top pond spilling into the lower one until it reaches the cliff side.  Once a pond is full the stream is directed to new ponds as the ones that are full are left to evaporate, leaving the salt behind.

The whole operation is done by hand and makes for back breaking work.  That was until about 10 years ago when tourists started visiting Cusco by the thousands to see Machu Picchu.  One smart tour operator wanted to offer something more and took a few groups out to see the salt mines as a way to offer something that most never get to see.  This caught on and it didn’t take long for the people in Maras to figure out that it was easier to charge a tourist a dollar to see the salt ponds then to actually work and produce from it.  Now the main profit is made from the tourism and not the production of the salt.

I always thought this was a great example on how tourism has better enriched the lives of locals and everyone benefits.

Have you been to Peru and seen this place before?  If so, what did you think of it?

Can you see the monkey? Monkey see, Monkey Do!

In 2009 I visited Peru for the first time.  One of the top places on my list of things to check out was the Nasca Lines in the Nasca Desert, which is about 250 miles/440 km south of Lima.  I had seen something about it when I was a kid and never actually thought I would be able to see it in person one day but yet I did.

There are only two ways to see these lines.  One from a tower along the main road, which you can only see about 3 formations and is a bad view or 2) by booking a 30 minute flight which is the only real way to see them I think.  Flights can be had for as little as $50 if you go at the right time.

The largest formation measures over two American Football lengths long (660 ft) and there are formations of: hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, fish, sharks, orcas, llamas, and lizards.  There are like 18 large formation lines that you can see when you take the flight.  The Nasca Lines have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994.

There are a ton of theories on how and why this lines were made but no one knows for sure and there is still much debate about it as to why.  All they know for sure is that the Inca Empire were the ones who created them, that it’s the largest of any in the world and that to view them correctly they must been seen from the air.

Desert Odyssey in Ica, Peru

This photo was taken in Ica, Peru on a desert dune buggy ride.  Most people would think I got this photo in Egypt or Dubai but Peru has a huge desert close to the coast.  Everyone just thinks of Machu Picchu for Peru but it pretty much has it all; jungle, mountains, and coast.

I didn’t have to do much to this photo to make it stand out more.  All I did was raise the black levels, clarity and saturation to bring out the colors more.  This photo was all about the lines of the desert and following them with the eye.  I wish all photos could be edited this quickly, as this only took about 10 sec to do.

Notice above how the histogram is mounded in the center.  This is ideal for a perfect exposure, if it’s to the far left the photo was underexposed (dark) and if it is to the far right it was over exposed (blown out skies).  Below the histogram you can see where I raised the black levels, clarity and saturation.  Big difference from start to finish but it only took a few tweaks to make it better.

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The Maras Salt Mines are located just 30min outside of Cusco, Peru.  Entrance to the place is only $1 (as of Oct 2009) and is well worth a visit.  It’s been there before the Incas and has been owned by the same family for the last 4 generations.  It used to be a horrible place to work and own because it made very little money.  Then about 5-10 years ago with the boom of Machu Picchu, a few people took some tourists there.  They thought it was an easy way to add a tour stop and make a different tour than what the rest were promoting (which everyone at the time was pushing nothing but Machu Picchu).  The family who owned it quickly found out they could make more money by charging tourist a $1 to see the place vs the money they made from the salt.

It’s located in the Sacred Valley of the Incas in a small little village called Maras.  Over time the salt has pooled up and made these little pools along a cliff side.  It all comes from a little spring that is heavy in salt content located at the top of the hill.  People who work there harvest the salt by hand and it’s a back breaking job where a cut on the ankle leads to a painful days work.  Even for the bad work conditions this is a perfect example where tourism brought a new market to a company that would otherwise be making very little.  Since the boom in tourism conditions have been better and pay has increased.

If you’re a photographer and want to get something different in Peru, definitely hit this place up.  When you arrive you will take a road cut out from the side of a cliff on the opposite side of the mines.  It’s surrounded by brown cliffs and in the middle of it is the Mares Salt Mines.  It looks like God made it snow in the Grand Canyon in a small section of only about 500m.  Best time to visit is just before sunset, if you get lucky the light will be just right and the changes of color in the salt-pools is amazing.

1. What is your first name: Eduardo
2. What city are you from: Arequipa
3. What country are you from: Peru
4. What do you do: Psychology student and tour guide
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: California, USA because I think I will see many famous people there.
6. What’s your dream and why: I to work as a psychologist with my own practice and teach as well.

FOGG Notes: I was sitting on some steps next to a church, waiting on my girlfriend, when Eduardo came up and started talking Spanish to me.  I was taken off guard for a second and explained I knew only a little Spanish.  He switched to perfect English, saying something about children needing help and would I donate to the cause.  Didn’t know if he was legit at first and was a little hesitant but got to talking with him about America and a few other things.  My girlfriend finally showed back up and he started telling us about the foundation he was working at.  The foundation was set up to help kids who were hooked on drugs, into prostitution and other criminal activities to help get their lives back on track.  The foundation has apx. 250 kids now and he volunteers their when not acting as a tourist guide.

1. What is your first name: Rolando (aka: Spiderman)
2. What city are you from: Cusco
3. What country are you from: Peru
4. What do you do: Fights crime in Peru but also sells Spiderman costumes on the streets
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: Wherever the crime is!
6. What’s your dream and why: To find a Spidergirl!

FOGG Notes: He was selling little kids costumes on the street and when I saw him I knew I wanted to get his picture.  I mean how many times do you get to meet Spiderman and who knew that he was fighting crime in Peru of all places?  And just to show you how great of a super hero he was, the little kid costumes were only like $5 total.  Maybe they were deep discounted because he was recruiting but I like to think he was just inspiring fear into his enemies!  Good luck Spidy on finding a chica girlfriend!

1. What is your first name: Epifania
2. What city are you from: Cusco
3. What country are you from: Peru
4. What do you do: Tour guide for 20 years
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: Ecuador because I would like to go see the Middle of the World.
6. What’s your dream and why: I wish I could have more work as a tour guide, as it’s been slow for me.

FOGG Notes: Epifania was my tour guide in Cusco when I went to the salt mines and Moray steps.  I never did ask her what her skin condition was but she was a really nice lady, even if I didn’t understand 1/2 of what she said.  The whole trip getting to those places was an order in itself and when we were about to leave the Moray steps our taxi driver pulled a 180 and refused to leave until she paid him more money (as far as us we paid for the whole tour and weren’t giving another penny).  Just the joys of going to Cusco where everyone is trying to make a little extra money from the tourists.

I asked her which tourists she prefers and she said “Americans because they are very open and make me feel good.  I also like Germans as they enjoy the culture a lot and don’t complain.  Israelis are great too because they don’t sit in the van when there is a flat tire… they get out and help change the tire!”  So I followed up with the next obvious question of what tourists she doesn’t like.  ”French because they complain more than anyone else and I don’t know why because they are so cheap.  They never tip no matter how hard you work to make them happy.  Good food but lousy tourists the French are!” she said.

1. What is your first name: Esteban
2. What city are you from: Puno
3. What country are you from: Peru
4. What do you do: Tour guide for 4 years
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: Italy because I would like to work there and learn more Italian.
6. What’s your dream and why: To travel the world and play my guitar and flute, seeing everything I can.

FOGG Notes: Esteban was my tour guide when I was in Puno, Peru.  I dubbed him ‘The Yes Man.”  In all my life I had never heard the word “yes” fitted into so many sentences at one time.  An example would be this:  ”Ok people we’re about to exit the boat, yes.  If anyone wants to leave anything it’s ok, yes.  Be sure to watch your step when leaving, yes and don’t forget your camera, yes.  Any questions, no…good, yes.”  I swear I couldn’t make this up and it was like something from the show Seinfeld or something.  Imagine this for an hour while your boat is chugging along and the bad part was he did the same thing in Spanish, ending every sentence with “si.”

1. What is your first name: Abraham
2. What city are you from: Chuyuni
3. What country are you from: Peru
4. What do you do: School during the week and helps his father on the weekends
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: I want to go to Arequipa, Peru because I hear the weather is nice there and I have never seen the beach before.
6. What’s your dream and why: I’d like to have my own boat someday and be a captain like my father.

FOGG Notes: I met Abraham in Puno while going to the floating islands on Lake Titicaca.  His father was the captain of the boat and he was helping him, working as 2nd mate.  He was only 11 years old but you could tell he was used to tourists and had a really friendly personality.  Anytime I would take a picture of something and would be reviewing the histogram on the LCD screen, he would walk over and look at it with a more serious face than I had myself.  Cracked me up and later while eating lunch I asked him if I could take his picture.  He got really excited, as I gave him my website travel card and you would have thought it was a $100 bill by the look on his face.  So we walked over to a reed hut for a background and I started to shoot.  The only problem though was after I took a picture he would come running over and want to see the LCD then-and-there.  Picture, stop, picture, stop, picture, stop and finally after 15 min (this normally takes me about 2 min total) I got one that looked like it would work.

I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he said “I want to be an electrician like my father!”  Guess his father is an electrician during the week and moonlights as a boat captain on the weekends.  I just hope his father is a better electrician than he is a boat captain.  The boat only broke down 2x on the way to the islands and 4x on the way back.

1. What is your first name: Sabino
2. What city are you from: Cusco
3. What country are you from: Peru
4. What do you do: Plays guitar
5. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go and why: USA because it would be a new place for me.
6. What’s your dream and why: Would like to keep working more to be able to buy my own house, as I have no family and am on my own.

FOGG Notes: I met Sabino in Puno, Peru sitting along a wall playing his guitar.  At first I didn’t realize he was blind until I got closer but asked him anyways if I could have a minute of his time.  I told him what I did when traveling, as I always tried to interview unique people from different countries, and would he be ok with me taking a few pictures.  He said fine but stated there wasn’t anything interesting or unique about himself.  He is 18 years old and has been blind for 5 years.  He was riding a bus when it was involved in an accident and a piece of iron went through his ear, causing blindness.

Not having anyone to help support him in Cusco he got lucky and found a school for the blind that took him in.  They taught him what he would have to deal with, showed him how to cook, bathe and get around, plus provided him with shelter and food while there.  He said if it hadn’t been for the school he would have never survived the incident.  While at the school he self-taught himself how to play the guitar in traditional Peruvian music.

He now travels around Peru on his own (and he said he wasn’t interesting) to wherever the fiestas are.  He said he’ll play on the streets 4-5 days in one city, then move onto another fiesta but prefers to stay around the Cusco area when possible.  3 days later I was in Arequipa (a 10 hour bus ride from Puno) and was walking around the city center.  Guess who I seen playing the guitar?  I didn’t say anything and instead dropped a few dollars in his cup and kept walking.  I couldn’t help but smile… this guy was out traveling me!