American Landscapes - Lake Tahoe, CA

Lake Tahoe is located in the alpines of the Sierra mountain range that borders California and Nevada.  On a perfect day, the water surface resonates the most vibrant blue of its kind.  And when you engage close to the water, you can actually see its vivid clarity, as its clear water is one of the lakes characteristics that is famous for.



Over the years the water has lost its clarity as it is decreasing at an average rate of .25 meters per year. 



The area around Lake Tahoe was originally inhabited by the Washoe tribe of Native Americans.



Watersports, from swimming, paddle boarding, jet skiing canoeing, kayaking, yachting, diving, and scuba diving are some of the recreational activities that take place on the lake.  During the winter, parts of the area gets closed off due to heavy snow storms.  However, Lake Tahoe remains to be a popular attraction for winter sport activities.



If you know that there are great landscapes in your area, I encourage anyone to flock over there and engage with it.  Take the trip or journey, and it will be worth it because of its powerful imprint it will have on your conscience and imagination.

Peru - Inca - Machu Picchu - Part 2

When the explorer Hiram Bingham III encountered Machu Picchu in 1911, he was looking for a different city, known as Vilcabamba. This was a hidden capital to which the Inca had escaped after the Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1532. Over time it became famous as the legendary Lost City of the Inca.



The engineer Kenneth Wright has estimated that 60 percent of the construction done at Machu Picchu was underground. Much of that consists of deep building foundations and crushed rock used as drainage.



Many of the building blocks that have been used to create Machu Piccu weigh 50 tones or more yet are precisely sculpted and fit together with great precision that the mortarless joints will not permit the insertion of even a thin knife blade.



The ruins of Machu Picchu were declared an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 the ruins have also been included in the new seven wonders of the modern world list.





The term ‘Machu Picchu’ literally means ‘old mountain’



Archaeologists believe that a small pox epidemic obliterated the residents of the site within 100 years of its establishment. It is said that the epidemic was brought by Spanish Conquistadors, and amazingly, they could never locate the exact site of Machu Picchu despite their proximity to spread the epidemic.



Trekking on the Inca Trail is the most popular way to approach Machu Picchu through several portions of original Inca stone pathways. It is a three-day journey, but the government restricts the number of trekkers to 500 due to fear of wearing away the trail. Compulsory porters are included in the trekking expedition.



Voting from Internet audience has caused Machu Picchu to acquire a place in the New Seven Wonders of the World. The National Geographic Society dedicated its April 1913 issue to Machu Picchu, honoring its recognition.



Machu Picchu was originally built as a fortress, and then turned into a capital city of the Incas.



The site covers 80,000 acres (32,500 hectares). Terraced fields on the edge of the site were once used for growing crops, likely maize and potatoes.



Machu Picchu is believed to have been built by Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, the ninth ruler of the Inca, in the mid-1400s. An empire builder, Pachacuti initiated a series of conquests that would eventually see the Inca grow into a South American realm that stretched from Ecuador to Chile.

Machu Picchu has a number of structures that would have enhanced the spiritual significance of the site.

One of them, the “Temple of the Sun,” or Torreón, has an elliptical design similar to a sun temple found at the Inca capital of Cuzco. It is located near where the Inca emperor is believed to have resided at Machu Picchu.

Although Machu Picchu has a wall, modest gateway and dry moat (likely used for collecting rainwater) it doesn’t appear to have been set up with military purposes in mind, and there is no evidence that a battle of any sort was fought there.

It is situated about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of the town of Cusco. Cusco was the old imperial Inca capital, which was both the administrative and the religious center of the empire. 

No one really knows, but these are all possibilities. The Inca Trail is a walking route that leads through the mountains above the Urubamba river, following (at least partly) the course of an old Inca roadway leading to the city of Machu Picchu. 

One stone used in the town's construction is estimated to weigh 300 tons. Archaeologists are unsure how it was moved in place at the top of a mountain.

Machu Picchu did not survive the collapse of the Inca

Iguazu Falls - Part 2

This is where my South America tour started.  Iguazu Falls are water falls of the Iguazu River on the border of Argentina and Brazil.  The Brazilian side consists of just 20% while the Argentinian has 80% of the total falls.



All these photos were taken from the Argentinian side.

Standing at the observation point nearby Devil's Throat.



Nature as a source of power.



Everyone needs to see Iguazu Falls at least once in their lifetime



A steele walkway gives tourist the opportunity to get up close to the falls.  There are a multitude of viewpoints to see Iguazu and excellent coverage throughout the park.



275 total drops, 60-82 meters high.  Total width of 2.7 kilometers or 1.7 miles.



275 total drops, 60-82 meters high.  Total width of 2.7 kilometers or 1.7 miles.



It take about half a day to see the Falls.



The rising mist, lush fauna, and the falls make up this famous natural water park.



Devil's Throat is the the pivotal section of the falls in the shape of a J.



In opinion, the sound of the Falls is what resonates the most.  After you see the falls, it is the sound that sound that reminds me of its sheer force.



There really isn't a bad view of Iguazu Falls.

Salt Flats - Fun pics