Salinas de Maras, Peru

jpphotography (70) in goldenhourphotography • 7 years ago (edited)

The salt mines of Maras were one of the highlights of my visit to Peru. They are usually visited by organised tours from Cusco in the morning in combination with the Incan ruins of Moray, but I happened to have slept in that day and when I enquired at a travel agency in Cusco if there was any transport or tour available for the day, they told me the only option would be to take a bus, get off on the crossroad and then take a collective taxi to the ruins of Moray, so that's what I did.

The ruins of Moray are really impressive since they are circle-shaped and set into a beautiful landscape. After visiting the ruins, I had to find a way of getting to the salt mines which were only a few kilometres away. Since there was no shared taxi waiting at the ruins, I tried my luck hitchhiking and soon I found a school class from Northern Peru who were on a school trip to Cusco. They gave me a ride on their bus to the salt mines, got me in for free and even took me back all the way to Cusco! Apart from this awesome experience and meeting these amazing people, I was able to see the salt mines in a beautiful golden hour light!

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The camera I used to capture this photo is a Sony A37 (APS-C) with a Sony DT 18-135mm F3,5–5,6 SAM lens.

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7 years ago by jpphotography (70)

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

@exifr DateTimeOriginal ExposureTime FNumber ISOSpeedRatings FocalLength Model

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1 vote

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theislander (44) · 7 years ago

we in Malta have our own little salt pans :)

Thanks for sharing!

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

Wow, that looks amazing! I need to visit Malta one day :)
The salt pans in Maras were actually fueled by a salty stream and not by sea water

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theislander (44) · 7 years ago

thats so coool. The salt from sea water used to be praised for its minerals and taste but now apparenlty its full of microplastics... :(

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

Oh.. That's a shame

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gillianpearce (65) · 7 years ago

Those are in Gozo if I'm not mistaken @theislander. 😁 Are you a local?

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theislander (44) · 7 years ago

yep, born and raised there :)

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gillianpearce (65) · 7 years ago

That sounds fun @jpphotography, getting a ride with a local school trip. The only salt pans like that I've seen are in Gozo, Malta. It's one of my favourite walks when I'm there 😊

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1 vote

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

I think @theislander just posted a photo of the salt pans you mentioned ;) They look great!

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gillianpearce (65) · 7 years ago

Yep. Those are the ones! 😊

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nameless-berk (60) · 7 years ago

Cusco, Cusco, what's so special about this place? Everyone goes to Cusco, like a no-brainer for Peru visitors.

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1 vote

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

The city centre itself is the most touristy place I have been to in South America, it feels very different from other cities, super touristy, also because of all the Machu Picchu visitors.
But the history of Cusco is amazing, it used to be the capital of the Inca empire and when the Spaniards conquered Cusco, they built their churches on top of the old Incan ruins, that's pretty impressive and so are all the Incan ruins around Cusco. Apart from that, the Andean nature is really beautiful and there are awesome places like the Salinas. So I would say that Cusco totally is worth visiting, despite the tourism.

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nameless-berk (60) · 7 years ago

Hmmm... well, I have no intention to visit Machu Picchu as I can't stand two kind of places - expensive and touristic, and it's both of them. Besides, the crowds are ruining the site itself, so no... you kinda talked me into visiting Cusco itself, though. Time will tell I guess.

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

Cusco is still less touristy than any city in Western Europe and expensive? Not really.. The entrance fee to Machu Picchu is quite steep and if you want to take the tourist train (I took a cheap bus instead and walked along the train tracks) you have to pay as well, but apart from that, you can avoid the tourist prices. Even in aguas calientes, the extremely touristic village that is the starting point for every tourist visiting Machu Picchu, I found some cheap and good local eats. Machu Picchu does receive a lot of tourism, but it is far less bad than I expected since the tourists spread over the huge area, and the place is actually really impressive!

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photofeed (70) · 7 years ago

This is gorgeous. Nice colors and composition. Resteemed!

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1 vote

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

Awesome, thank you! I really appreciate your support :)

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heyitshaas (64) · 7 years ago

Great picture looks like the tanneries in Morocco

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1 vote

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

Haha that's true, it looks quite similar!

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jayclar30 (58) · 7 years ago

That is so impressive and what an adventure! Never would a bus load of school kids pick someone up from the side of the road here... oh could you imagine the legalities of something like that! Oh my!! But how wonderful, sounds like it was better option to organised your own tour, it was probably a much better experience than what you would have got on the tour!

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

Haha, so true! That was actually not the only time that I hitchhiked with a school bus in South America, I also did that in Colombia! Both times they were not young kids but high school students only a little younger than me (I was 19 at the time), so the teachers had no problem with giving me a ride. I have always had the best experiences when organising trips myself and just going with the flow :)

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jayclar30 (58) · 7 years ago

Going with the flow is always the best!! And I find the best times can be had away from the tourist areas.

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

Couldn't agree more, the non-touristy places are the best to have amazing experiences!

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yourluckyphotos (63) · 7 years ago

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1 vote

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marcoteixeira (70) · 7 years ago

Great work :)

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

Thanks!

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steemitworldmap (75) · 7 years ago

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orges1 (48) · 7 years ago

Wonderful View 💟

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pixresteemer (65) · 7 years ago

Congratz, your post has been resteemed and, who knows, will maybe appear in the next edition of the #dailyspotlights (Click on my face if you want to know more about me...)Check the rules of the Daily Spotlights if you want to nominate someone!

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garotanzi (25) · 7 years ago

awesome stuff man! Would love to see more!

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intrepidphotos (75) · 7 years ago

Wow the light in this one mate is spectacular.

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jpphotography (70) · 7 years ago

I was so lucky to get there during golden hour!

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rephoto (44) · 7 years ago

We LOVE your photography!

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