Photo #2: Now we know where they got the idea for the Hollywood sign!

Anybody knows wether those are Tibetan script in #4 ? Strange, sure, but ...

I was fortunate enough to take a trip to Peru last year and take the exact same hike/path to Macchu Picchu with a good camera. There are plenty of breathtaking photo opportunities there and I would highly recommend it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ascampiglio/sets/72157600024590266/

My wife and I did our honeymoon on the same route about 5 years ago. An awesome place, still hard to believe we were there.

Gary,
These photos are really terrific. Stephen told me all the work it took (up and down, up and down, up and down...). Great job!

Brings the memories back, vive Peru!

Beautiful pun in the title and amazing pictures! But I must confess that I take seeing something extraordinary in your blog at all times pretty much for granted by now :) The surprise lies in discovering what's awesome in every new post. Keep taking wonderful pictures and posting them! Cheers!

Gary Noel, you rock! Your pix are amazing and knowing what a long tough trip it was, makes these pix even more special. Keep up the good work kiddo!

-Your favorite (and only) sister-in-law..... :)

Yes, they are Tibetan flags. These pictures are from a fundraiser for the Love Hope Strength Foundation. The foundation travels the world putting on musical events in remote places to raise money and awareness for cancer. The proceeds from this event are being used to buy a mobile cancer unit for Peru to treat 20-30,000 people each year. The first event was a concert on Everest where they brought prayer flags bearing names of those lost to cancer and those who won the battle or are fighting cancer. This year they carried on the tradition and brought flags again. The flags will ultimately be sent to Everest where they will hang forever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5StGFSoaOdo

love the photos and the stories behind them. thanks for sharing man.

Yes, Peru definitely Rocks.
I went there 3 weeks.
It was like 5 different trips in one.
There's so much to see :
The Amazonian Jungle, Cuzco, the Machu Pichu, The Lake Titi-Caca, Arequipa and the Grand Cayon, Nazca lines, Ica (you MUST do sand-surfing and buggy in the dunes at the Huacchina OASIS), Paracas Nature Reserve ... Awesome !

Gary,

Your pics were absolutely breathtaking! You captured not only the spirit of Love, Hope, Strength, but of the captivating country and people of Peru! I am so proud to be your sister and Jim, your brother-in-law.

With all our love, Jan

What is the furry thing on the bottom right of 19?

GARY! I am so impressed! What a fantastic job!! You really have an amazing talent! Thank you for such wonderful memories!
Abbe Helm
Denver CO

#17 is my favorite, what a beautiful display - both the flags and the apparent camaraderie!! after seeing the flags in #4, i knew there had to be an Everest tie-in somehow. just spectacular!! i only hope i can be a part of something like this one day.

Bottom of 19 is a rock. Crazy how it looks furry!

Beautiful images. I await the day I visit Peru.

Astonishing photos. If I ever get the chance to visit Peru (and hopefully Bolivia as well), my first destination would be Machu Picchu, which is quite obvious. The second, which is a bit less known, is the Lake Titicaca (or Lago Titicaca as they say). It is the lake in the highest altitude in the world (natural lakes). Some photos I found: http://laketiticaca.org/Photos.html

Nice dog in #3

I love my country , and Im glad that U were there

Simply amazing work , I always wanted to visit Peru. One day I hope I'll realize this dream.

Keep it up !

Thank you first of all, for shearing with us the wonderful work you guys are doing. Secondly I personally want to thank you for making me realize; how magnificent my country is!!!! I will kep you in my prayers so that God will help you, to keep on spreading the good work you are doing for humanity. You guys are trully HEROES. God bless all of you.

Great photos. Great purpose. Great country.

Happy campers all around.

very nice photographs great...great

Gary, me encanto tus fotos. me llevaste a Machu Picchu en tus fotos. Mil gracias eres un buen Artista Fotografo. Maravilloso. Rosa.

Gary, mil gracias por tus fotos me llevaste a Machu Picchu en ellas. Eres maravilloso profesional fotografo. Me encantaron Muchisimo........Rosa.

i am very happy for all you did in my country, and i am happy also because you liked my country, and we all the peruvians really appreciate this kind of work you do :) :) :) you are wellcome to my country whenever you want to comeback!! God bless you :) :)

These pictures are FANTASTIC!! I have two sons who were adopted from Peru and these pictures show them what their country is like.

Stunning photos and a fantastic organisation working towards a very worthy cause.

Best. news site. ever.

Will be in Peru this April for my daughter's wedding. These pictures are the BEST I have seen for they show so well the people, location, history, and "feel" of what I will see. Thank you for sharing them.

Zajebiste.

Those prayer flags are Tibetan, brought by Americans, to Peru. I love globalization.

i lived in peru for about seven months and your photos brought tears to my eyes. it is an amazing country with even more amazing people. i am so happy to know that you have staked a cause there. they need all the love and help you have provided and more. thank you for the photos and for all that you have done.

Prayer:

God bless all those people. Bless their families, and friends. Please grant them all forgiveness, and please heal them all. Let them know it was you.

Amen

Wow!

Mike, thanks for sharing! We, Nancy and I, were there, MP, last year and we are so grateful to be on your e-list.

God bless,

Ted Collins RPCV, Peru 1965-66

Excelentes fotos¡¡¡
Los felicito por su gran viaje
Saludos desde Venezuela

great find! thanks alan! i'm lovin the city theme with the last two sets! Something in particular about machu picchu thats always so mesmerizing, its like a forgotten paradise with its place on green hills and a clear sky.

I loved seeing your pictures. I have lived in Peru first as a Peace Corps volunteer in the early 60's and then hiked the Inca trail in 97. I also work as an Oncology social worker at the Arizona Cancer Center and was interested in how you combined hiking with the cancer benefit for Peruvians. That is wonderful. I just returned from a hike in Nepal to the Everest region so I am a bit out of sinc with you all. At 66 I found it difficult but beautiful. We went up to over 18,000 ft., a little higher than the Inca trail.

Can't understand why you've put so many "look mom I was there" photos on this article... But as usual the other photos are just great!

wonderfull, amazing, pure fantasy, like that pic and the trip :)

c est vraiment de la bombe ces fotos comme dab.

Thanks for the photos. I was there back in 2005. I took the train but still it was wonderful!! Thanks for refrshing my memories!!!! And what a wonderful way to bring attention to the fact that Cancer is everywhere, I am sorry to say.
Thanks again!!!

Some beautiful photos as usual, but I could have done without the many group photos.

Found the photos very beautiful, and could tell the trip was rewarding.. thxs...

Belles séries de photos, depuis quelques semaines...
Pourtant, le nombre de commentaires ne dépassent pas souvent la centaine.
Les sujets ne sont pas assez polémiques sans doute et c'est tant mieux...
En tout cas, merci à tous ces grands photographes de nous permettre de nous aérer la tête de temps en temps !!!

Why did the girl in #15 pull her pants down for the photo?

Your photos never disappoint. Keep up the great work!

encore et toujours de très très belles photos
merci

very nice

zislis (#55), those are detatchable legs, rolled down above her socks. Fantastic photos. Top of my list of places to visit.

These pictures are an open invitation. Uncredible beautiful!

Thanks for all the great shots, Gary! You really captured the feel of our experiences in PERU! The hike was strenuous but the fun we had along the trail was something I wouldn't have missed for anything! Thanks to all the musicians and production guys who worked tirelessly to 'spread the word' about PERU ROCKS every day. And special thanks to our PORTERS and GUIDES along the INCA TRAIL who went above and beyond to make our trip as comfortable and enjoyable as possible! It was unforgettable and I can't wait to visit there again!

L

This is so amazing... Thanks for posting it!!

The photos taken by Gary Noel are beautiful! He really captures the moment especially with the children!!

Aguante!! Latinoamerica!!

Beautiful trip for a more beautiful cause. Way to go...! (no pun intended). Keep up the good work and goodwill!

Mon récent voyage au Pérou m'a transformé. C'est photos sont autant de souvenirs merveilleux d'un pays qui vaut très certainement les autres destinations touristiques "classiques" (Égypte, Mexique, Vietnam, Inde...). This is so amazing...

Hi, in the first picture i can see an object or maybe a stain, the object or stain is in the top left of the picture.

Emmanuel (66), thank you for pointing out the amazing scale of this place. The small black spot or "stain" you speak of is actually a bird flying in the up-drafts of the valley below. I wish I could tell you what type of bird it was, but as you can see, it's pretty far away. It's not uncommon to see Andean Condors up there. Good eye.

Jon (22), the furry thing in the lower right corner is a dog. Dogs run free in the interior of Peru and there are a lot of them. Some seem to have owners or homes that they stick around; others run free or in packs; none of them are on leashes. This one just liked laying around the streets of a "new" world wonder... watching people gawk at his home... :)

Amazing pictures from an amazing Country. I've been there last May; it was a fantastic experience in spite the minus 10º in the first night of camping.
It was worth it all the away. :-)

These pictures are amazing. I have a HD computer screen and it seems like I'm in Peru.

The pictures are amazing, as usual. Thanks so much.

No saben la emosion que siento al estar viendo estas fotos y me doy cuenta que EL PERU es un pais muy hermoso con gente muy humilde con un gran corazon .
Estas fotos estan muy lindas tienen unos angulos percfectos felicitaciones a ti siempre haciendo un gran trabajo. Gracias por la ayuda que recibieron las personas del neoplastica , muchas gracias.
Estoy muy orgullosa de ser peruana .QUE VIVA EL PERU!

I am Peruvian, living in Brazil...., I´ve been to Cuzco and Macchu Picchu many times; the pictures really catch the spirit of the land.

Thank you for showing the world our wonders, and talking about wonders Macchu Picchu is one of the 7.

hi...I am from Peru I am 14 years old. I hope many can visit it and enjoy it very much, cuz is very beautiful, and have a delicious food that everybody likes. Pleace come to Peru soon!!! :D

ps: all people: you have to taste the ceviche, is awesome!!!!

Gorgeous photos, must have been amazing and inspiring. Machu Pichu is on my list of must see in my lifetime.

waww... supper butteful

Lovely photos - reminds me of my own trip to Peru in 2006 - Flickr Set

I have been there ten times and my wife and I are planning to move to Cuzco and live there forever. We are from Armenia.

Mr and Mrs Vayeos

thank u 4 the great photoes i luv 2 see works of all humanaty, the older & more unique the better u give credit where its due i was always taught : ) may u all b blessed always

I am so proud of my country Peru...........and there is people like you that takes their time to investigate and to share the spirit of the Peruvian Andes and their amazing people.

God bless Peru and you that share the magic of this beautiful country.

Man, I know how you guys feel. I got lucky enough to go on a trip to Arequipa, Peru, which is a small flight from Cuzco. We helped out a school there that needed some renovations done. It was amazing to see how kind the people all were, and also take a look at the landscape. It's pretty cool to know you got to see things like El Misti and the Andes in general. We also saw that mummy that was found up in the mountains that was featured in National Geographic. We also ate guinea pig... Which was hard for some people to get past. It was cool to see that even though they're not as privileged as the United States, they do everything in their power to make others happy, unlike us sometimes. I could go on forever, but I'll sum it up with this... Amazing scenery, amazing people, amazing country.

I'm glad these photos were put on here, Gary you did a great job.
Looking at them brings it all back for me.
It was a magical trip and I am proud to have been a part of it.

Great to see some behind the scenes photos of what was a truly incredible journey, both for the people who took it and for those who will be helped.because of it. I continue to be impressed by the LoveHopeStrength foundation and how they are helping people all over the world. That is due largely to the passion, vision and energy of Mike Peters, but also to the many people who are equally as committed to the cause of impacting and improving people's lives. I'm hoping to be part of one of the upcoming journeys.

I will be making a trip to my amazing Country and to witness for the very first time Machu Picchu. I am amazed at how random people from all over the world take time to appreciate our incredible country. Thank you all so much and God Bless you.

QUE VIVA EL PERU CARAJO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great looking photos! My girlfriend is going to pero at december. I wish I was going also!

beatiful ..

Good work, nice to see it.Fare, fare from Peru, but thank's to You - closer...

I am a surfing,rock climbing Peruvian living in Del Mar CA! Cuzco was a yearly trek growing up. We used to hitch hike from Lima in the back of truck and used our school bags and ugly army school shoes as packing gear. We slept with at the local train station mgr at Aguas Calientes, be the 1st to Macchu and trek back when it was "like empty". I plan to take my 10 year old soon.
I remember Aguas Calientes when there was NOTHING! I was 10!
My dad, a marine, brought the 1st popcorn maker to Peru in the 50's, we'd travel all over Peru, me stuck in the cubby of a VW in search of the perfect potato.
Visit my web for some more awesome flicks on Peru. Thank you caring enough,
Th

www.acuheart.com

I was able to watch this trip on HDTV. Just by chance I caught it one night and
loved it. Great scenery and music. And what a great, purposeful reason.
You inspire us all. Thanks again. Gary Greim, Ga USA.

I am flabbergsted and dumfounded. I do not know the meaning, but sound right. Vive Le France!

I enjoy these snaps and I ´m planning to make a trip soon and it would be wonderful to be around the places you guys went through ...

bellissime foto.non siu può scegliere la più bella perchè sono tutte fantastiche.Complimenti

michele

Amazing place ....great pictures. Beautiful....

ITS SO BEAUTIFUL MY COUNTRY, I NEVER BEEN IN CUZCO, I WISH ONE DAY I COULD TRAVEL AND VISIT. I AM SO GLAD THAT OTHER PEOPLE COULD ENJOY THE CULTURE OF MY COUNTRY

Wish I could be there one day...
truly Breathtaking...

very good photos.

Hace varios años que no voy al Peru tambien he ido al Cuzco y es una experiencia maravillosa!!! Aunque no naci en el Peru(pero mi mamá es peruana)

QUE VIVA EL PERU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holaaaa Peru!!! A mí me falta poco para que lo conozcaaaa =P
Me voy para allá así que pueda para visitar a mis amigos peruanooos.

Thank you so much for doing what you are doing which is helping the needing and at the same time for showing the world one of the most amazing places on earth, Machu Picchu. Peru is a beautiful country, ready to welcome us all with open arms, and its people with open hearts... Visit Peru!

WOW

I am so grateful to Kate, my coworker who sent me this link. I am peruvian, living in Illinois since 2001. I've been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2003 and declared in remission in 2004. Now, I work for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a non-profit organization that provides support and resources to patients and families impacted by blood cancers. I wish I had the opportunity to join you in this wonderful crusade of love and hope for my people. God bless you all for what you have done. Les agradezco de corazón, que bueno que en el mundo haya gente como ustedes. No saben como extraño a mi Perú....

very god picture

Respect for great idea >Peru Rocks

I am a peruvian and i feel very proud of people like you visiting our country thank you for taking these awesome pictures and for comming to Peru

btw thats an alpaca

I stummbled across the "photo diary" of your Peru Rocks trip while searching for something else - completely unrelated....and was moved by the beautiful images captured along your voyage. How wonderful to have touched so many lives, created life long memories and blessings, shared in the treasures of our world and carried a message that will not soon be forgotten.

Peru is a trip I plan for the future....

Man even when we were room mates at school, you always had the heart and talent for photography. Great work. And best wishes.

these are some very beautiful pictures and the picture of the two kids theyre very adorable.

My name is Peter Vayeos and I have a six year old daugther and I make an effort along with her mother a black lady with a good disposition, to give this opportunity to the little girl. Her mother took her to Africa, so Alexia was able to met her ancestors and I have Alexia to get in touch with this amazing culture.

Beautiful photos. Thanks for posting!

amazing,colors,people,snapshot,peru... i can't say anything ,this is the talking photos.