Sunday morning we all awoke with pounding heads and feeling like we had been beat up. But we swallowed some Advil and were thankful to be going down in elevation to about 9,000ft- 2,000ft makes a huge difference.We had a buffet breakfast in the hotel- love buffets in foreign countries- olives, eggs, buns, fruit, hot milk for cereal, cold ham, cake, chicken stir fry? But the coffee was good! We were met in the lobby by Richardo and he had all the tickets for the day- at 7:45 sharp the bus showed up and we were off for the day. Our guide for the day was Adril- he was so good. HE is native to the area- and Quechewa or descendant of the Inca's. Our first stop was to visit the Alpacas and Llamas on the road- the Alpacas are fluffy and look like a Llama and a sheep had a baby- super soft and their fur is coveted for all types of items here; the Llamas were hippie ones- complete with dread locks and all. This was a 15 minute stop and we were on the road again. Our first destination was Pisac and the ruins of the same name up above the city. We had beat the crowds and Adril gave us a good history lesson on these amazing Inca terraced ruins. The word Pisac roughly translated means partridge- this ruin is shaped like that bird. The Inca constructed agricultural terraces on the steep hillside, which are still in use today. They created the terraces by hauling richer topsoil by hand from the lower lands. The terraces enabled the production of surplus food, more than would normally be possible at altitudes as high as 11,000 feet. We took a hike up all the way to the top for a stunning view- when we got up there we realized we had not put sunscreen on and we were burning to a crisp. On the way back to the bus- we got some sunscreen from a vendor- selling everything from water to touques! We then headed into Pisac proper- stopping at the local market - we got to see a silversmith at work as they made some stunning pieces- silver is cheapish here as they mine it, along with copper and zinc in the mountains above. We also watched the local potters throwing some beautiful ceramics. The main market was gorgeous- surrounded by the Andes all around; so many locals too- all dressed in traditional outfits- they actually wear these not just for show. Back on the bus and heading towards Ollantaytambo we stopped for lunch at Tunupa Valle Sagrado and to make the experience even better the setting for this restaurant was on the bank of the Urubamba river. We had a lively Peruvian trio playing in the background- I really enjoyed the Alpaca meat very tender and tasty. This was a gorgeous setting and we walked along the river after lunch- then back on the bus.
Next stop Ollantaytambo and the ruins there. The town itself was adorable- a Unesco heritage site it cannot be built up at all and all the building are quaint- this is the jumping off point for most to Machu Picchu and the Inca trail- there were tons of backpackers, hostels and tours going on. We headed to the other side of town and the ruins looming up on the mountain.
As we climbed the Inca stairs to the top of the fortress (about 275 stairs) of the Ollantaytambo ruins you begin to fathom just how large this structure is. The terraces are taller than the average man and much wider than they look from the bottom. At the top of the fortress is the military area. From here is where Inca Manco and his soldiers watched for the Spanish invaders. This was a great vantage point, and only when you get up there do you realize how high you are up and how much you can see out to the Sacred Valley. A short distance from the top of the fortress you enter the temple complex. This section includes many finely crafted stone pieces such as the Enclosure of the Ten Niches. As you enter the important Temple of the Sun you will see a number of discarded large stone known as piedras cansadas, tired stones. This uncompleted temple holds the Wall of the Six Monoliths. Each of these stones weighs 50 tons and were brought from the nearby quarry- on the other side of the mountain!
After a while admiring these stunning ruins we were off again and the last stop of the day Chinchero- this little town was not on the popular Sacred Valley tour as most of the ruins have been built on top of by the Spanish- but we got an idea of the magnitude of them as we looked over the valley. A quick walk and were at a weaving market- here we learned how they make these gorgeous colours for all the Alpaca clothes- it is all natural. Eucalyptus leaves for green, cochineal for red- adding some plant to the cochineal then turns it purples. It was a truly informative tour as we sipped on our coca tea. That was it for the day and we were back on the road to Cusco- arriving at Plaza de Armas at 7pm- a long day but so wonderful.
Back at the hotel and a quick freshen up we headed out o Bodega 138 for a dinner of good beer, calzones, pizza and pasta. Back at the hotel and we had to pack overnight bags for the next morning- early to bed as we had an early wake up call.
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