Day 51 – The Sacred Valley

Early start today as we joined a group doing a tour of the Sacred Valley. Climbing out of Cusco we were treated to some stunning views of the city. Passing Saqsaywaman (pronounced sexywoman by the tourists) we saw the stature of Jesus that sits high on the mountain and gets illuminated at night.

First stop was a market, its a Sunday after all!  Didn´t buy anything but enjoyed perusing the stalls and seeing people in their traditional dress.

The first Inca site we visited was Pisac. Here we were treated to a guided tour from up high to lower down. This was the reverse of most tours but meant we got stunning views and avoided the queues. We climbed many steps as we followed a narrow path cut into the hillside. We saw many sites from housing and places of worship to a cemetery. Polished stone areas mark areas of religious significance and many people lived outside of the walls that protected these sites.

Our guide spoke good English and gave a detailed account of the site. I learnt that the Inca´s built the towns on the hills as this is the least useful land. Any low or flat land was reserved for cultivating. Our guide also dispelled the notation of Sun and Moon temples. Inca´s didn´t have temples, they had platforms to worship everything around them. The so called temples are astronomical devices used to track key dates. The Inca´s ability to align things to the sun´s solstices is amazing.

Next stop was a superb buffet lunch. After filling my belly we sat outside. Looking up from my chair I saw what looked likes a birds arse. It was in fact the arse of a parrot. Luckily I moved before he did a movement!

From he restaurant we got to havea siesta as we drove to Ollantaytambo. This site was the highlight of the day for me. It was created by a huge set of terraces filling the gap in the valley as an early defence of Cusco. The site is fairly unique in that its constructed from material other than that found in the direct vicinity. Many of the huge stones had came from a quarry on a near by mountain. They were moved to the site via rollers and brute force, mainly women. Looking over the town there´s a mountain which has two faces carved into it. They are both still visible and we saw pictures of what they would have looked like. Its no Mount Rushmore buy you really do have to see them to believe humans could create such things.

Our final stop was also the highest point of the day, Chinchero at 3800 meters. Climbing out of the valley we had views of the glacier topped mountains. The mountains I´ve seen today have blown me away; They´re mostly steep sided and climb out of the flat valleys. The colours compare to those of the Grand Canyon and the light changes in a similar fashion.

I could feel altitude as I climbing the steps to the ruins. This was probably the least spectacular of the day´s site but there was something to it that made it stick in my memory. I think it may have been the change in light as the rain and thunder rolled around the valleys.

All in all one hell of a tour and all for a tenner!