After an epic day at Machu Picchu we headed back to Ollantaytambo by train. I was sad to leave Machu Picchu, as I had enjoyed my visit so much, but I knew that there were so many more interesting things to see on our trip. Henry was also our guide for our day trip to three amazing places within the Sacred Valley - Maras, Moray, and Chincheros.
The first stop was Maras, where we got to see how salt is mined. It was pretty interesting and a bit nerve wracking walking along the terraced salt ponds. I actually thought I was going to lose my balance and fall into the salt on several occasions! The salt ponds have been in use since Inca times, and it still blows my mind how smart those Incas were! They mined salt by evaporating salty water from a subterranean stream. The flow of the stream is directed by the intricate system of channels that have been built, so that the salty water flows gradually down onto hundreds of ancient terraced ponds. We were able to see some of the local people shovelling the salt that forms after the water evaporates in the ponds. After visiting Maras, I now strangely have a great appreciation for salt. We even bought some of the salt mined from Maras to use in our cooking!
The next stop on our day trip was to Moray, an Inca ruin consisting of circular agricultural terraces once used for farming. Due to the design and location, the Incas were able to experiment with different temperatures when growing crops. Henry told us that between the highest ring and the lowest there could be a temperature difference of as much as 15 degrees Celsius. This allowed the Incas to grow different types of crops on different rings, at their ideal temperatures.
From Moray we headed to the small village of Chincheros while driving through a beautiful landscape of mountains and farmland, with random animals wandering onto our path. After getting out of the van and ascending up the street to the town of Chincheros, I immediately noticed the altitude. Chincheros was the town with the highest altitude we visisted, with an elevation of 3772 metres. When you're up that high, you do experience a shortness of breath, but it wasn't enough to make either of us feel sick.
There was a small market in Chincheros and a grassy square with a bunch of potatoes drying in the sun. We heard some music and realized there had just been a wedding at the nearby church. When we reached the small church, the wedding procession had already left, but we were still able to go inside. The church was small and a bit dark, with an ornate wooden altar and many old paintings inside. Even though I've been in much grander, famous churches, for some reason this one really sticks out in my memory. I regret not taking a photo of the inside, but at the time there were people inside and I didn't know if photography was allowed. When we left, Henry took a fun photo of John and I throwing some of the leftover confetti that was on the ground from the wedding procession. I'm not sure why, but I felt some strange connection to Chincheros even though we were only there for a short period of time. I was sad to leave, but maybe it was because I knew that it meant we had to say goodbye to our wonderful guide Henry and that our time in Peru was nearly over, as it was our last full day there.
When we headed back to the van, we ran into our driver's parents who were attending the wedding in Chincheros (small world?) and then head back to Cusco. I really enjoyed this sunny day exploring more amazing places within this beautiful country.
The first stop was Maras, where we got to see how salt is mined. It was pretty interesting and a bit nerve wracking walking along the terraced salt ponds. I actually thought I was going to lose my balance and fall into the salt on several occasions! The salt ponds have been in use since Inca times, and it still blows my mind how smart those Incas were! They mined salt by evaporating salty water from a subterranean stream. The flow of the stream is directed by the intricate system of channels that have been built, so that the salty water flows gradually down onto hundreds of ancient terraced ponds. We were able to see some of the local people shovelling the salt that forms after the water evaporates in the ponds. After visiting Maras, I now strangely have a great appreciation for salt. We even bought some of the salt mined from Maras to use in our cooking!
The next stop on our day trip was to Moray, an Inca ruin consisting of circular agricultural terraces once used for farming. Due to the design and location, the Incas were able to experiment with different temperatures when growing crops. Henry told us that between the highest ring and the lowest there could be a temperature difference of as much as 15 degrees Celsius. This allowed the Incas to grow different types of crops on different rings, at their ideal temperatures.
From Moray we headed to the small village of Chincheros while driving through a beautiful landscape of mountains and farmland, with random animals wandering onto our path. After getting out of the van and ascending up the street to the town of Chincheros, I immediately noticed the altitude. Chincheros was the town with the highest altitude we visisted, with an elevation of 3772 metres. When you're up that high, you do experience a shortness of breath, but it wasn't enough to make either of us feel sick.
There was a small market in Chincheros and a grassy square with a bunch of potatoes drying in the sun. We heard some music and realized there had just been a wedding at the nearby church. When we reached the small church, the wedding procession had already left, but we were still able to go inside. The church was small and a bit dark, with an ornate wooden altar and many old paintings inside. Even though I've been in much grander, famous churches, for some reason this one really sticks out in my memory. I regret not taking a photo of the inside, but at the time there were people inside and I didn't know if photography was allowed. When we left, Henry took a fun photo of John and I throwing some of the leftover confetti that was on the ground from the wedding procession. I'm not sure why, but I felt some strange connection to Chincheros even though we were only there for a short period of time. I was sad to leave, but maybe it was because I knew that it meant we had to say goodbye to our wonderful guide Henry and that our time in Peru was nearly over, as it was our last full day there.
When we headed back to the van, we ran into our driver's parents who were attending the wedding in Chincheros (small world?) and then head back to Cusco. I really enjoyed this sunny day exploring more amazing places within this beautiful country.
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