After spending some time in Cusco, we had an interesting day trip around the Sacred Valley of the Incas. The drive was very scenic, with gorgeous views of the Andes Mountains and Urubamba River. The Incas used this valley to cultivate crops, and today there are still agricultural terraces throughout the region. The terraces were used to efficiently use shallow soil and enable irrigation of crops. They planted a variety of potatoes, as well as quinoa and corn. It was really surprising to hear that there are over 4000 types of potatoes growing in the Andes region!
The first stop on our Sacred Valley day trip was a visit to a farm where we learned about different types of alpacas, llamas, guanacos, and vicuñas. While I liked all of them, I think I still enjoy llamas the most... :) We learned that alpacas and vicuñas have the softest fur, and got to feed some of them. I even bought a Christmas ornament made out of alpaca fur!
After reluctantly leaving my new Peruvian furry friends, we headed to Pisac to see the large agricultural terrace and ruins there. Across from the ruins there was a mountain which used to be an Inca cemetery. The Incas used to bury their dead in holes in the side of the mountain.
We ended up stopping for lunch in Urubamba which was one of the low points on the tour. I guess when you book with a tour company you sometimes are at their mercy. The place they dropped us off for lunch was a total tourist trap. Along with the many other bunches of tourists that were dropped off at this overpriced buffet, we reluctantly had our lunch while trying to ignore the people coming around to our table trying to sell us souvenirs. I couldn't work up the courage to try anything too exotic like the Peruvian delicacy "cuy" (guinea pig) and John wasn't up for trying it either. We quickly ate our food, gulped down some pisco sours, and were back on the road to Ollantaytambo.
Ollantaytambo served as a fortress at the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru. The ruins of the fortress still exist today, overlooking the small town which has an elevation of 2792 metres. Near the fortress there were several storehouses called "qullqas" made out of stone. These were the Incas' refrigerators, as the location up on the side of the mountain at a high altitude and colder temperature allowed the food stored inside to stay preserved.
Today the town of Ollantaytambo has a small bustling square. We stayed in a great hotel near the train station with beautiful mountain views which was called Hotel Pakaritampu. They even had a pet alpaca on the lawn there! I will always look back on Ollantaytambo with excitement, because that was the place where we began our own journey to Machu Picchu with an early morning train ride to the town of Aguas Calientes. Next stop, Machu Picchu!
The first stop on our Sacred Valley day trip was a visit to a farm where we learned about different types of alpacas, llamas, guanacos, and vicuñas. While I liked all of them, I think I still enjoy llamas the most... :) We learned that alpacas and vicuñas have the softest fur, and got to feed some of them. I even bought a Christmas ornament made out of alpaca fur!
After reluctantly leaving my new Peruvian furry friends, we headed to Pisac to see the large agricultural terrace and ruins there. Across from the ruins there was a mountain which used to be an Inca cemetery. The Incas used to bury their dead in holes in the side of the mountain.
We ended up stopping for lunch in Urubamba which was one of the low points on the tour. I guess when you book with a tour company you sometimes are at their mercy. The place they dropped us off for lunch was a total tourist trap. Along with the many other bunches of tourists that were dropped off at this overpriced buffet, we reluctantly had our lunch while trying to ignore the people coming around to our table trying to sell us souvenirs. I couldn't work up the courage to try anything too exotic like the Peruvian delicacy "cuy" (guinea pig) and John wasn't up for trying it either. We quickly ate our food, gulped down some pisco sours, and were back on the road to Ollantaytambo.
Ollantaytambo served as a fortress at the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru. The ruins of the fortress still exist today, overlooking the small town which has an elevation of 2792 metres. Near the fortress there were several storehouses called "qullqas" made out of stone. These were the Incas' refrigerators, as the location up on the side of the mountain at a high altitude and colder temperature allowed the food stored inside to stay preserved.
Today the town of Ollantaytambo has a small bustling square. We stayed in a great hotel near the train station with beautiful mountain views which was called Hotel Pakaritampu. They even had a pet alpaca on the lawn there! I will always look back on Ollantaytambo with excitement, because that was the place where we began our own journey to Machu Picchu with an early morning train ride to the town of Aguas Calientes. Next stop, Machu Picchu!
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