I have just returned to Cusco after an incredible week in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. I was based in the small town of Taray at the language school´s house. After my private Spanish lessons in the morning, I had the rest of each day to explore.
Travelling by bus, moto-taxi (a 3 wheeled motorcycle with a covered seat on the back), taxi, collectivo and foot, I visited mineral springs near Calca, the salt pans of Maras, the ruins of Pisac, markets galore....
The highlight of the week for me, though, was my excursion to Huchuy Qosqo (Little Cusco). Huchuy Qosqo is a living village set several hundred meters above the Valley in beautiful green rolling hills. To get there, I hopped on a bus at one bridge across the river, got off at the next bridge and hiked up an unlikely trail up the hillside. When I first arrived on the mesa, I had views of glaciers and the Valley below. Women were herding cows, horses and sheep and men were working in the fields. But, I didn´t see the promised ruins. After walking around a bit more, I realized I was standing on an Incan terrace. Soon, more walls, staircases and terraces began to appear out of the fields. It was really incredible. The whole place was awash in wildflowers: lupines, daisies, black-eyed susans and more. And, the views were spectacular. To get back to the Valley floor, I took a different route which landed me in a small village where a kind old man who was herding an uncooperative cow up the road showed me a shortcut through the fields. Loosely translated, he said 'why are you going this way? everyone goes on that path over there. no sense in wasting energy.'
This weekend I've been in Ollantaytambo, near the end of the road to Machu Picchu. More ruins, more terraces and a very interesting museum. After a brief stop in Chincheros to see the
frescos on a church that was built over an Incan palace, I came back to Cusco. I'll be staying here until Mel and company arrive next Saturday.
Travelling by bus, moto-taxi (a 3 wheeled motorcycle with a covered seat on the back), taxi, collectivo and foot, I visited mineral springs near Calca, the salt pans of Maras, the ruins of Pisac, markets galore....
The highlight of the week for me, though, was my excursion to Huchuy Qosqo (Little Cusco). Huchuy Qosqo is a living village set several hundred meters above the Valley in beautiful green rolling hills. To get there, I hopped on a bus at one bridge across the river, got off at the next bridge and hiked up an unlikely trail up the hillside. When I first arrived on the mesa, I had views of glaciers and the Valley below. Women were herding cows, horses and sheep and men were working in the fields. But, I didn´t see the promised ruins. After walking around a bit more, I realized I was standing on an Incan terrace. Soon, more walls, staircases and terraces began to appear out of the fields. It was really incredible. The whole place was awash in wildflowers: lupines, daisies, black-eyed susans and more. And, the views were spectacular. To get back to the Valley floor, I took a different route which landed me in a small village where a kind old man who was herding an uncooperative cow up the road showed me a shortcut through the fields. Loosely translated, he said 'why are you going this way? everyone goes on that path over there. no sense in wasting energy.'
This weekend I've been in Ollantaytambo, near the end of the road to Machu Picchu. More ruins, more terraces and a very interesting museum. After a brief stop in Chincheros to see the
frescos on a church that was built over an Incan palace, I came back to Cusco. I'll be staying here until Mel and company arrive next Saturday.