Brenda and I were amped up to do the Sacred Valley Tour. We had both heard fascinating things about this region. The night before, we secured a private tour with Glacial Travel who put together a custom itinerary.
The plan was to start out in Cusco, stopping at Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary, Awana Kancha (Palace of the Weaver), Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and then Chinchero.
For a reasonable fee, we got an awesome English speaking guide, Daniel (see his picture above!), and our own driver, Maestro. The concierge attendent at our hotel, Joseph, also came along as he was training to become a tour guide.
Brenda and I at Pisac Ruins
On our way to Glacial Travel, we were surrounded by a First Communion parade. At first, there was a big ruckus and then band music. We had no idea what was happening until we saw the Virgin Mary being carried down the street followed by a bunch of very cute dressed up youth.
The photo above is courtesy of Brenda.
It took about 30 minutes to reach the Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary. They take care of hurt animals, either rescued from poachers or found by concerned people. My favorite part about the sanctuary was going into the Condor cage and watching them fly right over our heads. We also got to pet the baby condor, although this was a bit scary.
Next up, we stopped at the Awana Kancha compound. There are a variety of llamas and alpacas in pens. They let tourists inside and you can feel their soft wool. It’s neat.
There is also a group of traditional peruvian weavers and they teach you about the process of dying, spinning, and weaving. One of the dyes comes from a small parasitic bug that eats cactus. The weavers will pick the bug off the cactus and squash it, producing a bright red color. The dye is also used in lipstick and other cosmetics!
Of course, they also sell textiles there. One amazing 2ft by 3ft tapestry went for about 560 soles; but it was handmade from the wool of a baby alpaca.
Next up was Pisac. We drove another 30 minutes then ascended a steep country road to the ruins. The views of the valley were gorgeous.
Daniel gave us a wonderful tour of the ruins; we learned about the development of high altitude resistent potatoes, how to detect a Sacred Temple (double doors) in Inca archetecture, and about the cliffside burials.
On the way out, a man offered us beautifully crafted flutes. I declined and went for the musical cd instead; a nice instrumental of traditional Andean Music.
After Pisac, we stopped for lunch at a nice little roadside eatery. Brenda got the Andes Rice dish, with cheese, lima beans, and carrots. It was rich and delicious. I got the fresh trout ceviche. Yummy!
Next up, we drove to Ollantaytambo (see picture above!). Tambo means lodge. When we got there, I put on my hiking boots because we would be hiking up and down lots of steps. This place was a lot bigger than the ruins at Pisac.
We immediately began by climbing steps and we stopped about halfway up to talk about the formation of the village and why the Incas settled there. Daniel told us also about the mythology behind the grandious carvings in the mountain.
Up at the top of the ruin, he showed us where the Inca got their marble for the construction of the site. It was on the opposite side of the Urubumba river! This means the Inca had to figure out how to drag the stone several miles, over a huge river, and up a steep mountainside. Daniel said it took about 5 years to get the stones to the worksite!
We saw the water temple, where they performed sacred ceremonies on the solstices. We marveled at the water engineering and also at the way they created separate bathing facilities for the men and women.
It was getting rather late in the day, so we headed to Chinchero Ruins (about 45 minutes from Cusco).
As we arrived, the last vestiges of day light were being replaced by the full moon. Just barely in time, Daniel walked us around and explained that these ruins were newly discovered. It started raining so the pace quickened as we scurried from site to site. There are active archaelogical digs at Chinchero and I hoped we didn’t accidently trip or slip into one…considering the darkness and the rain!
We left the ruins the same time as the vendors were packing up, so no solicitors!
As we walked back to Maestro and our warm vehicle, Brenda and I started talking about dinner. We were both very hungry. Where would we eat and what would we eat? The choices seemed infinite…the number and type of eating establishments in Cusco is quite astounding for the size of the town!
Back in Cusco, we found Chi Cha, a wonderful upscale establishment. Brenda got rellenos, which she confessed were tasty. While I got a heaping plate of food, the chicken classic; half a roasted chicken, sunny side up egg, corn, mashed potato, and a fried plantain. Oh so delicious! Our dinner, which was totally awesome was actually quite affordable-we were delightfully surprised by the quality.
Tags: Awana Kancha, Chi Cha Cocina, Cochahuasi Animal Sanctuary, Glacial Travel, Ollantaytambo, Peru, Pisac, Sacred Valley, Tour