Posts Tagged ‘Cusco’

Peru – Day 9 – Horseback Riding at Saqsaywamen, Qoricancha, and Paddy’s Irish Pub

Friday, December 19th, 2014

Saqsaywamen Sign
Horseback Riding Near the Saqsaywamen site.

Horse Ranch Above Cusco
The Horse Ranch Above Cusco

Horse Riding Near Cusco
Climbergirl Riding the Slowest Horse on the Planet

Saqsaywamen Panorama
Pretty Views!

Intrepid Horse Riders and Peruvian Family
Group Picture. We met a Peruvian family while we were up there, so we included them in our picture.

Excited to Explore Qoricancha
Super nice Selfie at Qoricancha

On Friday, we decided to do a half day of horseback riding and hiking, up in the foothills above Cusco. It was near the Saqsaywamen cultural site, so we got the opportunity of walking around this ancient Inca sacred place. While on the horses, we had 2 horse handlers accompanying us, but they did not guide us around the ruins. So, it was up to us to explore while on foot!

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Peru – Day 6 – Cusco Walking Tour

Tuesday, December 16th, 2014

Hotel Warwari Room 503
Hotel Warari – Room Number 503 – An excellent interior room, with 3 beds, on the 5th floor (quiet)!

Cusco Panorama from Hotel Warwari Rooftop Patio
View of Cusco from Hotel Warari rooftop!

Convent De Santo Domingo - Entrance
Convent De Santo Domingo Entrance

The Coca Museum
Our Tour Group in The Coca Musuem

On Tuesday, Dennis was not feeling well. He had major stomach problems, so he slept in while I enjoyed breakfast. We had to check out of the hotel and move to the Hotel Warari, to start our Intrepid Travels tour. We later met our tour group and took a walking tour of Cusco, which included a tour of the Coca Musuem. Then, for dinner, we went out to eat as a group and called it an early night.

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Peru – Day 5 – Mountain Biking to The Salt Mines

Monday, December 15th, 2014

Mountain Biking in Peru
Dennis Mountain Biking in Peru

Tiobamba Town Monument - Moray
Tiobamba Town Monument. The Green circles represent the Inca crop experimentation site at Moray!

Peruvian Mountain Biking
Sacred Valley View

Ready To Drop Into Single Track
Descending to the Salt Mines

The Salt Mines
The Salt Mines

I was sick the entire day, following the rafting adventure. I was sad to miss out on the mountain bike ride to the salt mines; as I had heard it was a classic. Dennis ended up going without me and he had a fun time. The mountain bike ride lasted for ~4 hours and was a combination of dual and single track. Dennis said he had to get off the bike once or twice, but other than that it was a very moderate level.

Peru – Day 3 – Lima to Cusco

Saturday, December 13th, 2014

Terra Andina Courtyard Cafe
Terra Andina Courtyard Cafe

Enjoying Plaza De Armas
Cathedral in Plaza De Armas

Clare and Six Potato Sampler
6 Potato Sampler – Yum!

Cacao Tree with Pods
Dennis by a Mock Cacao Tree

On Saturday, we flew from Lima to Cusco. We checked into Hotel Terra Andina. We had the whole afternoon to explore Cusco and I was excited to show Dennis my favorite places. We started off at Cafe Punchay, enjoying the famous 6 potato sampler. Then, we walked to San Francisco Plaza and took a tour of the Chocolate Musuem, Cacao. We made reservations for dinner at Chicha Restaurant, for later that evening.

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Day 11 – Mountain Biking – Cusco, Peru

Friday, December 16th, 2011

In the morning, we said goodbye to the tour folks and donated a few things to the porters. We then set out to meet the Reserv Cusco folks for our half day mountain bike excursion. We were really excited to go biking.

In the video above, you can get a feel for our ride.

It started up on a hill, above Cusco, near the Pukapukara Ruins. We rode along a two lane road for a little while, passing some construction. Brenda had some trouble with her brakes and I had a flat tire…but we fixed those problems and were able to finish the ride. At one point we stopped for a breather (riding at over 12,000 ft is a challenge!). The view was amazing.

We veered off the concrete onto a muddy downhill road. This was where the fun really started. It was steep, full of puddles, and did I mention…Muddy!

William, our guide is a very profficient mountain biker, so he usually rode ahead of us a little. He’d stop on occasion and let us catch up. At one time, I asked him to take video of us riding and he caught some awesome footage of us negotiating the turns of the road. (more…)