The Sacred Valley of the Incas

Wednesday April 27 Tom’s notes

It was a long flight and then another flight to finally arrive in Cusco, Peru at around 9AM Phoenix time. It is a bit of a shock after flying from the US to land in Peru. We have decided much of what we saw on the first day was most reminiscent of China. It is a poor country with fairly bad roads but not yet filled with cars. But the scenery amazing and the ruins are astonishing. We met our tour guide in Cusco and immediately drove off for the Sacred Valley, about an hour from Cusco. This is partly to let us acclimatize to the height since Cusco is at 11500 ft and the Valley is at 9000. On the way to our hotel at Olantaytambo we stopped at a house where a family makes and dyes wool and other fibers making intricately designed woven cloth, a common occupation of the women in this area. It was very interesting and we bought little and drove on to the hotel. Since there were a few hours of sunlight, we walked around the town looking up at the ruins which dominate the nearby mountains. We walked through the center of town and the living area which probably dates back to and is obviously built on an Inca townsite. The streets are walkways about 10 ft wide and are laid out on a grid that our guide later told us is said to represent a corncob. The foundations for the houses were stone from Inca times, and it was like walking through an ancient town in China or Europe. For dinner we were so tired we went into the first place that looked like it might pass a health inspection and had dinners of Trout and alpaca, both wonderful. We were in bed by 8 and got a good rest for the next days’ wanderings.

Thursday, April 28 Mel’s notes

We began the day with a hike back in time, way back, and way up. We visited the Ollantaytambo Archeological Park, a vast terraced mountain crowned by a temple to the earth god. We were dumbstruck by the engineering expertise evident there. Multi-ton rocks hauled from a quarry up a mountain across the valley were cut with such precision that structures were built without mortar and are still holding fast. It’s almost impossible to comprehend… We also learned much about the spiritual underpinnings of the Incas and the indigenous people from our guide, Miguel, who performed several private rituals while there.

Back in town, we visited a typical home on one of the ancient streets we walked yesterday. The home was a single room, which the family shared with guinea pigs. Many of them. On the loose. Several such homes enclose a common courtyard, which contained chickens, cats, crafts and a man butchering meat!

After lunch, we traveled through the Sacred Valley to visit the market at Pisco, as well as the archeological ruins, including a cemetery, high above the town. This time, we were able to drive there, a welcome change from our morning exertions.

We have been struck by the glorious scenery and the equally beautiful people, who look as if they’ve stepped off the pages of National Geographic. They are living in a time and place that do not seem to have anything in common with our own. As I think of the building media frenzy over the royal wedding that we left in the States, I laugh…