Moray/Maras/Saineras de Maras on a mountain bike

---

Moray/mountain biking from ollantaytambo/ Maras Carnival 20th Feb 2010

After the climb to the garrison in Ollantaytambo we took a wee walk around the town to look for somewhere to eat, On the main square surprisingly we found a tour operator open selling mountain biking tours as well as white water rafting though it was unavailable due to the high river and dangerous conditions but we decided to go ahead with the bike trip the following morning, from Ollantaytambo to Maras, down the mountain to the salt mines and then a bus connection to Cusco.

We had an early start and surprisingly were not the only people doing the trip, a couple from the U.K. were our companions. We started at Moray another Incan site, this one unique as it's believed to be a nursery for experimental agriculture, again its terraced though this time in a full circular shape falling deeper and deeper the lower the circles go, 3 natural depressions 150m deep where worked on and a series of aqueducts built, Seeds where cultivated here and most likely distributed to the rest of the incan empire, At times the difference in tempeture on the site from the top to the bottom has a 5 degree Celsius gap A lot of what went on here remains a mystery but scientists believe that each terrace may have been carefully constructed to create its own micro climate and experiments took place as to how each plant would thrive or not at each level, Whatever it was used for it is structurally impressive and is remarkably intact.

We got our bikes and started the trip to Maras a little village about 10kms away, while the hills were gentle with a lot of flat areas in between again the altitude can be a bit of a killer, we took it easy and enjoyed the gorgeous weather, we arrived in Maras to yet another carnival celebration, of course we had a beer and again the indigenous people of the area played music danced and indulged in merriment with the help of the wonderful Chicha (local Brew made from corn) The hurling of water balloons at carnival time is a normal way to celebrate all over Latin America and its not unusual to be pelted with them for the first week of Feburary in many places but the wee lads in Maras had it in for the only gringos at the party…………us. Threats didn't work so I tried bribes, it works with a lot of the adults but these wee hooligans were having none of it, we got some of our own but my aim was rubbish as the boys missiles hit their target everytime, Only the girls were subject to the barrage as boys throw at girls and girls at boys, unfortunately Michelle and I were surrounded in evil eyed little rascals with deadly aim, Our fellow gringo men looked on in amusement as we cycled off in a hail of exploding balloons, Nice.

The scenery here is amazing, mountainous ridges, glaciers and green valleys, which on this day was highlighted by blue sky and fluffy clouds, truly beautiful.

Not far out of Maras we left the road and hit a dirt trail down the mountains towards the Salineras de Maras, Off road, more my style, keep to the left we were advised as the alternative on the right was a shear cliff, brakes? Who needs em, we took off, A total adrenaline rush as we flaked it down the mountain holding on for dear life.

We reached the salt mines which in the rainy season are inactive, they were flooded but an unusual sight, in the dry season they are snow white as oppose to the murky brown now, many local people etch out a small living from these mines producing small amounts of various grades of salt, we cycled futrther down the valley, across a rustic bridge where we were met by our bus, throughly enjoyable day, great craic,

Back in Cusco we met for dinner in the fallen angel, an unusual wee spot, where bathtubs full of goldfish with perspex tops serve as tables and funky art adorns the walls, pricey but worth a look for its unique decor.

---