Magical Land of the Incas

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On the morning of September 6, 2007, I left for my tour to el Valle Sagrado de los Incas. I felt a little bit anxious, but at the same time very excited. I'd always dreamt of traveling to the magical land of the Incas. During this tour, we visited both Pisac and Ollantaytambo. Boy, did I struggle to climb these ruins. I felt so out of shape, but it served as great preparation for climbing Machu Picchu the next morning.

Our first stop was to get our “boleto turistico delCusco”, which was essentially a ticket to all the ruins and other historical sites. I don’t recall how much I paid for this boleto. The next two stops were to "morning markets" where I was able to shop for souvenirs. I also tried Cusco’s delicious oven empanadas. Afterwards, we arrived at Pisac. Pisac connected the Inca Empire with Paucartambo. The terraces, landscape, stonework and panoramic view in Pisac were magnificent.

Lunch was arranged at another location, where we ate with other tour groups and I met this wonderful Mexican girl named Juliana. We sat together and had a lovely conversation. Lunch was followed by the tour to Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is known as the best surviving example of Inca city planning. This was where the Incas retreated after the Spanish sieged Cusco. The views of the city from these ruins are phenomenal. At the end of this tour, I embarked on the train to Aguas Calientes, where I spent the night.

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