Peru - The Sacred Valley

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Arriving in the Sacred Valley we noticed two things which had been scarce around the rest of Peru - trees and tourists.



I had assumed that we had been above the tree line as we travelled along the Andes through central Peru. It turns out that all the trees were chopped down by the earliest inhabitants and only the less useful, bushy species remained in any number.



The severe lack of decent wood had a profound impact in the Spanish conquest of the country.



The main reason for the Spanish military successes was the use of mounted cavalry, against which the Inca's had no response at close quarters. Had there been trees available they would have been able to fashion pikes to enable them to spear the horses, out of reach of the swinging swords.



The wooded hillsides today are covered with Eucalyptus trees, imported from Australia in the last century. Eucalyptus is popular because it grows tall, straight and fast.



We spent a week in Cusco, the former Inca capital. This was the main prize fought over between the Incas and the Spanish, and it changed hands a couple of times in the 40 years that it took the Spanish to fully subjugate their opponents (although the last Inca king, Tupac Amaru, never gave in, which gives him folk-hero status today).



Cusco has an impressive city centre, mostly created by the Spanish although there are various sections of Inca stone work still to be seen. Much of it used as foundations for later buildings.



The Inca's were known as master stonemasons and the evidence is clear to see. Huge pieces of stone were fitted together with jigsaw puzzle accuracy, strong enough to remain standing for 700 years and more.



The plaza is set in the floor of the valley and the town spreads up the nearby hills. Rewarding walks through narrow streets leads to viewpoints and old churches. The whole city centre is a World Heritage Site, deservedly so.



As with other Peruvian towns there always seemed to be something going on in the plaza. People from the surrounding areas dress in traditional clothes and dance in front of the VIP stand to the brass band of the day. For example, the 'Glass of Milk In School' campaign attracted contingents from villages throughout the valley.



The police and military were also parading around the square on a regular basis. It must be part of their job description.



There were lots of tourists about, fitting Cusco and Macchu Picchu into some sort of itinerary.



There are lots of ways to organize a visit to Machu Picchu and I found it a bit confusing at first. However, if you are not trekking in along the Inca Trail, it comes down to a simple choice – pay through the nose or walk.



Machu Picchu is served by the town of Aguas Calientes which sits at the bottom of the mountain and exists for that purpose alone. There is no road access so you have to either walk in form the nearest settlement or take the tourist train. There are many train options; the cheapest is about $50 each way.

From Aguas Calientes you can either walk up and down the mountain or take 'the most expensive bus in South America' which charges £10 each way for the 25 minute journey.



Realistically, we were never going to walk in from the next town or walk up and down the mountain as well as seeing the site, so we took the train and bus. It worked out to about £110 each for a day trip to Machu Picchu, including the basic entrance ticket at £35.



There are lots of ruins, but there is only one Machu Picchu and once the clouds lifted it was a splendid sight. We arranged it so that I was there on my 50^th birthday.



The area between Machu Picchu and Cusco is called The Sacred Valley. It was an area of great significance to The Incas, who believed that the river running through it mirrored the Milky Way and constructed their temples in locations linked to the stars. It was also highly productive. They created innumerable terraces on the mountainsides for the cultivation of maize and other crops, many of which are still in use today.



Ollantaytambo is a small town in the valley that has been continuously inhabited since pre-Inca times. It is also the site of an unfinished Inca Sun Temple.



Despite the numbers of tourists passing through it has managed to retain its charm. We stayed here for 2 weeks, wandering along well worn paths through the countryside in each direction. You cannot go far without coming across an ancient construction of some sort.



The owner of our guest house had a small project collecting food the children of a remote mountain village to widen their range of nutrition. Their families subsist by growing potatoes.



We joined her on her monthly trip to deliver the goodies and see how they were getting on.

As we honked our horn on the approach to the village, ruddy faced, muddy children began to appear. We were surprised how dirty they were, but at these low temperatures a wash is not something to look forward to.



Unsurprisingly the kids were much more excited about the Fanta orange than the greens and veggies.



I asked one lad how many potatoes his family ate each week. 'Five sacks' he replied.



I was prevailed upon to play football on their high altitude, boggy pitch. Despite scoring a couple of corkers I eventually had to retire due to my lungs threatening to prolapse from their thoracic cavity (I am 50, after all).



There is a mountain nearby from which a spring laden with salt emerges near the summit. Over time, people have resculpted the mountainside into a spectacular array of salt pans. The water trickles along channels into the pans. Only a very slow supply of water is needed as the sun evaporates the thin layer of water leaving a thickening base of salt. Eventually a half-inch layer of dried salt is considered sufficient to merit collecting.



It takes a bit of effort to walk up to the pans but the sight awaiting you makes it worthwhile.



After a few days of unseasonal rain, the weather cleared into a pristine clarity. We realized that there was a snowcapped range of mountain peaks nearby which are usually obscured by thick cloud. As I walked along the rising path above the river bank to the Inca quarry, the peaks were gradually revealed in all their majesty. To me this is what travel is all about, but there were no other tourists on the path that morning. Strange.



We stayed a few days in Pisac. The main tourist market of the region sets up daily in the Plaza to service the tour groups arriving by the minibus load. There are extensive ruins on the mountaintop above the town. We walked most of the way there.



There are two big brick ovens in one street, where bakers prepare empanadas (like pasties) to sell to the tourists. We have had great empanadas throughout Peru, but here they were very sad specimens. 'Could try harder'.



Finally, we went off the beaten track to the town of Huarocondo. Despite being very pleasant it has not been discovered by the guidebook writers, so we were the only foreigners there.

I came across the single hostel in town while Googleing for ideas.



If you ask in Cusco you will find that Huarocondo is famous for its Lechon – roast pork – and indeed, that was about the only thing available. A £3 portion of roasted pig was enough to fill us both and give our incisors a good work out.



The church on the main square had wall paintings which must have dated back to the time of the conquistadores.



As usual, we wandered off in various directions. There were some notable terraces nearby and a local teacher enthusiastically invited us into his small domain to show us a George Cross that had been painted on his school wall by some English students. All the children were grinning and waving at us as we admired this artwork.

The white capped mountains in the distance reminded us why we were there.

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Photos

Cusco
Stonework

Comments

[taracloud]

Excelllent blog!
Researching Ayacucho and central Peru, where I'll be heading next year, I discovered your blogs. What a great combination of historical context, personal adventures and fine photos. I'm going to nominate you for Blogger of the Week, so I do hope you continue to blog. Incidentally, I'm in Arequipa, so if you head down this way, I'd love to meet up with you. I really enjoy your writing--good show!

[Soicowboy]

Hello Ms Cloud
Hi Tara, thanks for noticing. I took a look at your blog. Seems like we both go for the slower option. We rarely keep pace with the younger crowd. Currently we are heading South from Bolivia to Argentina, so not close enough to touch base. Have fun in Peru, we loved it. All the best, Mark