http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from South America , Peru , Cusco , Sacred Valley en-us Tue, 21 May 2013 08:24:15 +0000 Tue, 21 May 2013 08:24:15 +0000 Thankfully I woke up feeling so much better today. I always plan an extra day in my landing city for the most undesirable Wallow Brendan where I feel crappy wallow in self pity and second guess my desire to travel. By the next day he has been beaten into submission by one of my other selves and off we all go to have the most wonderful time. That was how this trip started. I had a nice breakfast http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-774678.html We honestly do not know how to write this days blog or even what to say but it was not about the day in as much as it was about learning about an amazing culture that existed many years ago. We studied about the Mexican Central and South American Indians in school but Steve slept through most of high school. The Incas are a fascinating and incredibly talented culture who had engineering http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-767777.html Ons het heel verligtend ons o oopgemaak en gesien die wreld het toe nie vergaan nie wel nie hier by ons nie. Breakfast was vir die hoeveelste keer 39n damn bun met jam en swart koffie en dan wil hulle jou 3 Soles charge vir 39n bietjie melk...se gat man Ons is na breakfast opgetel deur ons toer bussie vir die dag om die Sacred Valley te gaan verken dit begin net so buite Cusco en http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-762527.html Please note we have been unlucky enough to lose 95 of our MP photos due to some horrific SD card error or something. We were only able to recover some but not the greatest ones. Lets just say this place was less than lucky for us.We left Bolivia with heavy hearts as we really got to love this country. The journey through the border was less than easy and we reached Arequipa with no problems a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-761304.html The Del Prado Inn in Cusco has pretentions to be a four star hotel with the great breakfast they had for the guest but unfortunately the thumping music from the disco next door that begins at 11 PM every night will keep the best guests from coming back. The first clue was the earplugs on the nightstand next to the bed. The guide showed up right on time to take me to the bus to tour the Sacred Va http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-752889.html Peru JeffTwenty eight hours on a bus is enough to drive anyone crazy. Needless to say our arrival in Lima from Guayaquil Ecuador was welcomed with open arms. After checking into our quaint hotel in the Central Lima district we decided to grab a meal to tie us over for the evening. We chose a restaurant suggested by our guide book that was only a few blocks away called La Choza Nautica. The http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-740902.html And then there was one...after over ten months of nonstop intrepid travel around South America Alex has decided to return to the UK and to the family friends and creature comforts we39ve been denying ourselves for the better part of a year. My fuel tank however still has a fair bit left in it and I will be continuing the journey through Peru Bolivia and Brazil hopefully to its planned c http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-739329.html Today we met up again with Gail and Olin to start our trip that would last 15 days and go through three countries. We explored Lima some with them showing them our favorite spots and getting some awesome Peruvianasian food. We went and saw ancient temples just outside of the city and visited a shanty town. Then we headed for Cusco. This way was much better as instead of a 20 hour bus ride it w http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-737954.html Went on a day tour today as the others were starting their trek to Machu Picchu. Angela and I went to Sacred Valley. We stopped by Pisac ruins and wandered through Incan ruins and then wandered through hundreds of bussed to get back down the hill You have not seen a traffic jam until you have huge tourist busses and other traffic going both directions on a single lane where busses are parked an http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-735159.html Instead of enduring a 21hour road journey to Cusco Angela and I boarded a Lan Peru airliner that took one hour. After the gloom and greyness of Lima Cusco was a welcome change blue sky bright sun an imposing mountainous backdrop and the promise of a trip to Machu Picchu later that week.Breathing was difficult from the start. With an altitude of 11200 feet wandering the picturepostcard http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-733858.html Peru was definitely not a case of love at first sight. Bolivia had stolen our hearts and it would take a lot for the new country to compete for our affections.Puno was dusty and with the exception of the obligatory cathedral and Plaza de Armas unremarkable even if it was on the shore of the magical Lake Titicaca. Even that wasnt enough to redeem it. Our boat trip out to the Uros or Floatin http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-722388.html The Sacred Valley stretches north from Cusco for about 180 km and lies at a lower altitude making for a milder climate. The valley has a bit of everything snow covered peaks Inca terrace everywhere visible Inca trails flat plains for grazing sheep rolling landscapes raging rivers and good hotels in places you would never find without a guide. We stopped at Ollantaytambo an Inca community. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-710581.html lt CLICK ICON TO WATCH MY VIDEOCulture Xplorers is a responsible travel company started by an old Philly friend of mine Jim Kane. The company offers small group tours that foster a genuine connection between travelers and local communities. Ive always admired these tours that are sensitive to our worlds diverse living cultures and traditions. They offer the experience of an exchan http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-702000.html It was overcast and drizzling when we arrived in Patacancha. The air was thin the mud too thick for our car to pass. We walked the short distance to the the town if the scattering of adobe huts could even be called that. We were on a tour with us was a middleaged couple from North Carolina.The weavers were unaware we were coming so as we past through the street Kiri had to call out tenemos u http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-687412.html 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. I39d 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 Mach http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-683835.html The waiting was finally over and a very big day was upon us. Today we was about to embark on a week long tour that started in Cusco and that would end by seeing the awesome Machu Piccu. A brief rundown of our itinerary is as follows Day 1 Meeting with the group and the Trek leader Day 2 The Sacred Valley Days 3 4 5 6 The Inca Trail and Machu Piccu Day 7 Return to Cusco Trying http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-678322.html Hello again to all once again a lot of time between entries as we had no internet once we left Cusco. To catch up Elliot felt a bit better the next day just in time for New Years Eve but still a bit shakey so we took it pretty easy we explored the city of Cusco San Blas the markets and went to a few interesting museums. The day went by pretty fast and we went to a cultural show with mu http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/Huchuy-Cusco/blog-677808.html From the Inca Capital of Cuzco we bid farewell to our friends and made the short bus ride to the village of Pisaq in The Sacred Valley of the Incas or Urubamba Valley. This is a valley in the Andes mountain which was formed along the Urubamba River not too far from Machu Picchu. It is fed by numerous rivers which descend through adjoining valleys and gorges and contains archaeological remains a http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-665883.html So were on our bus with the rest of the group. Our tour to machu picchu consisted if a guided tour to pisac olataytambo and the sacred valley before leaving the group who would head back to cusco and we would catch our train to Agnes calientes. Stay the night there and get up for sunrise to Mp. It all sounded great and all in Spanish. Our guide ploughed into full on info about pisac and well who http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-653580.html Sunday September 11thAnother full day of walking and visiting ruins. When we left Cusco it was raining and as we started driving past the ruins from yesterday from the city tour it was gorgeous But as we entered the Sacred Valley Valle Sagrado the clouds came in again and by the time we reached Pisac the first ruins it was rainy windy and cold So the ruins werent that enjoyable altho http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Sacred-Valley/blog-652613.html