Sacred Valley

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Most of us felt some effects from the altitude, I was a little dizzy and it felt as though the airport was swaying, rather like the feeling you have when you first land after a sea voyage. We left Cuzco to go to the market at Pisac,; unfortunately we had to take the longer route there to avoid the Teachers’ strike as they were demonstrating in the streets. Pisac was a pretty little town nestled in the Andes with a bright and colourful market. We were told by our guide that all the artifacts were locally made although the market goods would not be of such good quality as that sold in the galleries. I bought a lovely blanket, part Alpaca, to take home. We then went to Ollantaytambo an old Inca fortified city destroyed by the Spanish during the invasion. We were amazed by the size and height of the ruins; overall it was fascinating and we were all enthralled by the historical significance of this Inca city. Both these places are at a lower altitude than Cuzco as was our hotel that night in The Sacred Valley, this should help us to acclimatise, ready for our days in Cuzco later on.

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