The Sacred Valley of the Inca's

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I was woken up by my room mate Simon's alarm sounding at 6am this morning. We had spent at least an hour exchanging stories last night when I turned in, which meant getting up this morning was exceptionally hard work. Once we had showered we headed downstairs for breakfast and were greeted by Keith from our group, who also looked a little sleep deprived. For the first time in South America I was had been given the choice if something more than bread and jam for breakfast and I was rather excited. I piled my plate high with cold meats, cheeses and a couple of boiled eggs, much to peoples amazement. I wanted to enjoy my last breakfast in civilisation, and no one was going to stop me.Having eaten and packed what few belongings I needed for the next five days into my duffle bag, I headed downstairs to store the rest of my luggage. I was immensely pleased to be leaving my heavy bags behind for a while, even if it did mean going feral for a while.

Once we had all stored our excess luggage at Hotel Prisma, we piled onto our minibus for what Smithy had referred to last night as our 'warm up' for the Inca Trail. We left Cusco behind and snaked our way along the valley to our first stop at G Adventures Planeterra Project. The Ccaccaccollo Community were where many of the porters for our trek lived, and it was a way of helping give back to the people that would be helping us. As the minibus arrived, we were greeted by a few of the local women who each gave us a hug as we got off the bus. Smithy walked us through the various processes of turning the wool into threads and colouring the them with natural dyes before they weaved into the many garments that were available to buy. Each of the women were dressed in matching red and green sweaters and black skirts as we watched each part of the laborious process unfold before our eyes. I was amazed by how each of the pieces of clothing took so long to complete, and wondered how they kept up with demand from tour groups. Having seen the whole process it was hard not to buy anything, so I purchased a couple of small gifts before having a kick around with the villagers children.

Having waved goodbye, we continued our journey towards Pisac, some thirty three kilometres from Cusco and marking the start of the Sacred Valley. Smithy explained that the valley included everything between Pisac and Ollantaytambo and that the lush green landscape still to supplied Cuzco with much of it's produce. As the minibus climbed the hill from the small town of Pisac that sat astride the Urubamba river, the sacred Inca site came into view.

The ruins were set high on a plateau overlooking the town, with plunging gorges protecting it on either side. As we left the minibus and begin to climb the path to the pitted cliff face behind the site, it became clear as to why Smithy referred to it as a warm up. Although not at the same altitude as Cusco, the steep pathways made for tough walking, even for me who had become acclimatised. Smithy told us that the honeycombed cliff at the rear of the ruins had been used as tomb for the people living and working their. Sadly they had been plundered by the conquistadors upon their arrival in Peru, hoping to find yet more gold to add to their trove. We moved through the ruins along the cliff hugging footpaths, finding our way to the Sun Temple. It was surrounded by finely carved stone work and water channels that ran both above and below ground, still carrying water from the natural spring over fourteen kilometres away! Once we had made our way back to the minibus, we descended the hillside and continued on to our lunch stop in Urubamba.

True to form, I fell asleep on the bus journey to Urubamba, waking up just before we arrived at the aptly named 'Inkalicious' restaurant. Before us lay a three course feast, including locally grown corn and alpaca. It was phenomenal, and a great opportunity to get to know everyone better as we kept going back for more. Matt had just joined us fresh from Cusco, after a delayed flight from Lima. We were all soon laughing and joking about the journey ahead, both excited and daunted in equal measure. Once we had eaten our fill, we piled back on to the minibus for the short journey to the village of Ollantaytambo.

The brilliant rays of the late afternoon sun shone over the top of the impending Incan fortress on to the cobblestone streets below as we arrived. Ollantaytambo was truly a living museum, that stood testament to the wonders of Inca city planning. Nothing had changed about it's layout or streets in over seven hundred years and it was apparent as we squeezed through the narrow streets to our hotel. Following Smithy, we made our way to the entrance of this solid terraced fortress passing parades of people celebrating the twelfth night. Wearing masks and playing various musical instruments as they went, I couldn't help but feel a little on edge as the messy makers came ever closer after my experience in La Paz.

As we scaled the steep staircase to the top, it seemed like an amazing feet of engineering. Smithy explained that the sight was as much a temple as a fortress, with a clearly visible difference in the quality of stone. Smithy told us that the stones were quarried from the mountainside high above the Urubamba river, some distance away, and transported to the top by hand. Sadly our tour was cut short due to the impending rain we saw creeping down the valley. As we made our way back down to the village, I saw a rock formation on the opposite hillside that I had been shown at Cusco's planetarium. I remembered how Ana had described to me the way the Inca's had used the naturally cold wind that circulated at that altitude to keep stored food fresh...an Incan fridge if you will.

Once back in the village, we made our way along the cobblestone streets to find refreshments after our long day of sightseeing. Henk-Jan and I decided to try the cafes Pisco sour, whilst we all played a game of cheat. It was a fantastic way to bond with everyone, and the atmosphere boded well for the days to come where we would be helping each other along the trail to Machu Picchu.

After collecting what supplies we needed before setting off the next day, we all met up for dinner at Hearts Café. It was our last opportunity for a descent feed before we left civilisation behind for a couple of days. Our group had been joined by Ross, Mike and Naty who had been delayed in arriving from Lima. Our team was finally set, and once Smithy had given us a few final words of wisdom he sent us all off to bed. We had yet another early start in the morning, and I for one wanted to make sure I was fully rested and ready for the Inca Trail.

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