Blogs from Sacred Valley, Cusco, Peru, South America - page 4

Ons het heel verligtend ons oë oopgemaak, en gesien die wêreld het toe nie vergaan nie, wel, nie hier by ons nie. Breakfast was vir die hoeveelste keer 'n damn bun met jam en swart koffie, en dan wil hulle jou 3 Soles charge vir 'n 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 dis 'n klomp Inca ruins. Ons eerste stop Pisac, dit het bestaan uit 'n klomp terasse, mure en geboudjies ongeveer moer lank terug. Pragtige view. Die lug in die vallei is so skoon, orals groei daai 'ou mans baard', selfs op die kraglyne en die natuur lyk baie soos die laeveld. Ons het by Urubamba gestop vir middagete, en toe ... read more

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 Valley. The stop at the Indian market at Pisaq gave us time to shop. The huge buffet spread for lunch was at the Tunupa Restaurant gave us time to refuel for the upcoming climb at Ollantaytambo Fortress. In that climb I couldn’t keep up with the group, but the climb was worth it. The side facing the Ollanta ... read more

And then there was one...after over ten months of non-stop, intrepid travel around South America, Alex has decided to return to the UK and to the family, friends and creature comforts we've 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 conclusion this December. So if I say "we" from now on, it's purely out of habit... There is an awful lot more to Cusco than Machu Picchu - as spellbinding as the famed citadel is, it would be criminal to come to Cusco and not venture out into the Sacred Valley, the name often given to the Río Urubamba valley which runs roughly east-west a couple ... read more

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 Peruvian/asian 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 was a 1.5 hour flight. We arrived in Cusco and immediately hopped on a bus and headed down to Pisac, and nearby town (technically just a province of Cusco). We visited some nearby ruins that we really neat, and learned about how the terracing that the Incas put in works. I never knew how many cultures and civilizations there were before ... read more

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. The skill of the Inca's with their stone work is amazing in how all the stones for the ancient houses, which continue to be occupied and the narrow streets with chanels built for the water to run down the hills demonstrates how skilled the ancien craftmens were. One house that we visited had a bit of everything running around ranging from ducks to ginne pigs running around. Ginne pigs are ... read more