El Valle Sagrado

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Another day, another bus tour. This time to the Sacred Valley. First stop was Pisac, which "comes alive" on a Sunday with hundreds of people coming to the market. Then we went on to the famous semi-circular concentric terraces used by the Incas to farm different crops at the best possible altitude. Saw some amazingly intricate water channels and well-preserved buildings. Felt slightly out of breath by the time we got to the top of the mountain, but am putting that down to the altitude.
After a big buffet lunch at a tourist restaurant with our own musical entertainment, we drove on through the Urumbamba valley to Ollantaytambo, the best-surviving example of Inca city planning with narrow cobbled streets that have been constantly inhabited since the 13th century. Saw tiny enclosed yards where people hung out their laundry next to the pet bull.
Chinchero, where I discovered that the spire is actually completely separate from the church despite looking continuous in the photos, and more importantly, where I finally bought some nice woolley gloves.

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Photos

The water feature
and our lovely guide for the day

Ollantaytamba
you can see where the Incas stored their potatoes and things, on the left, half-way up the mountain

4 people, no eyes (at the top of the terraces at Ollantaytambo)
a classic, I´m sure you´ll agree

another fine water feature
our guide did a magic trick here - swiping across the water with his finger, the stream clung to the wall, then tapping it returned it to the spouting water that you can see in the photo

ice-capped mountain
brilliant views on the coach from the sacred valley to Chinchero

Chinchero church and market
Note the nice new gloves, bought 30 seconds before for 4.70 soles (just under a pound).

Comments

[Shanaz]

Hair and hols
Maeve your hair looks great in that no eyes photo! I got my highlights redone today. And Anna and I are going to Seville for a week at the beginning of next month. Why are you on the other side of the world when I need to learn spanish?! xx

[Maeve]

Sorry hun! Would have loved to help you! I am actually in a Spanish school right now - just did the test and they've offered me private lessons. Don,t know yet whether I{ll do them cos it{ll take up my whole afternoon. Have always wanted to go to Sevilla - make sure you see some flamenco and take photos!