Day 15.  17th Sept. Sacred Valley. 



After the night in Salineras de Maras in the Sacred Valley of the Incas (a bit lower than Cusco to let us acclimatize) we toured the valley. It runs east-west with mountains rising to over 5,000 meters on either side. Sometimes from people’s back doors.

The sacred river of Urubamba runs through the valley with the Milky Way rising and setting into it. Hugely important.


One of the towns we went through was Lamay, made famous for its Guinea Pig industry. Not as pets, as food. Early each morning many vendors fire up the wood (eucalyptus) fires and cook GPs on spikes. The town was adorned with many statues. Mainly of Guinea Pigs.


Great markets and a visit to a silver factory then lunch at a community run homestay type lunch where we drank Purple Corn Juice and had a great lunch. Almost every meal we have had in Peru had corn, quinoa and rice. 


Then a visit to the Ollantaytambo archaeological site. It was an Inca stronghold during the Spanish Conquests.

The Incas loved terraces….. which means steps. Nasty steps. No denying that it was a hard climb up there at that altitude but so worth it.
At the back you could see the remains of the ramps they used to drag the sometimes 60 ton granite blocks up there. Fantastic day.

Day 16. 18th Sept. Machu Picchu!

The big day! Machu Picchu!

5.30 departure for the 60 min bus trip, 90 min train ride, 30 min bus trip and all the extra time for the “cat herding” of our group of 20.

But we did arrive and off we went.

Machu Picchu – built in the 15th century as an Inca Citadel. The site was chosen as three surrounding mountains were pyramid in shape. Pyramids being important. A gap in the ranges allowed the morning rays to shine through The Sun Gate. Not at the due east but the low point in that direction.

Other points allowed for solstice light beams to hit important places – like the sacrifice table.

It’s an engineering marvel with complex hydronic management with drainage and irrigation.

It is all built with drywall – enabling walls to move with earthquakes.

They were also Agricultural engineers. Evidence has been found of greenhouse houses. The community was self-sufficient – although they did import luxuries like fish. 

It was not only a spiritual sanctuary but also a research center for agriculture.

The whole complex is made of white granite that was mined locally. They moved it into situ with ramps and grunt.

And it’s massive. It supported over 1000 people.

There is a large meeting space. On one side is a raised stone wall. The wall is concave to about 300 mm. When the speaker leant against it the voice amplified across the whole space. It works due to the fact that ‘waves coming from straight ahead of a parabola are focused in front’. This is what radio telescopes are and do. Amazing.

One of its claims to fame is that it was never taken by the Spanish. Reason being was that they could never find it. It remained the fabled city of gold.

We walked around everywhere that was allowed. Up and down, and up and down. So many steps. Uneven steps. Some 450 mm high, others only 200mm high.  Some 500 deep others 200 deep. No rhythm could be found, and of course no handrails. 19,967 steps were done that day and according to my step counter 112 flights were climbed. It did feel like it.

And hurray. “I met a Yama at Machu Picchu.”

Then the reverse journey. Bus, train and bus. We moved into Cusco for a few nights. Cusco sits at 3,400 meters so well past the ‘altitude sickness’ level of 2,500m.

Amazing!

Day 17. 19th Sept. Cusco.

Cusco is in the middle of the Andes Mountains and was the Capital of the Inca Empire. The Temple of the Sun – Qoricancha, was THE main temple in all the empire. Of course the Spanish plundered it and built their convent on top. But not before carting away 20 tons of gold and 60 tons of silver.

We did a city walking tour. BUT it’s a steep city and our hotel was well down hill from the old square. So off we went – up and up, and huffed and puffed. 

So many stunning buildings and streets. It was lovely. The produce markets were great. Always fun. Meat – alpaca, lama, goat. Fresh and dried. Whole back legs were dehydrated. Spices. Rice. Potatoes – not all 4,000 species but at least 30 for sale. So many different varieties of corn but not all 55. We had eaten (and drunk) about 6 of them. Sweet, purple, giant, bread corn, yellow, white. Fresh, dried, crunchy, dehydrated. And then the quinoa – many varieties again. And of course all the tourist things.

Lunch was at a street food area. Empanadas of course.

Most people then went back to the hotel, but I went for a walk through the street markets of the locals. Fantastic. Just people selling their wares. One of the fantastic thing about Peru is that people do actually wear the stereotypical clothing. And I was able to buy a new backpack for my beautiful Alpaca woolen shopping.

Down near the hotel were the tourist markets. So glad I did all my poncho etc shopping. These were the mass produced ones.
We went to a place near the hotel for dinner that was amazing! The thing about Peruvian food.  It was sensational… or rubbish. No inbetween. Food that could be served at the best of restaurants or swill.  

Day 17.  19th Sept. Palccoyo, Peru.

On this day I did a trip up the Palccoyo Rainbow Mountains. A huge trip and hard. About half of our tour group did the trip. 

Palccoyo is a recently discovered rainbow mountain. Layers of up to 14 different minerals were laid down over time. Then an uplift rolled that chunk of earth over leaving the amazing looking range.

The high point was almost 5,000 meters above sea level. And yes you did know you were that high. Many (many, many) stops to catch your breath.

This trip was a 4 hour bus trip to get there then the 2 hour walk. Huge day but so worth it.

The drive up was great. Right up in the mountains. Almost all of them were covered in agricultural terraces. The Incas started this method of farming and the Peruvians have kept it up. Damn what a hard life.  Walking UP hundreds of meters to tend your crops. Potatoes and corn. We went through a few villages and much farming land. Herds of Alpacas everywhere. I saw a man coming back from the big town riding a mule and leading three pack mules fully ladened. Others were riding or leading donkeys with loads. We saw people plowing with donkeys or with cows. 

We got well above the tree line with only grasses and patches of beautiful moss and lichen. 

It was light shirt weather going up. Blue skies and the mineral colours were so intense. The ranges behind were covered in snow.

Sadly this range was only recently discovered due to climate change. Until the last 6-8 years the area was covered in snow year round. 

There were llamas and alpacas everywhere. They all free range for the year then have a big round up at shearing time and sort them out. Like they do in Iceland.

Near the high point of the mountain was a petrified forest. I could have climbed that, and gone over the 5,000 meter mark. Or could I? When I say it was hard I mean Hard! I would climb about 10-15 steps or walk about 50 paces and stop to have deep breaths. Even the super fit people felt it. Only half of our group made it and a few needed oxygen.
Why is it so hard? The air we breathe below 2,500 meters is 21% Oxygen. Up around 3,500m and above it is only 10-12% oxygen. To put it into perspective… CPR would not work up here. Therefore the guides have to carry oxygen cylinders at all times.
 

What a sensational trip! And since we booked it locally, not through Inspiring, it cost the massive sum of $55. Transport, guide, entry and breakfast and lunch. Wow. 

Day 18.  20th Sept. The road to Puno, Peru.

Today was a ten hour bus journey from Cusco to Puno.

We stopped in a town to see the Cathedral of Saint Peter the Apostle of Andahuaylillas. Very grand and very Spanish.

We went past a number of Inca Ruins and stopped at Raqchi Archaeological Park. Must have been a huge complex. The dozens of storage silos showed what a population it supported.

So many great sites along the way. The road basically followed a huge valley between the massive mountains. Big wide rivers, but they were no longer  the creamy colour of rivers coming off glaciers. We saw Andean Flamingos. Hundreds of them along the river.

Many people were out working their land. This was the first time we had seen stock out in herds. All of the Cows, sheep and goats we had seen had always been tethered even when in paddocks. Some had shepherds out with them.

The rest of the people were plowing, weeding and all that.

Alpaca burgers for lunch.

And roadworks. Don’t think I shall complain about roadworks anymore. Every bridge along this road was being replaced. With us being diverted to goat tracks.

Then we arrived in Puno, altitude 3,900m. The ten hours did go surprisingly fast.

Day 19. 21st Sept. Lagos Titicaca.

Lake Titicaca is South America’s largest lake, bordering Peru and Bolivia. It is believed to be the birthplace of the Inca people and is the highest navigable lake in the world. And a place I have always wanted to see.

We spent the day on the lake. It really is huge. First stop was a visit to a  community of people who pre date the Incas. Took nearly 2 hours to get there. The Uros people who still live on floating reed islands.

The islands are built of chunks of growing reeds. The roots grow down about 1-3 meters, catching soil and binding it together. The Uros cut chinks of teh reeds and bind them together. They  then cover it with reeds stalks and build a community on it. The cut reeds need to be topped up every few weeks.
They drive anchor posts into the shallow parts of the lake to stop the island floating away in the wind. They live by fishing and then trading the fish and their textiles.They have traditional boats made of reeds as well as modern boats with outboards. When there is a celebration – weddings etc, they all get together with their motor boats and push the islands together. They are lashed and let the party begin. 

We went for a ride in one of the reed boats.The island we went to had about 10 adults and a few kids. Two toddlers. I guess they learn not to fall off the edge. 

On our arrival you stepped off the boat onto the “island” that was around one meter above the water. It was then like walking on a trampoline. Soft and spongy. Hard work. 

We saw a demo of how they make islands, move them etc.
We toured their houses and went for a ride in the reed boats. There are only about 1,200 Uros people living on the lake. And a few thousand that have moved to the towns.

Second stop was a visit to Taquile Island. A small island with a population of 2,200 people living under a system of community collectivism.
They are so very old Spanish. Wearing very traditional clothing and are famous for their bright textiles.

They grow and raise most of their produce, and fish. Corn, potatoes and quinoa. Sheep, chickens, and fish. They are basically self-sufficient in so many ways. The mens shoes are made of tyre rubber.
Lunch was fantastic.The BEST fry bread ever. Amazing. A quinoa and potato soup that was glorious then sensational fried trout.

The lake is massive. The boat ride back was another two hours. When we docked, all the school kids were waiting to return to their islands.
Dinner was up in the Old Town Square. I still hadn’t learnt to NOT order sparkling water with dinner. It was always mineral water and tasted like it came from a cave where they washed the dirty socks. 

Day 20.  22nd Sept. Sullustani To Lima.

We packed up and had to be out of our rooms by 10, but the bus wasn’t coming until noon. So hurry up and wait. 

And off we headed for a  visit to Sullustani. A pre-Inca cemetery on the edge of Lake Umayo, about 90 min out of Puno, Peru.

It was so good to see some pre-Inca ruins. These people survived a long time in the Andes before the Incas but don’t seem to be talked about.

Of course the burial chambers were on top of a hill. Another big hill.So once again I walked up to 4,000 plus meters. The group dwindled to only 5 of us doing this walk.  

Each structure contained a number of family members.

The older structures built of stacked rocks were pre-Inca buildings. The Inca ones are very engineered with the amazing drywalling with smooth surfaces they built everywhere.

The view up there was amazing. To one side was a great wetland and aquaculture site. The other side was Lake Umaya. A large island there is used by locals to graze Lama, Alpaca and Vicuña. The townsfolk rotate and each family spends a week on the island tending the animals.

Vicuñas are another member of the Camelid family. Bigger, with longer necks. They are extremely wild, will not be domesticated and can only be shorn every three years. That must be fun! Their fleece is the softest of all and a poncho made of Vicuña wool would be $4-5,000 US. We saw a few Vicuña on the way out.

Many of the structures on top of the hill have been damaged – by Incas who built over the top of them, by grave robbers and by lightning as the huge basalt blocks are magnetic. Now there are huge lightning rods around the hill.

Petroglyphs were ‘drawn’ up there.

It was a great walk but it was also great to head down and travel to the airport to fly back to Limaltitude 50 meters. Yay.

As wonderful as it has been to experience high altitude ….. It isn’t easy. Lol

On arrival in Lima – and low altitude, all the symptoms of high altitude disappeared within hours.

Walking up steps was a breeze. As was breathing. Gone was that weird thing of waking up in the night to go to the loo, not thinking and getting up at normal speed. Then lying there gasping and panting because you moved too fast.
Gone was the gasping after climbing a set of stairs. And gone was the random gasping – the rapid intake of a few gaspy breathes like when you are ugly crying