We were very eager to try out the breakfast at Casa Andina,
with hopes and dreams of something other than soupy eggs to accompany fruits
and grains. We mounted the steps to the 4th floor at 7:30 am to find
French toast, rolls, slices of bread, thin yogurt, cereal, fruit juice, coffee,
less soupy eggs (but still very moist), and small pieces of watermelon, pineapple, Papaya,
and banana. After so many repeated days of the same breakfast, our hotel
continental breakfasts have become mediocre, at best, to us.
Regardless of our individual feelings on breakfast
selections, we were filled up and ready to head out for our adventures in the
mountains. Our tour guide met us at 8:00 to take us to the Chinchero, Valle Sagrado
(Sacred Valley), Ollantaytambo (Inca ruins), and Pisac. We were to leave Cusco
(11,000 ft above sea level) to reach 12,000 (abs).
Leaving Cusco we had had no idea the astonishing views we
would encounter. The snow capped Andes, the humble farms, and the beautiful
traditional attire of the people in the towns we passed through were
incredible. We even had our tour bus stop to let us take pictures of the view
along our route. We learned that whole village will work on one farm as a
community at at a time.
Our first stop was at Chinchero. Here we learned about the
construction of the buildings. If it’s an important building, usually you will
not see mortar between the rocks. Many buildings have a foundation created by
Incas, and on top you can see a physical change in construction of the building
when the Spaniards colonized the country. At the church (an important building
based on the non-mortared foundation), we saw a change from rock to adobe that
was painted. The Spaniards told people from Chincheros that the walls and
ceilings of the church must be painted. So, the church has a plain foundation
and very beautifully painted walls and ceilings. Even though the Spanish
oppressed the peoples of this area, they still carry on traditions of carrying Christian
figures through the town on certain holidays. We got to witness the recessional
of a wedding and preparations for a wedding to follow at the same church. The
steps were littered with confetti. Our guide, Fernando, told us that when there
is a wedding in the village, the whole village must be invited.
At the end of touring the village, we went to the market
that occurs once a week. Textiles are bought and sold, shoe repairs take place
on this day, and a plethora of foods are available to purchase and eat. We saw
some of the guests from the wedding (with confetti in their hair) eating in the
dining section of the market. They prepare sheep’s heads in a soup/broth and eat every bit of it. Our tour guides
favorite part of the sheep head is the brain. We ate cherimoya and passion
fruit from the market.
We continued ventured down through parts of the Sacred Valley
and eventually made it to Ollantaytambo. The Inca ruins at Ollantaytambo are a
sight of incredible human feats. The rocks used to build the walls for the
ruins were brought over from the other side of the mountain. We can still see
that paths used to roll rocks to the top of the tiered farming platforms. Food
was grown in the valley area and on these platforms because of the rich supply
of water and nutrients. We could see the remnants of the food storage buildings
high in the mountains nearby. Every structure within the ruins was built with
regard to the position of the sun, the seasons, and the amount of wind. The
ruins are positioned where we can see the sun shinning on the farming platforms
during the summer season. During the same season, the sun will shine on the
water fountain, casting a shadow only inside the Chakana (a cross-like figure
used by the Incas). The food storage buildings were built high in the mountains
so that they received a large amount of wind to keep their crops cool. Unlike many Inca ruins, this location does
have a military fortress at the top. Many of us hiked all the way to the top to
look around.
Weaving our way through the Sacred Valley, we made a stop
for a lunch buffet at Tunupa. There was a variety of traditional dishes from an
alpaca stew to tres leches cake. The
food overall was very delicious. And, it
was in an absolutely gorgeous setting. There were even animals for us to feed. Emily,
Alyssa, and Caitlyn fed alpacas with grass.
From there we took off for our final stop before heading
back to the hotel. We arrived at Pisac to take a look at the Inca ruins, the farming
terraces (or andenes), and the empty tombs
in the mountain. Unfortunately, looters removed many of the mummies from the
tombs. Now farmers live at the top of the mountain to keep guard of the
remaining Inca mummies within the holes in the mountain. We took off for home
right after I got very sick.
Of our group of 11, we had 2 who battled altitude sickness
and 1 who was getting over a stomach
illness and 1 with the stomach illness
was just beginning. Each of these individuals were troopers.
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