Cusco, Sacred Valley, Inca Trail, Peru

Once again Jeff and I were up and ready to have a fun filled day. Saul, our tour guide from the previous day had cautioned us that the Sacred Valley gets very crowded and had arranged for us to leave thirty minutes earlier.  He felt that thirty minutes could make a big difference in the crowds we would have to meet.  It turned out that his advice was good and we were very happy to have left a little bit earlier.  So at 7:30 we met our new guide for the day, Jaime (Himey) with Alpaca Expeditions (alpacaexpeditions.com).  Jaime was a wonderful guide. He had over 20 years of experience as a guide and had just started with Alpaca that week.  We told him we would be starting the Inca Trail the next day.  He had done the trail 690 times but said he no longer takes tours on it.  This seemed like the perfect person to get tips from.  He told us we wouldn’t have any problems.  His biggest piece of advice was not to stop when climbing Dead Woman’s Pass.  He said your body gets used to the stops and wants them so it is best if you just keep going.  He assured us we would be able to go at our own pace, take lots of pictures and would be just fine.  In all of his trips he only had four people that ever had to turn back and they left due to stomach issues.  Ok, we were feeling a little better.

Jaime (Himey) started our day full of information.  We learned about the geology of the area.  We learned so much history.  I wish I could retain it as well as he could share it.  We learned several birds in the area. He could hear a bird over tourist chatter, recognize it, and then spot it and point it out to us.

We started the day with a stop at a scenic overlook.  From here we could see the start of the Sacred Valley and the Urubamba River.

We would start to understand as we looked across the valley that there are many Inca Trails.  The Incas created trails from Cusco that went out into all the territories and resembled a spider web.  So when we said we were about to hike the Inca Trail we were in fact going to be hiking one of many Inca Trails.  We became pretty good at spotting trails on the mountains.  We also would start to learn that terraces were everywhere.  The Incas were very good farmers.  Many of the original terraces are still being used for farming today.  The Spanish continued the use of these terraces.  The Spaniards owned the land and had the Andeans farm it.  In the 1960’s the Peruvian government gave this land back to the Andeans.  Unfortunately production fell sharply then.  This land reform is still sparking controversy and economic turmoil today.

We stopped at an Alpaca farm on our way to the valley.  We were definitely early as people were still arriving for work.  A friendly cat greeted us as we came through the door.   The livestock was just being fed when we arrived.  Wheelbarrows full of artichokes were being offered.  They looked good to me and the llamas and alpacas were definitely interested.  As Jaime offered branches to some llamas to eat we learned that they will refuse the branch if another animal has already eaten part of it.  We saw several animals come up to investigate and when they sniffed another llama’s saliva on it they turned and walked away.

The farm also had a few vicunas.  They were kept up above the other animals.  Vicunas have never been domesticated and are quite aggressive but they are still used for their wool.  Vicuna is wool is the softest and most expensive of any of the wool that is produced by these animals.  They still live high in the Andes and once a year industrious farmers will catch them and shear them.  A vicuna coat can cost $20000 but it is said to be extremely soft.

Llamas and alpacas are both used for food and wool but vicunas are only used for wool. Alpacas and llamas can be used for wool for eight to ten years after which time they are used for meat.  We were also taught that llamas and alpacas usually only spit on each other, not on humans.  You could tell when one was about to spit because it would pull its head back and neck up – that would mean get out of the way!

After we left the alpaca farm we stopped at another overlook and then on to Pisac.  The archeological ruins at Pisac were quite a sight to behold.  Pisac was built by the 7^th Incan king and served as a fortress to protect the Inca Empire from invaders.  It is positioned with a clear view of the valley below and with protection from the jungle behind the mountain.  The site consists of a fortress, terraces, houses, the chief’s house, temples, aqueduct, and graves.  The graves had been desecrated by the Spaniards and now look like holes in the side of the mountain.

On high holy days like the day of the dead the priest would summon the mummy of the chief and ask permission to bring him out.  The mummy would then be removed from the grave, fed, and consulted about events occurring in the town.  The stones used at Pisac were a red brick which was a definite difference from other sites we visited.  The homes all have niches in them that were used only for religious statues.  Niches were also present at the top of the tower so if they were attacked the idols could be moved to safety.

After visiting the ruins we headed down to the town of Pisac and the market.  On Sunday farmers bring in crops to sell but we were there on Saturday.  Unfortunately we did not have as much time as I would have liked to explore the market.  We did visit a bakery while there.  Two tubs filled with pigs were by the giant oven.  These were going to be used for a wedding that was being catered and were expected to feed 400 people.  Guinea pigs were pulled from the oven ready to serve.  We had a wonderful empanada filled with cheese, oregano, and onions fresh from the oven. From there we headed to the silver factory where we were given a lesson on how to tell the difference between real silver and “alpaca” silver.  Many people in the market will sell this imitation silver as real silver at real silver prices.  I purchased a bracelet with serpentine that was from Machu Picchu.  I was very excited to see the bracelet is reversible and the opposite side has the god of medicine on it.  It seemed perfect for me.

As we headed back to our van Jaime told us what we could have seen on Sunday.  The chief from the village comes to town with the rest of his village to celebrate mass.  They dress in traditional clothing and after mass they lead a procession around the market blowing a shell horn and performing traditional dances.  I wished we had been there on Sunday!

As we drove along the river and into the valley we saw many aspects of daily life.  Farmers were working in the field.  It is still traditional for women to actually plant the seeds to hopefully impart fertility to the crops.  We drove through one town where women ran towards the street from what looked like hot dog carts enticing passersby to stop and buy cuy on a stick that they were displaying.  We drove by a beautiful hacienda that had been purchased by some Americans.  The Americans turned the property into an orphanage. And we learned that 40% of the roads currently in use were built over old Inca Trails.

After lunch in the town of Urubamba we headed to Ollantaytambo.  Jaime had our driver drop us off in town so we could walk the streets and get a sense of what life is really like.  We could appreciate the architecture that had been used by the Incas and walked along a still active aqueduct.  Spanish houses had been built on top of Inca stones but many structures still had their original doors.  We were taken into a chicheria.

Jaime said he had been in this lady’s house last week and she had done a lot to fix the place up since then.  Her dirt floor was now covered with linoleum.  Two women sat on her bed in the corner of the room drinking chicha.  A male customer sat at a table by the door.  The proprietor sat in a chair with her barrel of chicha between her legs proudly stirring it and serving as glasses were purchased.  Her husband came through a door followed by her daughter and grandchild.  Jaime bought glasses of chicha and distributed them to everyone in the room.  He loved to see their faces light up.  We were shown some fermented corn used to make the drink but could not drink any of the chicha.   We just sat and watched everyone in the house and experienced an important part of Peruvian life.  For 1 sol a glass Jaime brought joy to several people. Jaime said that while the official drinking age in Peru is 18 children start drinking chicha at 5-6 year of age.  From there we went down the street and saw a young girl selling chicha blanca.  This is a non alcoholic version of the popular drink.  Jaime had her pour a glass so we could see what it looked like.  He then paid her for it and told her it was hers to drink.  She was so shocked.  He would not leave until he saw her drink it; he didn’t want her to pour it back in and sell it again. Her smile was so beautiful for this small act of kindness.  I turned back to see her taking furtive sips of the drink and then sharing it with her younger sister.

Next we went into a courtyard that had several people’s homes which also doubled as their businesses.  We stepped inside a home and were greeted by a large number of guinea pigs running across the dirt floor.  An altar was set up in the home with skulls and numerous items.  Jaime said they are a very superstitious people and each item on the altar had significance.  A statue of a man bearing numerous items for a successful life was on the altar.  Once a week they light a cigarette in his mouth to keep him happy and bring good fortune to their family.  Numerous items for sale were laid out across the parents’ bed and counter.  The children sleep on the floor and often the guinea pigs sleep on top of the children.  I bought a tapestry from the young boy who changed the price three times and kept hitting his sibling with it.  The sibling had a box on its head so I never knew if it was a brother or sister!

Afterwards we headed for the ruins of Ollantaytambo.  It was originally built for religious regions by the great  Pachacutec, the ninth Inca who was also responsible for Machu Picchu. Inca Manco eventually inherited this estate and used it as a fortress in one of the last great battles against the Spaniards  This was the site of a famous battle where the Incas actually defeated the Spaniards.  They knew the Spaniards would be back with greater force so they took advantage of their victory and fled the area after the battle.  This area was not destroyed by the Spaniards because much of it was under construction when they gained control of it.  Again we saw terraces, storehouses, and temples.  Perhaps the thing that stood out the most to me as something different was the face on the mountain directly across from the site. This carved face depicts the deity Wiracocha who the Incas believed was the creator of all.  They placed a bonnet on his head making the face really stand out.

I think I was also somewhat awe inspired to know that the next day we would be back in this town to meet KM 82 and the start of the Inca Trail.

Next we headed to Chinchero and the ruins there.  They were preparing for a big festival as it would be the town’s patron saint’s day over the weekend.  This was the only opportunity we had to visit a church during our trip.  This was a Spanish colonial church built on top of Inca ruins.  Unfortunately no photography was allowed inside the church.  The altar consisted of beautiful wood carving overlaid with gold leaf.  The ceiling had been painted by a local artist. Most fascinating was all of the religious art that had been done by local artists.  Each piece took a traditional catholic scene but brought in local flare.  For instance a scene of the Virgin Mary would have the Andes in the background.  We also learned how to tell if a Jesus crucifix statue was Peruvian or Spanish in origin.  If it was Peruvian origin Jesus would be looking down towards the pachamama while on the cross and his skin would be dark instead of fair. After touring the church we had to hurry out as we still had a fair drive to return to Cusco and needed to be back for our 6:30 orientation meeting with Alpaca.

Now things were about to get real.  We filed into the room at Alpaca where we would be meeting our guides and the rest of our group.  We were greeted by David, our main guide and offered tea.  Two girls in our group who we would later learn were Ebony and Aleh from Australia were telling David that their friend Abby would not be making the trip.  She had developed a very nasty stomach bug.  David assured them she would be fine and said for her to meet us the next day.  They said not to count on her.  A young couple named John and Cara from New York were there as well as two friends we had invited on the trip, Jill and Gregg.  With nine people we were considered a large group and had been assigned two guides and 15 porters and a chef.  Technically we would be only eight but our crew was set.  David and Toribio would be out guides.  They checked our passport numbers and issued our duffel bags.  We would be able to pack 4 kilograms in our bags.  They gave us an overview of the trip and told us that each night we would be given the plan for the next day.  We were encouraged to have something light to eat like soup and to get some rest.  They would be picking us up at 4:30 AM.

We headed out and back to the hotel with duffel bags in hand.  We went to the reception desk to learn about storing our bags and decided to go out for a bite to eat. We stopped at the Blue Alpaca across the street from the hotel.  It was a charming little restaurant.  The only people present appeared to be family.  We ordered a pizza while Greg and Jill ordered soup and an entrée to split.  It would have been a very enjoyable dining experience except that it took an exceedingly long time to get served and we were becoming stressed at how much we still had to do and how short our night was going to be.  I think we finally got back to the hotel around 10PM. We began packing and repacking our backpacks and duffels and going downstairs to weigh them on the scale in the courtyard.  Jeff seemed nervous and asked the question, “Have we bit off too much?”  I had been trying to stay calm but now I heard my rock expressing concern about what lay ahead of us.  “No,” I assured him, “we’ll be fine.  There are lots of blogs out there about couch potatoes doing this hike.  We’re good.”  But deep inside I was beginning to wonder – what exactly had we gotten ourselves into?