PERU 2025
Day 5
Our morning started early, as we packed up, had breakfast in the hotel, and got on our bus for a day long adventure. Today's Sacred Valley Tour would cover a lot of territory and unique locations at varying altitudes.
The Sacred Valley
Our first stop was at the Chinchera Parwa Cultural Center, another opportunity to see Llamas, Alpacas and Vicuñas, and oh yeah, learn about and purchase local textiles and handicrafts.
In case you are wondering, Llamas are a little larger, and a relative of the camel, used for hauling cargo in the Inca times. Alpacas are a little smaller, with shorter noses and a whole lot fluffier, they are typically used for their wool. You may have heard of Baby Alpaca as being the softest of the wools, it is actually just the first shearing of a 3 month old Alpaca that is considered true baby Alpaca. Finally, a Vicuña is like a smaller and cuter Alpaca, their fur is very soft and has resulted in them becoming nearly extinct.
This was our first real chance to see Guinea Pigs in Peru, the kind that were fluffy and colourful, not on a plate.
After seeing and feeding all the animals, we were given another demonstration on creating, dyeing and making textile out of the wool.
Apparently these little bugs found on cactuses can be ground and used to make many of the red variations of dye when combined with other natural flowers, grains and plants.
Norine may have purchased some more wool based items, including a baby Alpaca wool doll to take home for Oreo.
I promise you, I'll get to these clay cows, but first we had some more important places to visit. The first of those important stops was the Chinchero ruins, an archaeological complex built by the Incas and later developed with a colonial church. Originally the country estate and palace of Inca emperor Túpac Yupanqui, the site is now known for its well-preserved Inca terraces, and monumental stonework. Chinchero is a blend of Inca and colonial architecture, full of narrow streets and lots of shops.
The locals including German, a gourd carver, were super friendly...we may have left with a couple of his items.
Nuestra Señora de Monserrat church was built in the late 16th century, shortly after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. Its strategic location was no accident: it was erected on an Inca platform that had been a place of great ceremonial and political importance. This gesture symbolized the imposition of the Christian faith over ancestral beliefs, but it also gave rise to a rich amalgamation of traditions.
With a few new items to take home, we loaded back on to the bus for our next stop.
Our next important stop was the Moray archaeological site, it is composed of three groups of circular terraces that descend 150 meters (490 feet) from the highest terrace to the lowest. It is widely believed that the Moray ruins were used as an experimental farm by the Incas over 500 years ago. an Inca irrigation system, a series of channels fed by water from a reservoir located higher in the mountains, was engineered into the structures of terraces.
Back on the road again for our next important stop, Ollantaytambo.
Ollantaytambo may sound familiar, because it's the same town where we caught the train to Machu Picchu. When they brought us here for the train, we certainly never saw the stone fortress and terraces. The Ollantaytambo terraces were multi-purpose agricultural and defense structures built by the Incas. They were a key feature of this fortress and royal estate, serving to prevent landslides, create fertile land for crops, and provide a strong defensive position. These impressive stone terraces were constructed using advanced Inca engineering, allowing them to create a unique micro-climate for growing crops.
Does anyone else see the grumpy face?
The far side of this valley is where the train to Machu Picchu goes.
Even the bathrooms are incorporated in to the cliffsides
Our next and last stop was also very important, lunch at La Feria - Valle Sagrado Covina Tradicional Peruana
This was also where I was first exposed to Chicha Morada which quickly became my favourite drink in Peru. Peruvians make the drink by boiling purple-black corn with pineapple rind, cinnamon, and cloves for an hour or more. After it cools, they add lime juice and sugar. In ancient times, Peruvians boiled the cobs to make medicine and used it in rituals, annual celebrations, and divine offerings. Eventually, chicha became a popular drink. Centuries later, studies show that the purple corn may, indeed, have medicinal qualities such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory benefits and reduced risk of certain cancers.
The buffet was pretty good, and consisted of a wide variety of traditional Peruvian dishes, so we got to try a little bit of everything, including 3 or 4 of their 3000 varieties of potatoes.
Fed and watered, we all loaded back onto the bus for the last 2.5 hours of the drive to Cusco, sleeping may have been involved. We know we must be getting closer and at a higher altitude when we start seeing snow/hail on the side of the road.
We finally arrived at our hotel, the Polo Cusco Suites, right in the middle of what seems to be the busiest traffic area in Cusco.
With views out over the city, we had dinner on the 12th floor restaurant, looking out on the traffic and listening to the horns honk. I finally had one of Peru's famous Pisco Sours, and to it's name... it was sour, but went down easier with each sip.
I'm pretty sure there was a karaoke bar across the street, and the train runs right behind our building. No one seems to pay any attention to the "No Horn" signs, it was a very long and noisy night.