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Peru 2009/2010

Peru Dec 09/Jan 10:
  • 5 days in Cuzco
  • 1 day Sacred Valley Tour
  • 4 day Trek on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
  • 4 days in Lima
We spent five days in Cuzco to do some sightseeing and acclimatize to the altitude before setting off on our 4 day trek on the Inca trail to Machu Picchu. During this time Tracey got pretty sick almost to the point where we were about to return home early. Luckily though, after seeing a doctor and taking some different medicines, she felt good enough to do the trek. Cuzco was a really cool city to explore, lots of history (both Inca and Spanish), and many Inca ruins to see. Since we were there for New Year's and the days leading up to it, there were nightly events at the city's main square, the Plaza de Armas. After spending some time in Cuzco, we began our guided trip with Gap Adventures. On the first day we saw different ruins and towns (such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo) in the Sacred Valley. Then we began our 4 day trek on the Inca Trail which would eventually lead us to Machu Picchu. Though it was a guided trek with porters that carried all of the group gear and up to 6kg (13lbs) of our personal gear, it was still more challenging than I had expected. On the second day we hiked through a pass in the mountains that took us above 13,000ft and the third day was our longest mileage day. We experienced pretty wet and rainy conditions on the 2nd and third day as well. Luckily, we did get some sun and blue skies on our final day of the trek at Machu Picchu, which was just an absolutely amazing and awe-inspiring place. It is a beautiful site that everyone should go and visit, just maybe not during the rainy season. After our trek ended we flew back to Lima and spent a couple of days there. I wasn't too impressed with Lima as it felt like another big city with a lot of pollution, but it did have some impressive Spanish architecture.
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Notice the irregular shapes of the stones and how they were made to fit each other perfectly. Again, no space between the stones and no mortar was used. These walls have survived many earthquakes throughout the years.
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Notice the irregular shapes of the stones and how they were made to fit each other perfectly. Again, no space between the stones and no mortar was used. These walls have survived many earthquakes throughout the years.

PeruSacred ValleyIMG9786

  • Roger with his plate of Cuy or Guinea Pig, a traditional Peruvian cuisine. After they bake it, they bring it out to you on the plate whole so that you can see and take photos of it. Then they take it back and chop it into quarters, kinda like a chicken. Tasted kinda like chicken too, just more greasy, a little gamey, all dark meat and lots of bones.
  • Me trying some traditional Peruvian cuisine (Guinea Pig), while Tracey ordered the spaghetti (which was really pasta with pizza sauce).
  • This was our first stop on our Gap Adventures tour. Gap had set up a program to support the local culture to have women use the traditional methods to produce hand-made textiles. We were shown the step by step process spinning the alpaca wool into a yarn, then using organic methods to dye them different colors, and then weaving them into things such as blankets and other things.
  • Here the women are spinning the alpaca fur into spools of yarn.
  • The weaving process.
  • Untitled photo
  • The Alpaca was a bit camera shy. We also learned how to tell the difference between a llama and an alpaca. A llama tail is normally 'up' while an alpaca's tail or usually 'down'. Alpaca's have a thicker furcoat too.
  • We toured the Sacred Valley of the Incas on our first day with Gap.
  • Pisac - site of Inca ruins.
  • Pisac
  • Girl in Ollantaytambo.
  • Untitled photo
  • Town of Ollantaytambo, elevation 9,160ft.
  • View this image in its original size (using the roll-over options) and you'll see the ruins built into the side of the mountains. Most of the structures are store houses used to store food. You can see the zig-zag of trails leading up to them.
  • The knobs in these stones were carved out by the Incas for a functional purpose. Basically, if stones that large and heavy were to lay on flat on the ground, it would be impossible to lift or move them. The knobs provided a space between the stone and the ground so that it could be lifted, rolled, or leveraged (no one really knows how the Inca's moved the stones). After constructing the walls, the knobs when then be sanded smooth. This site was still unfinished when the Spaniards came and conquered the city.
  • Notice the irregular shapes of the stones and how they were made to fit each other perfectly. Again, no space between the stones and no mortar was used. These walls have survived many earthquakes throughout the years.
  • Ollantaytambo ruins and terraces.
  • Untitled photo
  • Ollantaytambo ruins from above.
  • These stones were pretty massive and unfinished.
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