Peru Day 4: Sacred Valley Tour

And we are off again! An 8am departure with Alex and our trusty driver, Carlos.

We knew that today we'd hit Inca ruins in a place that is known for its lush fertility, growing prowess and beauty. The Sacred Valley is pretty special... and seriously important to this area. 

What we didn't know is that we'd find all sorts of other stuff to do along the way too. Initially our tour was a group thing, but we "upgraded to an Alex private tour", lending us more flexibility to deviate and of course, we got our Alex back! 

Our first stop was a view down to the valley and for me, an animal moment.  :-)

Then there was the animal sanctuary. A place to get somewhat up close and personal to all sorts of Andean critters that had been rescued from dire circumstances. 

The Andean bear, also known as the spectacled bear, was less enthusiastic about meeting us, but we had close enounters with a condor or two (sacred in Peru), monkey, llama, alpaca, parrots, coati and something called a vicunya (little, aggressive llama type creature). The puma hid... not surprisingly.

This woman (above) was the resident weaver. At her ripe old age, she had been weaving intricate patterns from memory, for many decades. Her work was available to buy in the gift store... and I think Kelli picked up something quite wonderful there.

Ever heard of Coati Coffee? It's rare. It's expensive. And the beans are gathered from the poop of the coati!!! Yep, at US $1400/kg, it is the world's most expensive coffee and so of course, I had to see what all the fuss was about. 

Actually it IS great. Very smooth and rich, less acidic than normal. Beautiful flavor... and no, before you ask, it tastes nothing like poop. (There was a part of me that wondered if I needed to be a dung beetle to appreciate it and was relieved that wasn't the case.)

I even convinced Kelli to try it. Hard to believe the gal we have come to associate with "smooth move tea" was so reluctant to try it, eh?

Shopping... Mandatory at the gift shop here, since it benefits the animals. I picked up a nice hat-scarf combo thing in baby alpaca and not one, but two pairs of silver earrings! Score.

Onward. Pisaq ruins atop a high ridge overlooking the valley. Gorgeous agricultural terraces and an amazing testament to the planning and architecture of the time.

Then the Pisaq handicraft markets and lunch. More shopping? Ok, if I must!  A silver charm for my bracelet and a piece of local art. I met the artist and she was super sweet. I hope Mark likes it too. Where shall we hang it sweetie?

Look closely at my arm! Lesson: Don't squeeze lamb too tightly.

And just like that we made it to Ollantaytamba. More Inca ruins. An ancient fortress circa 1300-1400's, if I'm not mistaken. Some of the stones weigh in at 50-60 tons and were moved with only man-power (no wheel either) from a quarry that is freakin' 12km up the valley!

This place has serious history. Royal, military, art, religion/pagan history. Then the Spanish conquered the Inca's and destroyed much of it. :-(

The royal family fled to the Amazon (a big part of Peru) but over the next 10 years all, including the kids, were found and killed. Thus ending the Inca rule/people.

We were whisked back to Cusco by early evening... just in time for (you guessed it).... Pisco Sours!

But the night didn't end there. Dear God, we had to pack for our hike beginning tomorrow - while tipsy and tired. The duffel bag we each got given, was to weigh not more than 7kg if we didn't want to damage the mules (and we didn't).

Wish us luck!!!