The trek through Pisac

Yesterday, we traveled through the Sacred Valley to a small town called Pisac. High above the colonial town of Pisac (12,500ft), a gateway to the Sacred Valley, are some of the most beautiful Inka ruins. We were dropped off at the top of the mountain by a Quechua taxi driver who was obviosly frustrated by his dismissal from the NASCAR cicuit and consequently vented this by screeching the wheels of his little toyota car while passing at every blind corner. Gasping for breath and calming our adrenaline, we were greeted at the top with the beginnings of the impressive archeological ruins. The sections of ruins are separated by natural terrain and only accessible by paths and tunnels. As we walked from one terrain to the next we were awestruck by the massive agriculture terracing, complex water engineering and irrigation systems, defensive stone walls, steep drops with buildings hugged against the cliffs, religious and ceremonial areas and beautiful stone work throughout.



We stopped for a quick snack, hydration, and Spot check-in at the edge of a large precipice, overlooking the stunning Sacred Valley. We cooed and gave Inka kisses (which is much like the well-known Eskimo kiss, but involves the passing of coca leaves while rubbing noses) to each other as we listened to the winds blow through the canyons between the craggy Andes. Wondering what a typical day would have been like when the Inka's had inhabited such a beautiful place, we closed our eyes and pretended we were in the 1400's. In the distance we heard the soft whistling of a flute play. Stunned, we opened our eyes, glanced at one another and looking in the distance to see if we could see where the echoing sounds were coming from. We decided it was time to continue on our Pisac adventure, so we pressed on walking single file along the paths of the Inka's.

Snack break at Pisac

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(zoom in and out to see where we were sitting)



The most impressive part of the ruins was the Sun Temple, which had the most sophisticated stonework since it was the religious center for the Inkan city. A channelized spring carried the sacred water throughout the ruins and ended up into a small pool in the center.























































Beyond this we passed through even more agricultural terraces and beautiful vistas. Like the terraces, the pathway meandered along the mountainside with fluid intent.




All in all, the hike down was over 8 km and each kilometer thinned out the tourists who didn't dare venture too far from their air conditioned buses. The second half down felt as though we were discovering the ruins ourselves, until we descended upon the town with loud music, colorful tents, and hand crafted artesenia.


With our exhausted legs, parched lips, growling tummies we spotted a lovely, local restaurant to plop ourselves down for some tasty sandwiches and jugos (juice). It was definitely one of our most adventurous days.

Future adventures: Tomorrow we leave for our 5 day/ 4 night trek to Machu Picchu at 5am...