Sacred Valley

Trip Start May 10, 2007
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Trip End May 19, 2007


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Flag of Peru  ,
Sunday, May 13, 2007

What a fabulous day! Up early for a flight on Air Condor to Cusco.  On the flight we could see the snow covered Andes from the window. We arrived in Cusco to bright sunshine and clear, blue skies.  A wonderful change from Lima. Arturo met us at the airport and we drove up and up then through a mountain pass for our first view of the Sacred Valley.  Called Sacred by the Incas as the Urubamba River runs the length with flat land on either side and a climate suited to two growing seasons each year, we agree that it really is a special place on earth. 

We stopped in Pisac to see the market and of course we had to shop as well.  We particularly loved interacting with a local artist, Paulino, and a musician that made wonderful instruments and demonstrated their use.  With our purchases in hand, we started again on our journey through the Sacred Valley.  We next stopped for lunch at a Hacienda to have a wonderful buffet served al fresco 1Sacred Valley
1Sacred Valley
 .  We were able to admire their alpacas and a colorful parrot as well.

The highlight and also the highest stop was Ollantaytambo.  These are important Incan ruins that were fascinating.  We climbed up hundreds of steps with great difficulty, but we did make it to the top!!  Remember we are at 10,000 feet where the oxygen is almost nonexistent. Indescribable how wonderful this experience was.  Panoramic views and the sense of history made a large impression on both of us. Arturo was great with the stories and very patient with the two puffing women!

We then proceeded to our wonderful hotel. We were dismayed, however, as we followed the porter up another 100 steps to the room!  We have a balcony with mountain views and very comfortable, beautiful accomodations.  Another highlight was the spa treatments we indulged in before a gourmet dinner on the property. Ask Violet about her attire!

All in all a great lead-in to Machu Picchu tomorrow.   (Photos will be posted tomorrow as we are too tired tonight to figure out the Spanish Windows commands - an unanticipated challenge). Actually, itīs the hike to our room for the card reader and the hike back thatīs the real challenge. Mev, of course, has flower pictures -- youīve got to see the giant geraniums!
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