After touring the Inca sites in the morning we toured some of the hot spots of Cusco. We started outside of the Sun Temple where there were beautiful gardens complete with sculptured grass with the 3 Inca animal symbols –…
Saqsaywaman, Q’enqo, and Qorikancha. There Will Be a Quiz Later!
This morning we explored the Incan ruins in and around Cusco. We began our day at Saqsaywaman, a large ceremomial site high on a hill to the west of the city. The walls are in the shape of lightning bolts…
One Last Morning in Aguas Calientes, One Crazy Train Ride, and One Nice Evening in Cusco
This morning Cheryl and I strolled a different section of Aguas Calientes (Yes, everyone calls it by that name even though it has been officially changed) to the cemetery and a different grouping of sculptures. These sculptures represented traditional Incan…
Machu Picchu – The Alpaca Highway. Some Call It The Inca Trail to the Sun Gate.
After a great lunch with local musicians playing Cheryl and I began our hike to the Sun Gate. It is a path rising about 1000 vertical feet above Machu Picchu for a length of over several kilometers. We met a…
Huayna Picchu (sort of) and the Industrial Side of Machu Picchu
Late morning I struck off to climb Huayna Picchu, the tall conical mountain seen outside the north gate. At the summit is the Moon Temple. The climb was very steep and the steps quite irregular, so discretion being the better…
A “Mistical” Morning in Machu Pichu
Arriving 7:00 AM at Machu Pichu we were greeted by the cool morning mist rising out of the valley. A beautiful, almost eerie sight. Machu Picchu was built and occupied by the Incas between 1450 and 1540 when the Spaniards…
The Vistadome Train to Aguas Calientes – Skip that…to Machu Picchu Pueblo. They Renamed the Town!
After lunch in Ollantaytambo we boarded the train to Machu Picchu Pueblo. It was a beautifully scenic ride following the Inca Trail passing snow capped peaks, small rural villages, waterfalls, and Incan temples and terraces. The town of Machu Picchu…
Ollantaytambo – The Spiritual City of the Incas
This morning we toured the Inca site reserved for temples, priests, leaders, and defenders of the Inca empire located above the city of Ollantaytambo. It is an immense site sprawled out on the mountain to the west of the village.…
Oh-Oh. It’s Ollantaytambo!
Late yesterday afternoon we arrived in the city of Ollantaytambo at the other end of the Sacred Valley. The city is very much intact as it was in Incan times with whole blocks of houses preserved and the original streets…
Pisac – Not to Be Confused With Pisaq
When the Spaniards arrived around 1500 and conquered the Incas, they forced them to move to the valley floor. (Dumb move as the Incas knew that the Urubamba River flooded the valley) and established the town of Pisac. It is…