We departed Lima early in the morning efor Cuzco to start of exploration of the Incan region of the Andes mountains. The flight was short, lasting only an hour or so but it took us from sea level to an elevation of 11,000 feet. Breathing was a little different with the slight shortage of oxygen. We didn’t stay in Cuzco but immediately left for the Sacred Valley which is at a lower elevation, an effort to ease acclimation to some degree. Cuzco was the capital of the Incan Empire during the period 1200 AD to 1532 and that empire was concentrated in the area between and inclusive of Cuzco to Machu Picchu. The following map shows the area and our route.

We departed Lima and headed to Pisaq.

Note the small idol on the roof below. We saw these on most homes and their purpose is to protect the home and its occupants.

The trip from Cuzco involved going over some rather major hills. Below are some scenes of the area.

The Urubamba River is a major feature through the entire valley and was the major source of water for crops.

The trail below is a part of the Inca Trail, the means by which the Incan people and their successors traveled the area between Cuzco and Machu Picchu.

We traveled in a pretty nice bus.

The Quechua (proper name for the exisiting indians, descendants of the Inca) market in Pisaq is an interesting place with lots of colorful and nice things to buy. This woman and her child are attired in their normal clothes, although they pose for tourists, this is their normal attire.

This one is also in her normal attire.

We proceeded up the road, as shown on the map above, until we arrived at our hotel in Urubamba, where we were to spend two nights. This was a very nice hotel, the Casa Andina. Its only problem was that after a long day of hiking we had to climb up the hill. Life was rough!!!

It was at this hotel that we first encountered the substance that seems to keep all the people in these highly elevated areas motivated and unaffected. The substance was in a beverage called coca tea. It is tea made with coca leaves, the same stuff that is used for the manufacture of cocaine. It is supposed to help breathing and keep one mentally sharp. It tasted good and must be effective since it is served everywhere. Vendors also sell the leaves, which the locals put in their mouth and suck on.

We had the privilege attending a Mother Earth ceremony performed by a local shaman. This is how they thank the gods for the productivity of the land and assure its continued productivity.

The next day we started a very busy day of travel. Follow the blue line on the map starting at Urubamba. We stopped first at the salt pans at Maras. These go back to the days of the Incan Empire and are still in use today. Water full of salt comes from springs in the hillside, is diverted into the small ponds, the flow is cut off, and within three days there is salt to be harvested.

This is the warehouse where they weigh and sack the salt before shipping it out. For those of you involved in geocaching, there is a vitual cache in this building wherein the finder is to report the color of the scales. They are brown.

Some countyside enroute to the experimental agricultural area of Moray.

At Moray the Incans did agricultural experimentation to investigate what crops were best in what seasons, the best direction in relation to sun, and apparently many other factors.

Note the stairs built into the terrace wall.

A street in the village of Maras

More countryside.

We are on the way to Cincheros where we will see fabric production operation and some pretty neat ruins. We will break this here.