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Day 9
3rd June 2013
Travel with our local guide through the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Visit the impressive Pisac ruins and the colourful artisan market (market days only). The day trip finishes in the picturesque village of Ollantaytambo, site of another large Inca ruin.
The town and fortress of Ollantaytambo are strategically situated overlooking the beautiful Urubamba River Valley. This major ruin site is known as the best surviving example of Inca urban planning and engineering. It is admired for its huge steep terraces guarding the Inca Fortress and for being one of the few places where the Spanish lost a major battle during the conquest. We spend the night in this small town before heading out towards Machu Picchu the next morning.
After breakfast we leave the hotel at 07:30 and board out bus for our tour of the Sacred Valley. We have a local guide called Marco and off we go into the mountains. After about half an hour David and Fiona realise they have left their passports and cash in the safe at the hotel. We stop the bus and they jump off with Paco and luckily they manage to catch a bus heading back to Cuzco. We continue on to Ccaccacollo a community project sponsored by G Adventures. The women of the town show us how they spin, dye and weave the Alpaca wool. After the demonstrations we are given 25 minutes to look around and buy some of the hand made stuff they have for sale. I pick up a Alpaca jumper and a beanie hat which cost 110 solace (around £26) the jumper is so soft and later I'm told that hand made jumpers like this would cost 4 times that in Cuzco. We get back on the bus and head towards Pisac a local village where we will be show how they make silver jewellery, and of coarse the option to buy some after. We finish there and meet back up with Fiona, David and Paco. After that we head out to Ollantaytambo ruins to see a old inca city. When we arrive our guide gives us some information on the history before giving us some free time to explore on our own. As per normal on all my other trips I find my self having to climb loads of steps to see the ancient pile of rocks at the top. Don't get me wrong it's always worth the effort to see these historical sites but for one I wish I could find one at ground level. After climbing god knows how many steps I get to the top and the views are amazing. The beauty of the landscape in Peru is probably some of the best I have ever seen. A couple of photos and time to head back down to the bus as its starting to rain a little. Back on the bus and off for lunch. We are having lunch at a local hotel and its a help yourself buffet. The tables are all outside under thatched canopies and In front of us are Alpacas wandering around and parrots in the trees.
After lunch we head off to another Inca city with steep terraces rising up into the hill side. We set off to walk up the 200 plus steps to the top. It's hard going but eventually reach the top for a complete panoramic view of the valley below. The views are outstanding, with the clouds draped over the mountains behind us. After a few photos we head back down, but Paco takes a couple of us down via a different route along the edge of the hill and then down another set of terraces. By the time we get to the bottom the rest of the group are waiting for us.
Back on the bus and off to our hotel for the night. The hotel we are staying at is not the one on our itinerary as that hotel is having some building work. We check in and are told that the hotel has no chief and all they can do for dinner is sandwiches!! Even though we are miles from the main town Paco sorts out dinner at another hotel for those who want it. We go to our rooms and wow the rooms are huge and the bed is massive, there is probably room for all 16 of us In just my bed lol. I sort my stuff out and go out and sit in the garden and chat to Richard who is sat having a cup of tea whilst Gina has a quick nap. Just before we head off to dinner Jean arrives with a bottle of Pisco and some glasses. We all have a shot of Pisco and then another, and as each member of the group arrive they each get a shot. We head off for dinner walking down the road then off down a dirt track in the dark. A local guy in a pick up drives behind us with his lights on to help us see where we are going. We then have to walk across a patch of grass and a small plank over a stream before getting to the hotel. Dinner was good and the first time iv ever had an Alpaca pizza before! After dinner we head back to our hotel by the light from a couple of mobile phones. Time to turn in ready for a 06:30 departure in the morning.
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