This morning we packed a bag for 2 nights, just as we did for the Amazon, and we started heading for the Sacred Valley of the Incas and Muchu Picchu.

The views all along here are spectacular. Though when I turned around…

… there were some gum trees. There are so many here. Every time I idly think that those trees over there look like proper trees, of course they’re gum trees.

I was so happy. We stopped at a tiny village for a toilet break, (1 sol payment, but she gave us toilet paper), and I saw a shop selling hats. AT LAST they had mesh as an inner covering, so now the kids going with me to Egypt have these fantastic hats.

Our first stop was Pisac, which looks like the open greenhouse we saw yesterday, but was actually a place that provided lots of food all year round. This one supplied Cusco, heading one way over the mountains, and Muchu Picchu, heading a different way.

They farmed the valley all the way to Machu Picchu. They terraced the hills to make more room.

They actually made wicking beds from the terraces, using clay to keep the water in. They didn’t need irrigation, as the wicking beds saved all the water, exactly as my wicking beds do today.

We’re at 3,400 metres elevation.

The elevation is still affecting people. One guy, who has the double whammy of having a cold and being a smoker, was having a hard time today.
I’m ok, but I’ve noticed that when I want to take a deep breath, sometimes it’s not as satisfying as it usually is.

The houses at the top of the terrace were for the privileged people. The labourers lived down at the bottom.

They used Guinea pigs like a living doona, as they didn’t use any internal heating. Families would share a bed, along with Guinea pigs when it got nippy. Imagine how cold it would get at night, especially during the rainy season when it rains nearly every day? I’d grab every guinea pig I could!

Inca mummies were buried in the caves in the cliffs, around 10 mummies per cave. This was the biggest Inca cemetery ever found.

The bodies were crouched, to make them smaller. Inside the shrouds were tucked food, jewellery, toys, instruments of their trades, to take with them to the afterlife.

Most were destroyed by looters. It wasn’t the Spanish, as they never discovered them. The cliffs were covered with thick vegetation.

It was people in the 1980’s with metal detectors.

Llamas are wandering around free, undisturbed except for tourists wanting a selfie with them.

In the van again. I kept dozing off, but I saw these triangular hills.

Claudio pointed these pods out to us. You have to hike two hours up the mountain to get to your pod. It’s totally self-contained, and you spend the night suspended from the side of the mountain. The cheapest one is 600USD a night.

Two seconds later as our van kept moving, we saw hikers on their way to a night of bliss… or terror, depending on their faith in the machinery holding them up there.

After a huge buffet lunch, we drove to Ollantaytambo, a name that really rolls off the tongue. Quite apart from the Inca ruins, this is a terrific market town. Practically everyone bought something.

Ta da! I bought a dog-walking poncho.

Alpaca. All undyed. Babybaby.

This place was the gateway to go to Muchu Picchu. The buildings at the top of the hill are a temple to the Sun. The reason they moved huge rocks to the top of the hilltop was to be closer to the gods.

They were always watching the skies and these hills framed the Milky Way for them.

There were 7 different trails to get to Machu Picchu from different Inca cities. The trails were paved with small rocks to make it easier to pass. When it was realised just how destructive the Spanish conquistadors were, people moved the stones of the paving into the scrub and planted grass and plants. Fortunately, the plants had time to grow.

Six years later, when the Spanish and indigenous peoples had finished fighting, the Spanish were unable to ever find Machu Picchu. When the conquistadors arrived here, they asked for directions to any cities in the area.

The people here used gold statues on the cliffs leading away from Machu Picchu as a treasure hunt. The Spanish were led to a really big city. The Spanish destroyed the city and killed many people.
It would have really sucked to be them, but it saved Machu Picchu as an intact time capsule.

Most of our group climbed up to the top of the mountain, but I thought I’d save my leg muscles for Machu Picchu in two days’ time. As I was walking around the market, I saw what I swear must be Scout’s cousin!

Look. His little face is exactly like hers. I messaged Izzy to see how the dogs were doing.
“They are very energetic hahaha, and love cuddles all the time.”
Hopefully that means Hazel has recovered from her separation anxiety.

On our way out, these little girls offered to sing and dance for us. The second the song was over, the hats turned into tip receivers. They’re learning how to milk the tourists early. 😀

Dad joke of the day: