Following our llama cuddles, we were back on the road heading to the Sacred Valley. This beautiful spot along the way was perfect for a photo.
Not long after (although too long for anyone feeling carsick – it was a very winding road!), we arrived at Pisac (Pisaq): a little town in the Sacred Valley region. Here we were going to explore some Incan ruins and learn more about their way of life.
What a fascinating civilisation the Incas were – we loved learning more about them and soaking up the views of the ruins and the valley. So much of their building construction seems impossibly complex & modern given the tools they had access to. Much remains a mystery as to how they actually constructed the temples and agricultural terraces.
Martin, Donna, Alys and Elijah were the only ones feeling well enough to continue walking higher to the ruins at the top… they really enjoyed seeing the area from a different viewpoint (and enjoyed even more their competitive run to the top!).
Once we were ready to move on (not before sampling some freshly squeezed orange juice and buying some souvenirs), we headed back down to the car park to find our minibus. To our delight, our driver had prepared road-side hot chocolates and fresh fruit to keep our energies up.
Soon after it was time to head to Ollantaytambo – a town in the Sacred Valley, right on the Urubamba River. It’s known for its massive Incan fortress with large stone terraces, set into the side of the mountain. It is also the starting point of the 4 day Inca trail – the last part of which we will be hiking tomorrow.
As we approached Ollantaytambo, we saw a massive queue of traffic, which we inevitably got stuck in! After a good 20 minutes waiting in our minibus, we all decided to get out and walk. According to Raul, this is a pretty common occurrence as there is only one road in and out of this famous village.
Hiking up the narrow street with cars, motorbikes, vans and buses either side of us was a new experience! Luckily Raul knew a shortcut, so we could avoid the vehicle fumes after a while. We popped to our hotel to drop our bags, and then rushed off to the archaeological site before it closed…
During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of one of the Emperors, and it was he that orders the ceremonial site to be built here. During the Spanish invasion, it then served as a stronghold for the Incan resistance. Sadly, huge parts were destroyed during this time and much of the history lost.
It is believed however, that the site may date back as far as 3500 years, as some of the buildings here are pre-Incan. There is evidence in and around the town of settlements of the Huari civilisation (600-1000AD).
Once we were kicked out of the site at closing time, we headed back to our hotel through the local markets. We couldn’t resist stopping and listening to these two gorgeous girls, who told Raul they wanted to sing a local song for us.
A gorgeous way to end our visit.
All we had to do then was pick up some Inca trail snacks, and find some supper. Poor Dave was suffering again, so he headed back to the hotel to chill.
Having already had a buffet breakfast, and a 3 course restaurant meal for lunch around 3pm, we didn’t need much – so we set off to find some local street food. This was a struggle as the area we were in seemed to only cater for tourists, but as we had no energy to search further we settled on sharing meals in a crepe cafe. Apparently teenagers are empty vessels though as Alys and Elijah managed to smash their non-sharing burgers!
Back to the hotel to shower and get some sleep before our epic hike tomorrow!
Coyle Family Adventures 