Adios Valle Sagrada

For my last full day in Cusco, Anastassja and I went back to the Valle Sagrada. We were not with the same driver and guide this time, but Joel and Willy, who accompanied us today, proved to be very pleasant and competent company too. The weather was fantastic, about 25°, and after our late night yesterday (see below), fresh air and some exercise walking were just what we needed. 


We visited 2 new sites and returned to Ollantaytambo (see my post of April 5th)  after lunch for a last walk around a true Inca town, inhabited continuously since the 13^th century, and tasted a glass of home-brewed Inca fermented corn beer called chicha.  

Our first stop was Moray (4 photos left), about an hour and a half from Cusco. We drove through the most splendid countryside, with rocks, animals and rivers to negotiate along what was a dirt track for the last 30 minutes or so. At Moray, we saw what initially appear to be sunken amphitheatres, but were in fact agricultural laboratories. Because of their circular shape, these arenas have their own microclimate and as you go down a terrace, the temperature goes up by 1°. Here, the Incas tested the optimal conditions in which to cultivate their crops: quinoa, corn, coca… As in all Inca sites, this one emanated great peace. Parts of the site are under restoration and it must be wonderful to see dawn break or to camp here under a starlit sky  as the archaeologists do

Next stop was Salineras (bottom 2 photos), which is really quite unique. Since Inca times, a hot, salty spring has run out of a nearby mountain and the local people have recuperated this salt in salt pools (100 in number in Inca times, but now 3500). The salt from here supplies Cusco and the surrounding area. I bought a sachet to take back to Geneva and one for Anastassja, for her new self-catering life!