Saturday September 5, 2015

With Alexa we are back to the airport for our flight to Cusco (elevation 11,150 feet above sea level) where we are met by Wilson Arroyo and Omar. They drop us off for lunch at Incanto near the Cusco Plaza Mayor (Plaza de Armas). We enjoy soups and our first coca tea (said to be good for altitude sickness and it seemed to work for us!) They pick us up and we leave Cusco for the Sacred Valley of the Inca. We climb steadily out of Cusco to the ruins of Pisac (11,200 feet). We learn about the terraced fields, the separate villages for farmers, artisans, military and nobility. We walk along the Inca Trail through an Inca gate and through a tunnel to the other side of the mountain. Our legs are quickly spent and Kurt has a severe headache, but all in all we handle the altitude pretty well. Omar then drives us down the Urubamba River and along the river to U
rubamba (9,420) where we check into the Sol y Luna Hotel. We have our own casita with a separate living room, dressing room, bathroom and bedroom. The décor is wonderful, the staff friendly and attentive, and the gardens of the hotel lovely. We take a taxi into town to the El Huacatay Restaurant and Kathy has stuffed chilies with quinoa, veggies and brie cheese with passion fruit sauce with Andean potatoes and Kurt has the tenderloin of alpaca, which quickly becomes his favorite meal.

Kurt preparing for the altitude of Cusco with a cup of coca tea!

The Sacred Valley with the Urubamba River

Entering Pisac

The terraces used for agriculture at Pisac; the view is from the Inca Trail looking down over the modern town

The agricultural terraces of Pisac

Along the Inca Trail

Kathy at the Sol y Luna Hotel