On our third and final day in Cusco we ventured outside the city. We grabbed a taxi and made our way to Sacsayhuaman, amazing Inca ruins just outside Cusco. A large area containing some of the largest and most impressive stones tightly fit together. We made our way through a pitch black winding cave, and the kids slid down a huge rock slide worn smooth by centuries of bottoms.
After an incredible day at Machu Picchu, we arrived in Cusco late. We were now staying at a higher elevation than we had so far, and it was cold. We found our guesthouse amid the narrow cobblestone streets of the San Blas neighborhood and went to sleep. The next two days we were to explore Cusco and the area. Hubby wasn’t feeling well, and the next morning he was in no condition to leave our room. Our first victim of Inca’s revenge so to speak. So the kids and I left Michael in bed to explore the city.
Machu Picchu…finally we arrived. Secluded in a beautiful rain forest, high in the Andes mountains, Machu Picchu is an archaeological marvel and the culmination of Inca achievement. To reach it we had flown to Cusco, taken a taxi to Ollantaytambo, taken a train to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo), and ridden a bus up endless switchbacks to the ancient site. And it was absolutely worth it.
There are Inca ruins all over the Sacred Valley. We visited two sites near Ollantaytambo, Moroy and Salinas de Maras. I had secured a van the evening before in the Ollanta town square, so we headed down to the square after breakfast. Luis was our driver for the day. First he took us to the remote Inca agricultural site of Moroy. The drive from Ollantaytambo to Moroy was spectacular. We headed back toward Urubamba, then turned off the main road. Moroy is on a high (11,500 feet) plateau. We drove for about half an hour on a remote and bumpy road across this plateau surrounded by the Andes. Extraordinary landscape.
Lima was nice, but our true goal was Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. The Sacred Valley is a valley in the Andes where the Inca once reigned. Ancient, mysterious, beautiful and frozen in time…it includes not only Machu Picchu but many Inca towns and ruins. We spent a week there, and barely scratched the surface.
You Must Travel It For Yourself 