We left the lush Inca Terra early in the morning to travel from Aguas Calientes via the train and van ride back to Cusco. We were picked up at our hotel and began our tour of the lovely Sacred Valley of the Incas. The Sacred Valley is a stretch of small villages and ancient ruins Northwest of Cusco.
Looking out our door, Jim and Barb are heading out to breakfast!
Time to leave for the train and walk across the Inca Terra Bridge
The Inca Terra waterfalls.
This is the train station at Aguas Calientes.
There were many markets at the train station.
Steve is ready to board!
Jim got some great shots leaning out the windows on our trip back to Cusco!
We were greeted by this Inca warrior!
The Sacred Valley shows that the Incas developed well organized cities.
This entrance shows the precision cut blocks with no mortar between them.
Across the valley and the Urubamba River, there are ramps leading to the quarry and back up to the fortress on the opposite side.
This is one of the many Inca baths!
The fortress is at the top.
Hilda led our tour and loves talking about the Sacred Valley, because this is where her family lives.
Hilda was always sharing information about how valuable the Sacred Valley is to this region, because of it's location, great weather, water, and soil for growing food! It is the best place for maize(corn) production in Peru. This tour, also, included a visit to the native markets and ruins of Pisac and Calca and a lunch stop at a beautiful hacienda restaurant.
The gardens were lovely!
The Urubamba River can be seen thru the trees!
The dining room accommodated 80 guests.
The alpacas roamed the gardens.
We enjoyed some great Peruvian flute music with our wonderful lunch!
A peaceful moment by the river.
Looking from the river back to the hacienda and Steve is trying to find me!
The inside had many wall paintings
This was our buffet line.
We stopped to take pictures of the beautiful parrots!
The mission office is located in this new building!
We had a nice lunch with the Pres. and Sister Calderon after the zone conference.
You can see a group of tourists climbing down the terraces.
Amazing irrigation system.
This is the spring that irrigates this whole area!
Housing for the Inca farmers and field hands!
On the way down to the Sacred Valley from Tipon.
A dwelling halfway down the mountain! I don't think missionaries have knocked on this door!
We stopped by this Pre-Inca site, on our way back to Cusco. There was a very long wall around it made of small stone, a totally different kind of building method, from the Incas.
The poles were wrapped with hide straps.
This was the main cooking area.
The entrance to the chapel
The lovely flowers in the side garden
San Pedro Chapel in the village of Andahuaylillas. We returned back to Cusco and had lunch at a restuarant overlooking Cusco!
This young woman greeted us in her native costume. Most young people do not follow the traditions of their parents and dress like teenagers everywhere.
The view of Cusco from the restuarant!
We said goodbye to our wonderful guides and thanked them for their service and kindness towards us.
Our last stop was the Farmers Market not far from the main plaza. We had a great time seeing all the displays and different foods!
None of us were hungry, after this visit!
Beef for dinner!
We loved the colorful displays and meeting the hermanas in native dress.
This is how they shape their breads.
The variety booth with candy, nuts, and everything else store!
Cheese, cheese, and more cheese!
After dropping off our bags at the Eco Inn in Cusco, we began our tour to the Sacred Valley. This is the Inca village and fortress of Ollantaytambo, which is considered second in historical significance to Machu Picchu. It served as a garrison and a royal palace, where Inca leaders could negotiate with the other chiefs from the region. The size of the blocks used in this construction are remarkable. The stones came from a quarry located across the valley and the Urubamba River located many miles away. How they managed to move so many blocks is still a mystery, today.
There were markets outside the ruins!
You can see huge storage buildings halfway up the mountain.
Hilda was always sharing information about how valuable the Sacred Valley is to this region, because of it's location, great weather, water, and soil for growing food! It is the best place for maize(corn) production in Peru. This tour, also, included a visit to the native markets and ruins of Pisac and Calca and a lunch stop at a beautiful hacienda restaurant.
The alpacas roamed the gardens.
We enjoyed some great Peruvian flute music with our wonderful lunch!
The next morning, Office elders from the Cusco Mission picked us up for their zone conference
The Fitzgerald's and Standing's met these elders and then headed off to the salt mines of Salineras with Hilda. Steve and I then went to the new Stake Center in Cusco.
The next day, Steve met with the Calderons to visit the clinics they use and met some of the doctors that care for the missionaries. Jim, Barb, Dean, Elizabeth, and I went with Hilda to Tipon, a vast irrigation system that is still working today. With its impressive terraces, Tipon is just another example of the elaborate construction of the Inca civilization.
We stopped by this Pre-Inca site, on our way back to Cusco. There was a very long wall around it made of small stone, a totally different kind of building method, from the Incas.
Enjoy the texture of the past!
Our last tour was to San Pedro de Andahuaylillas, which is called the "Sistine Chapel of the Americas". It is an incredible site decorated with colonial-era frescos with huge gold painted framed murals, paintings, and woodcarvings. A blend of Italian renaissance and Spanish baroque styles. We could not take pictures on the inside! This small village was worth visiting.
Our last stop was the Farmers Market not far from the main plaza. We had a great time seeing all the displays and different foods!
I think this is dried meat.
The next morning we returned to Lima and Jim proudly holds his great walking can from the Ollantaytambo ruins!
