Pisaq, Peru

(t) So, Mike and I didn't book our Machu Picchu ahead of time. Yes, I know we are crazy. But, it wasn't really that big of a deal. We were doing an alternative trek and it was early in the season. We found thee options. All leaving in two days. This allowed us an extra day to acclimate and explore the nearby Sacred Valley.

We took a local bus to Pisaq. I was relieved to get out of Cusco. Especially, after the mob incident (see Cusco). We stayed at Paz y Luz a B&B/Spiritual Center on the outside of town. It was definitely was peaceful. We sat on our porch and watched the corn grow.

Besides the corn, we spent the day exploring the Inca Pisaq ruins. The ruins top steep mountains overlooking the valley and are spread out over a large area. The different classes of people (royalty, military, farmers, etc) lived and worked in separate areas. The areas were connected by trails. Here I am navigating a scary staircase connecting two areas.

Mike passing through a tunnel along one of the trails.

Pisaq (the town) below. When we were done checking out the ruins, we hiked down to the town. We could have hiked up too but opted for a taxi ride. At this point, we were still sucking air on any incline what so ever.

When were reached the town's plaza we were inundated by locals selling handy crafts. Mike loves... shopping for handy crafts. Fortunately, we found refuge on the edge of the plaza at the colorful Ulrike's Café.

When we returned to the B&B, there was a group of pigs blocking our path. The neighbors' dogs cleared them out of the way but they sent them straight at us. At this point we were use to encountering domestic animals along the road but this was our first pack of pigs. The little babies were very cute.

The next day we took the local bus through other towns in the Sacred Valley. We stopped in Urubamba for lunch. It was siesta time when we arrived and the streets were pretty much deserted.

After lunch we headed back to Cusco in a shared taxi (everyone pays a set price and you leave when the car is full). That night we packed and readied ourselves for the Lares Valley trek.