It has been a busy two days touring as we travel to our lodging destination near the trailhead for the Inca Trail.
Day one the entire group packed up and departed the Novotel Hotel. We met our guide Caesar and his lieutenant Ronald and they began immediately pointing out sights and historical facts as we drove through the city on our way to Sacsayhuaman Fortress.
There we walked up, through and around the very impressive site for over an hour. One stop was an impressive overlook of the city of Cusco.
And this is the first of many group shots at the overlook:
Then we headed to the Museo Sulca which is a working textile factory, museum and education center preserving and advancing the Peruvian heritage of fine woven textiles. Most of their work is with baby alpaca and llama wool. One highlight was meeting and feeding a number of their wool production team.
Mickey seems to have a special affection for this one!
Afterward we drove down the mountain into the Sacred Valley of the Incas and the town of Pisca. There we strolled through the market and enjoyed Empanadas. They were fantastic and yes cooked in the oven in the background by the chef and her assistant daily.
Finally we arrived at Casa Andina Premium Sacred Valley Hotel, where we will stay the next two nights and prepare.
Day two was a free day for organizing gear, adventure and rest. Carol and others decided after breakfast to tour the salt mines. On the way they passed by a tiered depression along the hillside which was used by the Incas to bring low altitude agricultural seeds and plants up to higher elevation in order to acclimate them for production in the Sacred Valley.
Afterward they hiked the salt mines, there is much to this story and we will detail in another post.
Others spent the day riding bicycles, reading in hammocks, configuring and testing electronics and relaxing. Tomorrow we begin the Inca Trail and will be offline for all four days. Expect the next post Tuesday May 30th.
Until then, Be Well!
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