A Shower & Sacred Valley

As can be expected, I took a long shower after not having the luxury of warm water and temperate weather for a week. I was happy to have the shower, but it meant that I was no longer exploring mother nature's landscape.

Today I was headed on another tourist must-do: a tour of the Sacred Valley with SAS Travel. We would visit Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chincero; arriving back to Cuzco in time for my dinner plans with Sanjay, Nirupa, Sunil, and Enov. I was touring with a small group; a couple from Seattle, a woman from Vancouver, another woman from England, and a woman from the Netherlands.

I was most impressed by Ollantaytambo and Chincero, but for very different reasons. Ollantaytambo had a great set of ruins, and the modern city still rested on an Incan foundation of hand cut stones. The ruins had been cut into a steep hillside which had gorgeous views of the valley.

Chincero, a small village of approx. 10,000 people, has been well-preserved (which was it's best attribute). The main square in front of the church was filled with locals selling handicrafts, so every 2 seconds I would hear 'senor' or 'amigo' followed by some Spanish that I didn't understand, but most likely meant 'buy my fine Peruvian handicrafts'. The church was impressive, but due to the preservation rules we were not allowed to take photos. The inside of the church is painted from ceiling to floor with frescos and adorned with gigantic paintings. The paintings had been here for awhile; the canvas was starting to deteriorate. Outside was the next great part of this town; the view. Chincero is situated on a plateau that is surrounded by snowcapped peaks and fields of red dirt.

I met up with everyone at 8pm in Plaza de Armas, and we headed to Mama Afrika where the 4 of them had already started drinking pisco sours. I had a blast - we were eating, drinking pisco sours, talking and dancing. Reminds me of great DMB lyrics: 'eat, drink, and be merry'.