Day Eight - Sacred Valley of the Incas

My driver for the day arrived about 40 minutes late and was apologizing profusely. I couldn't understand exactly what was happening, but before I knew it, I was in a different car with a totally different person and the original driver was on his way down the street. The new driver was friendly and ready to go.

Our first stop was at Cristo Blanco, Cusco's much smaller version of Christ the Redeemer. Made from white stone, the statue is also illuminated during the night time, so you can see it from Cuzco. Cristo Blanco was built by a group of Christian Palestinians that were seeking refuge in Cuzco in 1945. It was a symbol of their gratitude toward the city, and was their parting gift when the returned home.

Cristo Blanco (Click to Enlarge)	Pisaq (Click to Enlarge)	Pisaq (Click to Enlarge)

Pisaq (Click to Enlarge)	Pisaq (Click to Enlarge)	Ollantaytambo (Click to Enlarge)

The Incan site of Pisac, which stands above a city of the same name, covers a large area with many finely constructed buildings the site had various purposes ranging from military, religious and agricultural. It's large enough that you could easily spend several hours there, investigating all the areas and building.

Ollantaytambo (Click to Enlarge)	Ollantaytambo (Click to Enlarge)	Ollantaytambo (Click to Enlarge)

Ollantaytambo (Click to Enlarge)	Women's Soccer (Click to Enlarge)	Outskirts of Cusco (Click to Enlarge)

We then proceeded to Ollantaytambo to visit the ruins we had briefly seen on our way to the Inca Trail. Though it contains some exceptional stonework, it was never actually finished. The legend goes that Ollanta was a general of the first great Inca Pachacutec, who was responsible for building the site. Ollanta angered Pachacutec by falling in love with his daughter and a war sprung up between the two during which Pachacutec razed Ollantaytambo to the ground.

Our final stop was Chinchero, a a small town on the plains above the Sacred Valley. Chinchero is home to a beautiful colonial era church and a large area of terraces. On Sundays there is a mass held in the Qhechua language there in a beautiful church. Unfortunately, the church did not allow any photography, flash or otherwise.

Chinchero (Click to Enlarge)	Peruvian Woman in Chinchero (Click to Enlarge)	Small House in Chinchero (Click to Enlarge)

After a long day of driving and exploring, I was happy to be back in Cusco and enjoying a beer at Paddy's Irish Pub, which, at 11,156 feet, is the highest Irish-owned pub in the world. Dinner and drinks later at an outdoor cafe and my trip to Cusco and the Inca Trail was complete.

I've listed some tips which may be helpful for those considering hiking the trail. It can be found below.

So you want you hike the Inca Trail?

 

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