
This morning I head for the sacred valley on my way to Macchu Pichu. We ascend into the mountains and 40 mins later arrive at a small town with a "tourist compound" specially for bus tours. This is a "buy stuff" stop with nothing at all of interest. Leaving this town we progress through very scennic valleys. Passing through a narrow gorge we emerge to a stunning view of the sacred valley 1,000m below. From here we descend into the valley to the market town of Pisaq, renowned for its markets. There isn´t a market today so we proceed another 7-8km up the slopes of the far side of the valley to the old Inca settlement of Pisaq. Perched high up on the mountainside overlooking the sacred valley old Pisaq is stunning. I didn´t know what to expect and I´m blown away by it.
We get an hour to explore the ruins and it simply isn´t enough. As we leave the bus I fall in with an English lad Matt Baker, born in the eastend of London. A sound lad we chat away as we ramble over the ruins. A self contained city with agricultural terraces stepped into the mountain slopes. It has a residencial area, a sacred zone with temples, an observatory and housing for the priesthood. Its all linked together by narrow pathways which cross steep cliffs. It was an amazing location for a town. Wandering around the place both Matt and myself wondered how impressive Macchu Pichu could really be after this. Would it be an anticlimax? Reluctantly we went back to the bus. Driving back down into the valley everybody´s gaze was drawn back up to the old town. As the road switched over and back as it descended we wondered what was it like to live in such an awe inspiring location. What made the people build a city halfway up a mountain on the side of a cliff.
Back in the valley we passed through modern Pisaq and made our way into the valley following the course of the Urubamba river. Its a very fertile valley, devoted to crop production. The valley floor is full of fields cereals and vegetables all hemmed in by high steep mountains on either side. We passed through some small town before stopping at Urubamba, a fairly nondescript town in the middle of the valley. While the rest ate in an upmarket restaurant I had to organise my own food. So I stroled down the town and into a busy looking locals restaurant. I sat down and ordered fried trout from the lady who ran the place.
This lady appeared to fill the roles of manageress, grandmother and matriarch all in one. Though small in stature she looked formidable. She wore an apron over her clothes and looked as though she would throw her hand to whatever needed doing, including boxing the ear of a sullen son who was unenthusiatic waiter requiring "encouragement" to go about his work. She clucked after a small grandchild who seemed intent on all kinds of gleeful mischief which eventually had the old lady tutting and scolding after her.
The room was full of locals having their lunch and it seemed to take a few minutes before they noticed the gringo in their midst. Every sooften over the next while 3 or 4 faces would gaze impassively at me. When my meal arrived the looks I got made me feel uncomfortable. While they weren´t hostile they certainly didn´t appear to be friendly.
The meal itself was certainly worth a photo. The fried trout, with head attached, was accompanied by grilled banana, rice decoratively arranged, salad and chips. All washed down with Inka Kola. Happy after this little culinary adventure I rejoined the group and we made a 30min trip to Ollantaytambo, another town with a dramatic Inca ruin. Again myself and Matt teamed up to explore these ruins and while not as dramatic as Pisaq they were impressive nonetheless.
At the end of the visit I left the group who were going back to Cusco. I stayed on to run around the ruins for a little longer. I had some hours to pass before catching a train up to Aguas Caliente where I´d stay tonight. Ollantaytambo was a pretty little town and it was easy to kill time here. I was on the train by 8.30pm. A peruvian guy, Juan had the seat beside me and we fell into chatting ae we waited for the train to depart. Juan was from Lima and was bringing his parents on a trip to Cusco and Macchu Pichu. He was a sound fella, into his sports and was curious about rugby in Ireland. We also discussed the prospects for Ireland and Peru qualifying for the next world Cup....... Peru won´t be going!
The train journey took longer than expected and it was after 11pm when we arrived in Aguas Caliente. Here the train stops in the main street!! Its funny to see the train stop alongside shops and restaurants and souvenir stalls. I was met by a person from the hostel I was to stay at. I was shown to my room. I had a quick shower...... with lovely hot water! I went straight to bed for an early start in the morning.