The Secrets of the Sacred Valley

Over the course of a week, we explored the beauty and mystery of the Scared Valley high in the Peruvian Andes. We visited such wonderful places as Cusco and Ollantayambo. We browsed the markets of Pisac and hiked down through the salt mines of Maras. And, of course, we explored many Incan ruins, culminating with the magnificent Machu Picchu.

The people of Peru were incredible friendly and made our first South American experience wonderful. The service was great at all the hotels and restaurants, and I felt safe everywhere I went in the Valley. (Lima, on the other hand, left a little to be desired.)

If you are an outdoors type of person who likes hiking and the mountains and wants a little adventure in a culturally and physically beautiful country, Peru is the place to go.

Quick Tips:

If you are planning a trip to Peru, spend your time in the mountains or the Amazon and do not waste any days in Lima. It is a loud, dirty city that does not offer nearly as many cultural experiences as other large cities in the world, and especially not as much as the rural areas of this great country.

Best Way To Get Around:

Even though a lot of people don't like to use them when they travel, a tour group that organizes all of the transportation for you is the best way to get around. If you go without one, you will need taxis in Lima (make sure you know what you are doing with this one) and a plane to Cusco from Lima. Finally, you will need busses around the rest of the Sacred Valley.

This beautiful hotel is a great final stop on our trip to Machu Picchu. It offered outstanding, quaint rooms that let in the warm subtropical breeze. It has its own restaurant and bar, but it was also only a short walk away from the rest that Aguas Caliente has to offer, including restaurants and shops. There is a pool and a fire pit, where we sat outside and enjoyed the night air while we reminisced our Peruvian journeys.

The highlight of the hotel for many is the orchid walk, a mile-long path with hundreds of species of orchids of all different colors and sizes.

This hotel was a great and relaxing escape from the long hikes up at Machu Picchu, and I would without question stay there again if I ever am lucky enough to find myself back in this wonderful place.

Market day in Pisac was both fun and a little scary--you see, my wife loves to shop, and I have found myself with large bills after an afternoon of uncontrolled shopping. However, in this little village in the middle of the Scared Valley, things were a little different. Everything was cheap, if you wanted it to be. In these markets nothing was what is seems and everyone is expected to bargain the price and if you are really good at it you can get the prices quite low. Luckily for me, my wife was really good at and we came away from the markets with lots of Christmas presents for not a lot of money.

What they had: pottery, Incan art, flutes and other instruments, purses, handbags, tablecloths, shirts, sweaters, and much more.

Alpaca warning: Many shops will try to sell you baby Alpaca sweaters which look and feel really great but at these outside shops you need to be cautious. When someone tries to sell you baby Alpaca, think to yourself, "Maybe" Alpaca, because most of the sweaters sold on the streets will only be about 5% Alpaca. If you really want an Alpaca sweater, go to a shop in Cusco; they should be upwards of $70 if they are real. If you really like the Maybe Alpaca sweater, you can still get it; you should be able to bargain it down to $10-$12 dollars, and at that price, even Maybe Alpaca is pretty good. (Real Alpaca will not be fussy.)

Bargaining tip: Go back and forth with the merchant on price. Always stay very low. Get them to the point where they say they won't go any lower and start to walk away. They will ALWAYS go down, because they want to make the sale more than anything.

In Maras, we went to the ancient salt mines that have been used for thousands of years to supply the Andean people with salt. It is still being harvested today, as it was hundreds of years ago.

The mine itself has been created as a result of a stream running through a mountain. The snowmelt from this stream runs through a mountain. Inside this mountain is a large salt deposit. When the stream runs through it, the water picks up the salt and carries it out of the mountain. The Incas then created many drying ponds where they catch this salt water. They allow the water to sit in these ponds and the hot Peruvian sun causes the water to evaporate and the salt is left behind. The workers then come by and pack the salt into bags and carry the 130lb. bags up the hill and put them on a mule or a truck today. They are able to create four different types of salt from industrial grade all the way to table salt. The site is amazing because there are at least a 1000 of these ponds down the mountainside. On the day we went even it was hot and there were still men and women working. It gave us an appreciation for our jobs. Our guide said they only made about $120 a month.

We had the opportunity to walk across the top rim of the mines and down the other side it was a great experience.

When you stop by don’t forget to try the roasted corn and fava beans they are a Maras specialty.

Huanu Picchu is the mountain that you see in the back of every classic picture of Machu Picchu. There is a moderately step trail that goes up the side of the mountain to the very top. From the top you can get great views of the Lost City and see the famous outline of the condor. If you have the time to make the hike, it is definitely worth it.

If you are interested in doing this hike make sure you have done some training before you get to Peru. If you are in shape, the hike will be much more pleasant. Take plenty of water and make sure that you have good, broken-in hiking boots.

Cusco is a stark contrast from the dirty hustle of Lima. It is the second largest city in Peru and the capital city of the ancient Incan empire. Located at 11,000 feet, this Andean city is the doorway to the Quechuan culture of the Incan people. The city center, Plaza de Armas, reminds me of many plazas you will find in Spain. On one side, you will find the main Catholic church. Shops and restaurants border the rest of the plaza. In the center, you will find flowers and benches to people-watch on.

Things to do: The main thing to do in this city is to tour the cathedral. Inside, you will find spectacular and ornate carvings still covered in the original gold leaf. If you look carefully, you will find some very interesting aspects of how the Spanish conquistadors and the ancient Inca people coexisted.

Story: When the Spanish came in and started taking over the country, they also tried hard to convert the Incan people to Catholicism. However, the Inca people were not so willing to do this. Luckily for them, the Spanish weren’t that smart. The Incan people worshipped nature, including things like the mountains and the sun. The Spanish hired many Incans to help them build this cathedral in Cusco. When they designed some of the art you find inside, they included clues about their gods, the mountains and the sun. When you go into the church, you will find the Virgin Mary with a large dress on that makes her look like a triangle (mountain), and on her head is a crown that looks very much like a sun. So when the Incan people went into this church, the Spanish thought they were really praying to the Virgin Mary, when instead they were praying to the mountain and the sun, never really converting.

Dinning: In Peru, a buffet is apparently the best way to eat, because in many restaurants you will find this setup. Pizza is also a big calling. In the Plaza de Armas, you will find many good restaurants. From my experience, the best ones seemed to be on the first floor of the buildings. The one I enjoyed the most is located to the right of the cathedral (looking at it from the square). It offered buffet-style food, but most importantly, it had an outstanding performance of Andean folk music with very enthusiastic musicians and a dancer. They were a lot of fun and made this place definitely worth going to.

Sights: Just overlooking Cusco are the ruins called Sacsayhuaman ("sexy woman"). This sight was designed to look like the head of a Puma, with the body extending down into the city of Cusco. It is more of a fort or defense type of ruins where the Incans also held many ceremonies. From this vantage point, you can get a great view of the city of Cusco and the surrounding mountains.

While many people in this city still speak some Quechuan, everyone speaks Spanish. Many of the people you encounter in the hotels and restaurants will also speak English, which makes getting around this city much easier.

Other Travel Secrets:

•Exchange money at hotels instead of the airports; you will get a much better rate.

•If you buy a finger puppet from one of the many children trying to sell them to you, expect to be accosted for the rest of your visit. The children picked you in the first place because they knew you would buy them, so they’ll just keep coming back to see if you will buy more.

•If you get food poisoning or drink the wrong water and forgot your Cipro, you can find it at the local drug stores.

•The cocoa tea is made from the same plant that cocaine comes from, and it’s really tasty.

Ollantayambo is another amazing city in the Sacred Valley, and our last stop before Machu Picchu. It was at this great city that Manco Inca, the last great Incan ruler, made his stand against the Spanish conquistadors. The city itself is built on the ruins of the Incan village, and you can still see the aqueducts built into the streets that the city still uses for its water supply.

The fortress behind the city is made up of terraced farming land, as well as a temple at the top. The stone in the original mountain was not high-enough quality to be used to build this temple, so the Inca went across the valley and up another mountain 6 miles away to find the granite they needed. They then had to divert a river and push the stones up to where they are today to build the temple that is currently there.

In the mountains across the valley, you can also see a building high up away from the town. Here they stored food. The crosswinds that came through the windows created a refrigerator-like room. Midnight snacks, however, became too much work.

That night, we stayed in the small town of Yucay at the Sonesta Posada del Inca. The hotel was great, and it had beautiful gardens, but the highlight was being able to look up at the clear southern sky and see stars I had never seen before, including the Southern Cross constellation.

Honestly, there is not much to say here. The beauty of this place speaks for itself. But I do have some recommendations to get the most out of your experience here.

1. Make sure the group you are going with is actually going to spend some real time here. Many travel groups only spend a few hours here. You will want more time here. You have just to wander around and imagine what life was like hundreds of years ago. We arrived there midday and stayed for the whole next day and then half the day after that. It was just the right amount of time.

2. Bring good hiking boots. There is a lot of walking and some great optional hikes if you have the time.

3. Bring a good camera and lots of film. Theft is always a problem when traveling, but you will regret not having the best camera you own here. Bring it and protect it. It will be worth your effort.

4. Get there earlier and stay late. You will get to see the ruins with the least number of people if you are there earlier in the morning or late in the afternoon. This will give you the most alone time in the ruins, which is a great experience. Plus, being able to see the sunrise on Machu Picchu is a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

5. The food at the gate is very expensive. Bring your own water and Clif bars so you won’t have to buy as much up there. Save your money for a good alpaca steak in Aguas Caliente.

Finally, say hi to all the llamas for me. The Peruvian government keeps them there to cut the grass, but they look like fun pets.