The Sacred Valley of the Incas, Peru - 13 November 2008

The Sacred Valley, 2-2.5 hours drive away from Cusco, splendidly showcases the Inca ingenuity in agricultural irrigation (by way of aqueducts constructed to transport water from the snow-capped mountains to the valley) and crop growing on the fertile valley floor and stepped terraces. Some of the cash crops of the indigenous people here include corn, several kinds of potatoes, and legumes. There are currently as many as 140 Quechua-speaking indigenous communities living in subsistence and harmony with mother nature. They rely heavily on the gifts of mother earth using for example cacti and roots to produce natural shampoo and dyes. Here in the Peruvian Sierra, the primary fauna are the gentle alpacas and spit-prone llamas - both reared for their wool and meat. Alpaca (red) meat tasted like a mix of beef and lamb - it was really good!

The Sacred Valley is also home to several Inca archaeological ruins, one of which is Ollantaytambo where I saw remains of Inca-designed temples and terraces created using huge quarried rocks from the nearby regions. I could only imagine the pain and sufferings of the laborers who had to carry these huge blocks of stones up the hills.

Above: Suri alpaca

Above: @ the traditional Pisac market


Above left: High school students from Arequipa - one of them interviewed me in English as part of a school project;
Above right: A traditional bakery - Empanadas (olives & ham or cheese, tomato & onion) for sale



Above: View of Ollantaytambo town - strategically positioned between 2 mountains and at the point of confluence of the Vilcanota River


Above right: With new friend, Lisa @ the 'Holy Grail' of Ollantaytambo - check out the massive rock stones that were brilliantly assembled together by the Incas to withstand earthquakes


Above right: The terraces at Ollantaytambo




Above left: My blue-eye babe; Above right: Hand-carved gourds


Above: Grilled alpaca dinner with coca tea (believed to aid digestion and cure altitude sickness)