On our fourth day, we departed for Cusco early in the morning. When we got into Cusco, we were picked up by our driver, who only spoke Quechua and Spanish. He communicated with Adam for the most part and was with us for the days we spent in the Sacred Valley. After stopping by the train station to pick up our tickets, we headed to Urubamba. On our way there, we stopped by a place where we got to feed alpaca (I think that was a highlight for my dad) and see how they make sweaters and scarves out of alpaca wool. We then went to Pisac to see the ruins there (we didn't make it very far because of the elevation) as well as to visit their large market. We stopped for lunch where we got to try cuy (guinea pig) and alpaca, as well as other Peruvian food. Then we arrived at the K'uychi Rumi, our accommodations for the night. I had wanted to have at least one nice place for us to stay, and the reviews on TripAdvisor on the K'uychi Rumi were really good. The place has a total of 6 rustic Andean style homes built by the owners. I think in the end the cost was a little high ($160 for one night!) and my parents kept comparing it to the nice apartment in Lima for $65/night! I do say I was a little regretful for booking this place, since it was more rustic than my parents would have liked for the price that we had paid. It did have a nice ambiance to it.
A couple of really cute alpaca (there were different types at this farm, can't remember which)
My dad is feeding alfalfa to the alpaca. Later, when my dad wasn't looking, an alpaca followed him and ate the alfalfa that he was holding in his other hand! It definitely took him by surprise!
This woman is weaving blankets out of the alpaca wool.
Here we are with Pisac and the Sacred Valley behind us. It was really beautiful there.
This photo is of the farming terraces that are found in Pisac. They are some of the most well preserved ruins in the region.
This is the view that we got from the ruins at Pisac. The picture doesn't do it justice.
Here is Adam amidst some of the ruins. The stonework was really impressive.
Adam is getting ready to try some cuy in a sauce (not roasted on a spit like you might see)
Here is a view of the K'uychi Rumi. The houses are spread about these gardens, and there are rocky paths that lead to each one. It really is a peaceful place. When we arrived, we immediately took naps because we were so tired from travelling and the altitude.
We stayed in House 2- it had 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, as well as a small kitchen and sitting room. It did feel rustic because of the way it was built, the lighting and the decor (or as Adam puts it, if he feels like he has to wear shoes in the house, it is pretty rustic)
When we first arrived, the owner brought us some coca tea to drink in order to get acclimated to the altitude. A lot of tourists get ill from altitude sickness and the tea helps.
After our naps, we had a chance to walk through the gardens a bit.
Here Adam and Dad are relaxing in the rocking chairs on the balcony.
This is the view from the little patio of our house. We had this cute gate entrance and it looked out to the garden and another house. There were also hummingbirds everywhere.
For dinner we went to this new place called Crepes & Extras because we told the owner at the K'uychi Rumi that we wanted something light. We were seriously the only people in the restaurant the entire time. They had really good and inexpensive sandwiches and crepes.
To end the evening, we used our neat looking fireplace that was in our living room.
Adam with Jennifer and Drew (our "Irvine Family") at the Newport Beach Boat Parade over the weekend
Myself with Jennifer, Drew, Dorothy, Joe and Julie after an evening of all-you-can-eat sushi at California Beach Sushi in Newport.
Jennifer and I with Mickey on one of our many trips to Disneyland
A group of the students from the Wellness Class I worked with- we took them out to the ropes course to do some teambuilding and wellness challenges
Yay for the Dole Whips at Disneyland!
Vistadome train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu- $77 per person!
Adam and I on the train- we were very excited!
Our first view of Machu Picchu- it was absolutely breathtaking
The view of colcas, which are though to be Incan grain silos
There were a lot of alpaca wandering freely through Machu Picchu, this photo is of a mother and baby alpaca
Waynapicchu (also spelled Huayna Picchu) is the tall mountain that everyone sees in all the classic photos of Machu Picchu. They only allow so many people to climb up, and they have a cut off time so that nobody gets stuck up there. I was afraid because I had heard about people falling off the side of the mountain- when Adam and I were heading up, a life insurance salesman said it was too bad he didn't have any of his applications with him. Adam and I went up while my parents explored below.
This is us at the top of Waynapicchu. The zig zag below is the road that we had to take from the train station to the site via a bus.
Steps heading down from Waynapicchu...I was clinging to the wall for dear life.
Animals grazing in the center of Machu Picchu
These two pools are still a mystery to archaeologists
Our first stop of the morning was to the Moray circular terraces. They look kind of like crop circles and I was amazed at how perfectly circular they are. They were built by the Incas for agricultural purposes.
Check out the steps to get down each terrace level! I was worried at first that one of us would trip and get hurt!
I love this picture- it shows my dad on the bottom, Adam in the middle, and my mom is at the very top (can you see her?).
As we drove from place to place, there were times when we would be blocked behind donkeys and horses carrying large loads of corn, etc. on their backs from the farms.
After the Moray terraces, we then traveled to the Salinas salt mines. These salt mines have been used for hundreds of years, including by the the Incas. The water brings the salt into the pans, and then the water evaporates leaving the salt behind. I wish I had bought a couple bags of salt while I was there, it was so neat!
Right next to our hostel in Ollantaytambo was the Urubamba River.
After getting settled into our rooms, we walked several blocks to the Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo. We were able to spend about an hour there walking around.
Another one of my favorite pictures.
After visiting the ruins, we stopped in the main plaza for a while just to people watch.
We had dinner at a very busy restaurant that was also inexpensive. Here is a photo of mom and dad enjoying some local Cusquena beer.
During dinner, a local Andean band came and performed.
Adam had come down with a nasty cold, so he had a huge bowl of chicken noodle soup (which I ordered the next night!)
The rest of us shared a pizza that was very good (pizza seems to be huge in Peru because it was on so many menus and in so many restaurants)
A couple of really cute alpaca (there were different types at this farm, can't remember which)
My dad is feeding alfalfa to the alpaca. Later, when my dad wasn't looking, an alpaca followed him and ate the alfalfa that he was holding in his other hand! It definitely took him by surprise!
This woman is weaving blankets out of the alpaca wool.
Here we are with Pisac and the Sacred Valley behind us. It was really beautiful there.
This photo is of the farming terraces that are found in Pisac. They are some of the most well preserved ruins in the region.
This is the view that we got from the ruins at Pisac. The picture doesn't do it justice.
Here is Adam amidst some of the ruins. The stonework was really impressive.
Adam is getting ready to try some cuy in a sauce (not roasted on a spit like you might see)
Here is a view of the K'uychi Rumi. The houses are spread about these gardens, and there are rocky paths that lead to each one. It really is a peaceful place. When we arrived, we immediately took naps because we were so tired from travelling and the altitude.
We stayed in House 2- it had 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, as well as a small kitchen and sitting room. It did feel rustic because of the way it was built, the lighting and the decor (or as Adam puts it, if he feels like he has to wear shoes in the house, it is pretty rustic)
When we first arrived, the owner brought us some coca tea to drink in order to get acclimated to the altitude. A lot of tourists get ill from altitude sickness and the tea helps.
After our naps, we had a chance to walk through the gardens a bit.
Here Adam and Dad are relaxing in the rocking chairs on the balcony.
This is the view from the little patio of our house. We had this cute gate entrance and it looked out to the garden and another house. There were also hummingbirds everywhere.
For dinner we went to this new place called Crepes & Extras because we told the owner at the K'uychi Rumi that we wanted something light. We were seriously the only people in the restaurant the entire time. They had really good and inexpensive sandwiches and crepes.
To end the evening, we used our neat looking fireplace that was in our living room.