Cuzco to Cuzco

Warning, 80´s heartbreaker on the loose in South America!

Over the first few days in Cuzco we took things easy, going to museums and looking into going to Chocoquerau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choquequirao) another Machu Pichu, and getting our teeth into a proper (bar the sausages) full english.

Also visited 4 sites close to Cuzco (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambo_Machay , http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puca_Pucara , Qenko ,

and Sacsayhuamain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacsayhuamán) (pronounced sexy woman)) which had some spectacularily big boulders built into the walls (apparently these walls form the jaws of Cuzco, Cuzco having originally been conceived in the shape of a Jaguar?).

Then we spent a week cruising through the Sacred Valley, surrounded by beautiful mountains and blue skys.

First stop Pisac http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Písac, and a big market where gringos and local fight it out (actually mostly American tourists just opening their wallets as wide as poss.), then up to the ruins.

Then on to Urubamba, bit naff but good base for a long walk to visit the salinas, big salt pans, even found a photogenic stick insect lurking through the undergrowth.

Ending up at Moray http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moray_(Inca_ruin) amazing Inca agricultural test centre that looks like an alien landing site, each tier is about my height. And a long wait to get home .

Next Ollantaytambo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ollantaytambo and, you guessed it, more inca ruins.

Had a nice evening walk up the valley to see the piramide , which disapointed Hannah as I had failed to say it was 2D . There was a nface in the opposite valley . Spent a day watching films at the hostal, and finally got to try Guinea Pig, which was actually disappointing, I like my skin crispy not chewy. Then got the evening train to Aguas Caliente.

Machu Pichu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machu_Picchu being within sniffing distance and it being the winter solteis we decided to walk ahead of the first bus load of gringos, getting up at four we made it to the site before opening at 5:30 and were the 5th and 6th person in. Machupichu has a sun temple that has a window that is used to determine the seasons and the precise day of the winter soltess, so we naturally made our way there. With excitment I found that I was the first to find the right building in the maze of ruins and then continued to climb up into the building and on to the carved stone in the cetre of the temple, only to be thoroughly told off by the gaurds and removed. Luckily not off the site. So we found a spot further up the site looking down on the temple to watch the sunrise, while we waited 2 hours shed loads of peeps turned up obviously hearing about the temple too.

And when the actual moment arrived the crowed turned to mob as they all tried to get to Hannahs and my prime spot, not quite the spiritual vibe of the druids at Stonehenge, but entertaining nonetheless.

Spent the day runnning round the site, up Huayna Picchu and Wayna Picchu down to the Moon Temple and off to the Inca bridge which had an amazing cliff hugging path (see green line in cliff face) . Hitching post of the sun , which by tieing the sun to stops it from not coming back after winter, snd the sacred stone . And got the bus home.

Next morning I got up early and ran up Putucusi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Putucusi (as viewed from Machu Pichu ), note that they claim it takes 1.5 hrs on Wiki, I did it in 50 mins. And then spent the next 40 mins recovering, and enjoying the ace view. Note the scary 50m ladder and views of Aguas Caliente . Also view of road that bus uses to get to Machu, and if you strain your eyes you can see the path to the right that we used to climb up . Made it back to the hostal for the 9:30am check out and then headed off to the hot spring for some well deserved RnR.

Now back in Cuzco for the Inti Raymi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inti_Raymi festival in honour of Inti http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inti. Then heading back to Ollantaytambo where we will be looking after hostal Chaska Wasi for a few days, and trying to work hard on our Spanish

Love ya,
Tx