Sacred Valley - Absolutely breathtaking

Chinchero - stairway up to the courtyard
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Just a small stretch north of Cusco, bordering the great Andes, the Sacred Valley of the Incas can be found. It is covered by luscious green grass, numerous rivers which eventually adjoin and several archaeological remains that are so worth visiting.  This valley was sacred because of its geographical location and its climatic qualities, which enabled the Incas to use it for vast agricultural purposes. As a result of this, the valley beholds some of the most well preserved archaeological sites of the Incas.

Chinchero - colonial houses
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Our trip started off with a visit to Chincheros, which is known to the Incas as the birthplace of the rainbow. At first sight it looked more like a typical rundown Andean village, but after walking just a few blocks towards the colonial church, magic unveiled itself. Reaching the courtyard, located just in front of the church, and seeing the background of the mountains, massive Inca walls with trapezoidal niches, astounding terraces, seats carved out of stones and the beautiful colonial church implanted an unforgettable picture in my mind.

Chinchero - wonderful view
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There was however another part to Chinchero that was also quite memorable, that is, the market located in the courtyard. Jan, who had long tried to get us to forget the sport of shopping, was devastated and simply outnumbered. Aleks and I had suppressed our shopping need for so long that now, when finally let loose, we went a little crazy. Still I remember that feeling of satisfaction after every purchase.

After satisfying our shopping needs our next stop was Moray. This site actually only consists of Inca terracing, but it is still a must see as the formation of the terracing is impressively deep and amphitheater-like. As a result of this each layer has its own microclimate according to the depth each individual terrace. Researchers now believe that the round formation created optimal conditions for varying species of crops where the Incas most likely used as a kind of laboratory for agriculture. All in all, there was one large amazing terrace, two mid-sized and one smaller a bit further away. As we`ve heard that not too many tourists come here I must say that it was well worth traveling of the beaten path.

Chinchero - colonial church
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Continuing on to Salinas the road was still surprisingly well and upon arrival once again I was shocked. This time however my feelings were a bit mixed. Just below I could was looking thousands of salt pans that were made by the Incas centuries ago, that in itself was amazing. The color however was not. The different shades of murky brown and dingy green were not so lovely, looking more like the color scheme that I`ve repeatedly produced while being sick and using the bathroom, than something I would label beautiful.

Chinchero - Inca walls
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Nonetheless, these massive salt pans had been used for salt extraction and that was impressive. At the top of the valley a hot spring discharges a small stream that is heavy in salt concentration. The Incas who controlled the flow of water, filled the pans and then diverted the flow elsewhere. After the water evaporated all that remained was salt. Thereafter workers added varying amounts of iodine to produce different purity levels of the salt. It was truly incredible!

After getting this far one thinks that it can`t really get any better. Well let me tell you that I can, and it did. After passing by Urubamba, the next stop was Ollantaytambo. Initially the city in itself was actually a surprise. Apparently this urban center has been continuously inhabited since the 13th century and served as a military, religious and agricultural center for the Incas. Here narrow cobblestone streets dominate the city plan, leading to several small hidden courtyards.

Chinchero - trapezoidal niches
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We had come to see the great Inca fortress that was located above the huge steep terraces that dominate the west side of the neighboring mountain. This defensive structure is famous for being one of the few paces that the Spanish conquistadors actually lost a major battle. Not expecting to see such a well preserved sight we were happily surprised. Even more so when we discovered that there was a second sight that the book did not mention. Because it was undergoing restoration, we more or less had the place to ourselves. The workers who obviously weren`t use to seeing tourists there seemed pleased that someone came to admire their work and were very helpful and eager to show us around.

Chinchero - terraces
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After enjoying a night of good sleep at a local Ollantaytambo hostel we continued on to our final destination in Sacred Valley. Reading that the quite village of Pisac was foremost known for its market we were planing to return to Cusco early after enjoying a bit of more shopping and a quick visit to the ruins.

I know that I`m constantly repeating myself, saying that we were surprised or amazed, but that`s how this trip really was. When we arrived in Pisac we learned that there wasn`t just one ruin to visit, there was actually five. After enjoying my first empanada (meat, chicken or cheese turnovers, like a pirogue), which was ridiculously delicious, we continued on to see all of the ruins. After seeing the well preserved fortress in Ollantaytambo, we did not expect what was to follow. The archaeological site in Pisac was HUGE, and apparently it is, when combining the five sites, larger than Machu Picchu.

Moray - amphitheater-like terraces
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After carefully exploring the first two sites we noticed sand flies. After that it was time to speed up the pace, which saddened me a bit at first but after returning to Pisac and discovering the incredible market I was quite please. Subsequently we enjoyed some more empanadas and enjoyed an afternoon of bargaining. It was the perfect way to end our two day trip to the Sacred Valley!