Sacred Valley (Ollantaytambo) & Pisaq
Ollantaytambo is the town at the head of the Inca's Sacred Valley, roughly halfway between Cuzco and Machu Picchu and the usual starting point for hikers who make the 4-day trek along the Inca Trail. We visited the Temple of the Sun there, and were also led by our guide through a succession of labyrinthine alleys to visit an enclave where 6 local families lived around a courtyard in single-room dwellings with stone floors. Continuing back towards Cuzco, we stopped at what was literally the high point of the trip: the ruins at Pisaq, at about 11,000', not much below Cuzco itself.
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Click thumbnail at left to see our Sacred Valley and Pisaq photos |
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Video of a blind Quechua harpist at the entrance to the Temple of the Sun in the Sacred Valley. |
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Video of a poor single-room dwelling in Ollantaytambo. Watch for the guinea pigs -- they're dinner (yes, really). |
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Video of one of the weirdest $%^& things we've ever seen: an Inca aqueduct that you can switch on and off by dipping your finger into the water. |