Back to the Highlands- Cusco to the Sacred Valley

June 20, 2016

This morning we were again escorted by Julio, this time back to the airport for our flight to Cusco which was once the capital of the Inca Empire and the gateway to the Sacred Valley.  The city is crowded and colorful with the festivals celebrating the city and the week leading up to Inti Raymi winter solstice celebration... music, marching, dancing... fun!

Plaza de Armas (the main square)-
filled with colonial buildings that were built right on top of Inca foundations

Festival fun...

First cups of Coca tea- to help with the altitude change

View of the Peruvian Andes

Along the drive to our hotel in the Sacred Valley we stopped at Awana Kwancha- a camelid farm and  cooperative of local weavers to learn about the differences in these animals and see how the beautiful textiles from their wool are made.

We learned the differences between alpaca, llamas, vicunas & guanacos...

and got to feed them! 

Women from local communities work on site to offer live examples of the traditional and intricate weaving techniques- it is a family affair!

Each piece can take upwards of 2 months (sometimes 8 months!) to complete-
it is amazing to watch them work!

She (and her pup) are just setting up to start a new piece-
notice the beautiful bright colors of the threads which are all hand dyed from natural plants, herbs, minerals and bugs!

Two of the main staples of Peru are the many many varieties of corn and potatoes-

The Urubamba River runs from the high Andes ranges through the middle of the Sacred Valley-
during Inca times there were never villages in the valley like this one pictured.  
All of the valley was used for agriculture and the villages were on the mountains.

The land in the Sacred valley is some of the most fertile in the world and it is still farmed mostly by primitive techniques-
no tractors...just bulls & plows and harvested by hand.

Faithful with the journal writing!

First of four nights at Aranwa Hotel