May 2015 – Home is Here

I wonder if it was because the Pisac site was the first Incan archeological site that we visited, well ever, or if Pisac was and is that magical. I’m going to go with the latter, because I feel pretty confident that we all felt immense awe while walking through the rain slicked, cliff hugging, stone walkways, looking out onto the sweeping, agricultural terraces carved into the mountain and the valley down below.

Just as we arrived to the site, early in the am, Isabel decided it was a good time to refuse to be carried and to cry and wail as if she were being tortured. My fellow travelers shot me dirty looks and I could feel their judgement. I briefly doubted the intelligence of bringing a toddler on this type of trip. I got over that quickly and decided to let Isabel run around a bit before entering and so I missed some introductory information about the site. This area was used for religious, military and agricultural purposes. It’s location, high in the mountains, with clear sight lines of the valley down below, had obvious strategic benefits as you could see anyone coming to attack. Upon entering the site, you are faced with your first views of the curving terraces which were used for agriculture as well as to protect against erosion.

First views of the terraces

It started to rain and Isabel happily let me put her in the carrier, where she burrowed her head into my warm chest and sort of dozed. At this point, there were a few other tourists, not too many, but we certainly weren’t alone. The rain got stronger and we had a choice to either head back to the car or to continue walking to see the rest of the site – a good hour walk. Once we started, we would be unable to go back.

What to do? I wanted to continue, but I didn’t want Isabel to get soaked in the rain. We stood underneath an ancient stone doorway, while I debated. The rain had been much stronger, but seemed to be letting up, although there was no way to know for certain. I took a chance and decided to continue on.

I’m so glad that I did.

First of all, I doubt that my limited writing ability can describe just how beautiful and amazing the site was. Secondly, the rain scared everyone else away and aside from a guard, 2 young Peruvian girls selling bracelets and a Peruvian man selling flutes, we were the only other people there. It was silent, calm, peaceful, mystical, stunning.

As we walked up a stone staircase, the unmistakeable sound of the traditional Andean flute floated down. At the top of the staircase an old Peruvian man, wearing a chullo (I mean, it was just so so perfect really) was sitting and playing the flute. He had a backpack of them and was selling them, of course. They were pretty nice and so we bought one for my father. He claimed that he made them himself. I’d like to believe him.

Man with flute

The site winds around and up to the top of the mountain, each turn revealing more stunning views of the terraces. I was pretty enamored of the terraces. They just were so impressive and some are still being used to this day! There are also ceremonial houses, houses where people lived, impressive stone walls and stone waterways throughout the site.

As I mentioned earlier, my writing ability is not sufficient, so I will let the photos speak for themselves.

: Isabel, before meltdown

: Yea sure kid, climb around some rocks, just stay far away from the edge!

: Selfie!

: Man with flute

: Sun!

: I can’t really believe where I am

: Misty top of mountain

: Water channel

: Chad!

: cow!

After months of thinking, planning, reading reviews and emailing back and forth to make sure we were all on the same page, we left Lima for Cusco, the starting point for any visit to Machu Picchu.

Let me backtrack a minute. The we in question: Alfonso, Isabel and myself and my awesome friends Trena and Chad. Months earlier, while spending a week in Cape Cod (I never did blog about that although I wanted to), I was in the midst of figuring out my imminent move to Lima. Trena informed me that she would be visiting. I didn’t even have a house in Lima yet, and she had bought her plane tickets!

The crew…
This is probably not the best pic of us all, but I just love Trena’s hair in it!

I was so looking forward to this visit and this trip. I couldn’t wait to see friendly, familiar faces, nor could I wait to actually visit Machu Picchu! Well, the time had come!

Trena and Chad had arrived late on a Friday evening. Saturday morning we were on a plane to Cusco. Flor, who coordinated our car and driver in Cusco, met us at the airport with a thermos of hot coca tea to help with the altitude. Tall, with a wild mane of curly dark hair, wearing a black turtleneck, an arty necklace that looked like bones were hanging from it (she later told us her boyfriend made it), arms full of bracelets, tight jeans and hiking boots — I liked her immediately. Which was good since she would accompany us and be a tour guide for us (which I didn’t realize – but suddenly made sense considering the price that we were paying for her services!).

Flor at the Pisac ruins

We piled into our van, met our driver Jorge, drank our tea and after a quick (haha) introduction to Cusco’s traffic to buy our tourist ticket to get into most of the archeological sites of the Sacred Valley, we were on our way.

Flor indicated that we would make a stop on our way to Pisac, to visit a llama, alpaca farm which also works to preserve the historic ways of making the traditional Peruvian textiles – from the raising of the animals, to the dying of the yarn to the actual production. I think it was Awanakancha. It was fun to see and feed the animals, but it was starting to rain, so we didn’t spend too much time. The gift shop however….. the pieces were superb, and the prices reflected it. Poor Trena found the rug of her dreams, but the price contained a few too many zeros! It was beautiful. tho’

Feeding Llamas!

Back in the car the scenery just got more and more breathtaking. Every turn unveiled a new dazzling vista. Green mountains jutting into a misty, cloudy sky, sun beams peaking through. We all were moved to repeat, wow, it really is the Sacred Valley. We also kept saying, it reminds me of Vermont, or it reminds me of Asturias, because it was GREEN and MOUNTAINOUS. But it was entirely Peru. Every so often we would glimpse different colored squares of land of the fertile valley down below. The Urubamba river winding it’s way through the deep valley.

Checking out the scenery

We made a pit stop to take it all in and take pictures. Flor pointed out the mountain where the Pisac ruins were, which we would visit the next morning. She explained to us that the terraces of the mountain and the mountain itself made the figure of a condor. I couldn’t really see it, to be perfectly honest, but I believed her.

Condor?

Soon we were winding our way down into the town of Pisac, a dusty village known for it’s Sunday market. Also in recent years, it has become kind of a hippy, new age-y destination, with organic, vegetarian restaurants to prove it. Yet it remains quaint and charming. It has not yet been “discovered” We ate lunch and wandered the narrow stone streets, with their ancient water channels running down the middle. We found our way to the edge of the town where we took in the valley before us. Two sheep were hanging out in the field. An elderly Peruvian couple walked towards us with bundles of greens, grass, vegetables on their backs. Later we sat on a stone bench and a little boy flew a paper airplane to us that I magically caught without even seeing him throw it! We all giggled and then he disappeared back into the window!

I was really suffering from a horrible headache from the altitude, so Isabel and I went back to the hotel while Trena, Chad and Alfonso went out to look for aspirin and altitude sickness pills for me and then to dinner. I was happy to crawl under the warm heavy blankets and nap. Isabel was as well.

Next up: Pisac Ruins

but first some more pics!