The Mighty Mighty Inca-Stones

Well I got at least two things acomplished over the last few days. First I toured the Inca ruins of the sacred valley and, of course, Machu Picchu. Secondly, I found a store that sold the USB cable I required for my camera so this time I have PICTURES. I also updated the past... (um blog-entries? blog-logs? blog-journals? blog-articles? blogicles!) ...blogicles with a few pictures if you care to check them again.
So on Sunday, my compatriates and I took a guided-tour of the sacred valley. First stop was the ruins of Pisac. It was at this point that I realized that a guided-tour, though cheap, was not a great idea. For it was less than 30 minutes after we finished our walk from the bus to the central courtyard of the ruins that we were told it was time to turn around and return to the bus. This allowed almost no time to explore the vast ruins that contained agriulture terraces, spring fed fountains that still flow, magnificantly constructed temples and houses, as well as a graveyardwhere more than 3000 Incas were laid to rest.


Me taking a picture of Nat taking a picture of Jon at Pisco

So after our hasty retreat from the Pisco ruins to the bus, we drove along the sacred valley river, the Urubamba, to the ruins of Ollantaytambo. This was quite a spectacular sight. The best preserved ruins lay at the top of hill over-looking the city. The hillside is reinforced with ancient terraces to prevent any landslides that would damage the city below and the temples above. These terrances, with thin staircases as an only means of ascent also provided great protection. Ollantaytambo is one of the only sights where the Incas caused the conquoring spanish to retreat. All the rocks, some weighing over 50 tonnes, were transported from a quary across the river. For some reason I didn´t seem to take any good pictures here so I will post none...

Leaving Ollantaytambo late in the afternoon, we headed to Chinchero. The main sight if the 17th century adobe church that was built using the walls of an Inca Courtyard as its foundation. The walls have niches in them where Incas would store mummies. Each day the mummies were taken out of there niches and placed in the main squared where burnt-food offerings were made. The church was much more spectacular, however, it seems in Peru photographs are prohibited in all churches (at least the ones I´ve been to). However, I did get some of the church´s bell tower, slighty ruined by the modern incandescent spotlights attached to it.


Mmmmmm... flood lights!

Completing my survey of the lesser ruins, I set my sights on Machu Picchu. Since one has to book the Inca Trail, a four day hike to Machu Picchu along an actual Inca Path spotted with ruins, months in advance, that was not an option (wow, that sentence hurt!). Other 3 to 4 day options exist but they are just a hike and do not pass any ruins. Jon, however, stumbled upon an 8 day hike that some fellow U. of Calgary friends of his were doing. Unable to convince the rest of us to join him, Jon parted ways with us on Monday for a week. Nat and I decided against any magor hiking because the little we did in the Sacred Valley left us breathless. Val, while seeming to take the altitude better than us all, was not willing to shill out the 320 USD that the 8 day hike cost. So instead the three of us went to visit Machu Picchu the way I feel it was meant to be seen, by a four hour train ride.


I sure the Incas would have travelled by train if they had invented the wheel

The main problem of taking the modern route to Machu Picchu is that you hve to share the sight with a few hundred other tourists. If you hike you can arrive at dawn and view the city from the Sun Gate the way the Incas did hundreds of years ago. No, wait. A landslide took out the path to the Sun Gate a couple weeks back and you can´t reach it...


No Sun Gate for You!

Seeing Machu Picchu, however you get there, is amazimg. Although it was only inhabited by commoners and may have only been an small outpost for the expansion of the Inca empire into the Amazon, the prestine condition and beautiful mountain vistas are awe-inspiring. So awe-inspiring that Val was able to talk me into a 1 hour vertical hike to Winay Picchu, a mountain housing a Inca lookout house.


Machu Picchu and Winay Picchu (the mountain behind me)

Now, the fact that only 400 people a day are allowed up Winay Picchu, and the fact you have to sign both in and out of the trail should have forwarned me of what I was getting into. Also, the fact that I have to stop catch my breath after walking two blocks in Cuzco meant that this was not going to be a walk in the park. I have absolutely how some of the people that were on their descent of Winay while I was ascending made it up there. Only the constant mocking of Val and the encouraging words of Ifat (sp?), a israelie girl that joined us kept me going up the mish-mash of narrow stairs and angled rocks... but wow what a view!


Val, Ifat, and the 42 year old guy that kicked my butt up Winay Picchu

So I suppose that is all there is for my Inca experiances so far. I actually have to get back to the hostel for I ate some bad Mexican food last night and I am not in the mood for writing anymore.

I believe I will be heading to Puno by Tuesday or Wednesday...