The Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu

After one night in Cuzco I was off early the next morning to see a couple of sights in the Sacred Valley leading to Machu Picchu, Pisac and Ollantaytambo. It was Sunday so I was also able to see the terrific, yet touristy, market in Pisac along with the steep hillside ruins. I arrived early and the market was just getting going so I decided to buy the expensive tourist ticket to hike up and see the terraced ruins above Pisac. Peru has been wonderful and the people terrific, but the cost of simply viewing or hiking up to many of the archaeological sites are way overpriced for the local economy. Essentially very little has been done to preserve or maintain the ruins at Pisac yet it costs more than twenty dollars for a day pass to see a couple of ruins. In the states or Europe that doesn't sound terribly expensive yet when you consider that Peruvians make an average of 5 dollars a day and that the government simply inherited these sites built by the Incas hundreds of years ago it adds up to extortion and you have to wonder where the money really goes. Still, I didn't come all the way to Peru to drink the coffee so I paided for the tourist ticket and hiked of the steep terraces all the way to the top. The views were amazing and the terraces were beautiful. There weren't too many structures at the top but the terracing and views along the Sacred valley were impressive. Besides that it was a good workout climbing up to top!






















Back in Pisaq the market was in full swing. There were two parts to visit. One being the local market with household goods and the other being the tourist market with beautiful artwork, jewelry, textiles, antiques (both real and fake), and whatever else could be sold. Originally it was a local market, but it became so popular with the visitors in Cuzco that the market has evolved into a tourist frenzy. There is still the original market with vegtables, food stuffs and household items but it is now a small percentage compared to the tourist booths that line the streets. From the ruins above Pisac I could see dozens of tour buses rolling in to join the frenzy. Still it was a great market and presumably that is why it was so popular.










From Pisac I continued down the Sacred Valey towards Machu Picchu and made it to nearly the end of the road to a town called Ollyantytambo. There I spent most of my time at the ruins above the city. It was a cool place just to sit and hang out. After climbing around the ruins I sat back taking in the beautiful views and enjoying the sun setting behind the mountains. With the residual daylight I saw the rest of the town and wished I had seen more of it during the day. Aparently it is the best surviving example of Inca city planning with its original walls, drainage, and water system still intact. In search of something to eat I met a great family who own a restaurant serving typical Andian food. I ate and hung out with them until it was time to catch my train to Machu Picchu.




























There are only a few way to get to the town of Aquas Calientes near the base of Machu Picchu. One popular option is taking a four day trek along the Inca trail seeing a number of other ruins along the way. Another option is taking one of several other treks that eventually lead to some part of the Inca trail which ends at Machu Picchu. The only other reasonable option for reaching the Aguas Calientes, or Machu Picchu, is to take the overpriced train from Cuzco or the half way point in Ollyantaytambo. The only other option is to walk the tracks from Machu Picchu to nearly Ollyantaytambo.

To get to the town of Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Pichu I took the train from Ollyantaytambo. The rail company has a monopoloy over the service to Machu Picchu and is actually Chilean owned. To give you an idea of the price gouging the absolute cheapest ticket from Ollayantaytambo to Machu Picchu, less than two hours by a slow train, was over 30 dollars. To get from Cuzco to Ollyantaytambo, half the distance to Machu Picchu it cost less than than two dollars by van. I took the train there but decided to walk the tracks back to boycott that nonsense and enjoy the hike.


Pot of corn