jeudi 31 mai 2007
The Sacred Valley of the Incas
Par Gunther Dursteler, jeudi 31 mai 2007 à 07:30 :: Peru
The Sacred Valley, sacred because only there could be an exceptional quality of corn be produced
On the way to the valley there are many impressive lookouts worth a great picture !
Two bulls and a cross is the symbol of a family living in the house.
First stop, the Awana Kancha Project or how to preserve and breed Lamas and Alpacas and make handicrafts the way the Incas used to make it
Isn't this Alpaca Suri cute ?!
Another Alpaca Suri in the background and a black Alpaca Huacayo in the foreground
We could feed them and they would just go crazy :O)
The cutest is the Vicuña, unfortunately getting rarer and rarer...
Lots of Alpacas Huacayos wishing to be fed as soon and fast as possible :O)
This is how those animals show their affection to each other
A newly born (only 3 weeks) with an already very developed instinct for food :O)
The process of dying the Alpaca and Lama's wool generates beautiful and vivid colours!
Old style weaving !
Spinning the thread is also part of the process
This is Peru ! Just like what we found in SE Asia, sweet and innocent people outside of the big cities
The Ruins of Pisaq with its terraces used for agriculture and their elaborate draining system
Pisaq is quite a big complex including houses, a cemetery and a religious center
We could hear him play the flute from far away and also long after we passed him, it gave the visit an enchanting feeling
In those holes lie(d) the momies of average people. Higher ranked people could choose where to be buried and have a nicer tomb.
FaxMan, Maud, vous etes toujours aussi beau !
Through this door, the official entrance to Pisaq and our way to the religious centre in a more protected area
Inca style wall leaning inwards, in this case used to avoid mudslides. Just amazing !
A narrow but beautiful way...
...giving us a breathtaking view over part of the Sacred Valley !
Our way is full of surprises like this small tunnel we just came out from
A tower for protection and monitoring of part of the area. Hard not to see an enemy from there
Past this gate is the last part before the religious centre. Allez les jeunes, on continue !
In some aspects, we liked Pisaq better than Machu Picchu. Look at this view !
Potita, mi Amor !
FaxMan, j'adore cette photo ! Un grand moment de meditation sur un fond d'exception !
There we are at the Religious Centre ! Can you notice the perfect construction of the rocks. This was reserved for holy places like religious ones. Machu Picchu is built the same way
Antonio, our guide, a touch of humour and lots of very interesting stories / explanations !
A view over the religious centre - Intiwatana -
In this picture, you can appreciate a different and less refined architecture showing a temple dedicated to the God of the tribe conquered by the Incas. This was a tactic to avoid rebelion and keep harmony in the empire. Very clever indeed :O)
Baby, the FaxMan Mathers and Maud...it's really cool to be there. The highlight of our day
Faites pas semblant de marcher ! :O)
Beautiful cactuses are not uncommon in Peru
Maud and Antonio talking about how good Fax and I we look in the next picture :O)
Yes, in this picture :O)
"Cholitas" photographed in secret...
We are done with the ruins, we are now heading to the Pisaq Market
Baby loves her "choclo" (corn) with cheese
A very typical "cholita" selling her "choclo" !
There's a very broad variety of corn in Peru. Some of which is used to make "Chicha", a kind of corn wine
Fortunately, we arrived later than 1h00pm so there were almost no tourists around.
Toujours aussi beaux ! Alors ? Ca negocie dur !?!
Gabita elaborating a tactic to bargain the best possible price...the Eye of the Tiger :O)
After the market...it's almost 2h00pm and we are starving. This will be our lovely restaurant. The Tunupa in Urubamba!
The FaxMan Mathers in front of the Urubamba river right after our lunch in the restaurant's garden
And now the same picture with us !
This is only one of the many beautiful flowers we could find in the restaurant's garden
Our next destination, Ollaytaytambo, the last Inca fortress before Machu Picchu
A view over the upper part of the fortress
Over there are the houses were all the goods and food were stored
Antonio is explaining us the way the stones were carried from the mountain on the other side of the Urubamba valley to this side for the construction of the fortress...
The religious area could never be finished due to the spanish invasion :O(
Hey Fax ! That was a really cool day !!
A complete view over the Ollaytaytambo fortress with Fax and Maud walking towards the exit. It's the end of another long and very interesting day
Back in Cuzco, a picture of all of us, including our great guide Antonio, to remember this special day. Vraiment excellent!
