Today we went on a full-day tour of the Sacred Valley. Our first stop was to a place that supposedly makes authentic alpaca garments but everywhere we go seems to be made for tourists. It was freezing out so we got served some coca tea before watching a demonstration on the natural ingredients used to dye the wool. We saw how different colours come from plants and bugs, with the deepest red coming from these tiny grey bugs that live on cactuses.
Then we were off to Moray an Inca ruin that houses several sets of circular terraces that cascade downwards in a way that they appear almost like a spiral. What is really interesting is that each level has its own microclimate so the people experimented with these different levels and figured out what could grow at different temperatures and altitudes. We were able to walk down the terraces and sense the changes in temperature. We had an intense photoshoot at this location with our whole group taking to different levels and sitting along the bordering walls and step.
Once back on the bus, we headed off to the town of Ollantaytambo where we had one of the best lunches yet. The restaurant had a backyard so we were able to sit outside in the sun eating while viewing the ruins. After lunch we climbed some old inca temple called where the presented highlight was The Temple of the Sun. Truth is, we had a hard time focusing on what the detailed tour guide was saying all day but the just of it was that they used to transport large stones from quarrys far away because their size and strength were superior to the local rocks. Opposite the ruins was a rocky mountain that contained naturally sculpted faces that the Incas believed in. Apparently the sun shines in such a way that it hits one of the faces right in the eye. A lot of the details according to our tour guide come from hypothesis as there is no written explanation for most of the things that are present at these sites. Though we did not learn too much, we had lots of fun taking pictures in the stoney surroundings. We have taken a liking to copying all of honeymoon-esque pictures taken by christina and adam. They are in fact spending the last leg of their honeymoon on the tour and the running joke has become that it is "our" honeymoon. Our photography skills got us into a bit of trouble when we were ordered off some ruins by the guide! Luckily one of the tour members were able to get the shot before we jumped off.
Then it was off to a local market of Pisac where the townspeople sold a mixture of local produce and souvenir items. We picked up some hats and pants while some of our friends got local soccer jerseys. We went quickly onto the bus since the sun was setting and we still had one more locations: alpaca, llama and vicuna petting farm! We were able to get up close, feed them, pet them and take one too many photos. Lisa preferred to be the photographer as Emily got up close and personal with a few of the herd members...some of which had similar hair or rather fur!
Exhausted from the day, we hurried back to the hotel for an information session about the hike, a quick breakfast for dinner at a nearby restaurant and then finally we packed.
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