Sacred Valley
A place we would LOVE to live. There are gigantic mountains everywhere, you are always completely surrounded. The sunsets and sunrises are always exquisite due to these mountains. It’s green and lush with a roaring river running right through the valley.
Fun but annoying: Everywhere you go in Cusco you are mobbed by salesmen/women trying to sell you anything from finger puppets to batteries. At first it’s kinda fun because you get to see what they have to offer and the prices but after the second day of getting attacked basically every second you are outside it gets very annoying. Travelers beware in Cusco when they see gringos all they really see is dollar signs.
Advice: There was a couple we met in the city center who had gotten their camera stolen from out of their pocket. They were in extreme distress because they had all of their pictures from Machu Piccu and their trip on the camera. Pick pocketers in Cusco are professional and could be anyone; a kid, an elderly lady, a mom, a guy, anyone so beware.
Tip 1: Always put your valuables in a secure location like a backpack with zippers and a lock and wear your backpack on your front not your back. If you get out your camera to take a picture put it back in the backpack and lock it, yes it is a hassle and takes a bit of time but it’s worth it. Tip 2: As soon as possible back up your pictures daily on a chip or hard drive so if anything does happen to your camera at least you have copies of all your memories.
On a happier note, we LOVE the sacred valley!!!
Mountains, Mountains, Mountains
Cusco is rich in minerals, mainly silver. They make beautiful original jewelery and on one of our tours we got the privilege of seeing how they do it first hand.
The raw silver before they melt it down and shape it
Once they form the silver into a pendant, ring, or something then they take different stones and sand/shape them to fit into the design. Each piece of jewelery is one of a kind.
Agriculture to acclimatize the crops. They start out with the crops on the lowest level and over time plant them on higher and higher levels eventually acclimatizing them for Peru's weather. Genius!
Urubamba, amazing ruins! The Incas always built their cities on hill sides, this way protecting themselves against intruders.
Can you see the face?
Our AWESOME tour guide, seriously he was amazing!!
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