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"The Inca Trail is not for me"

Visiting Peru

Annette
2005-08-29 23:19:47

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to Thunder and Rainbow. Soon after the conquest, the precious metals decorating the walls appropriated and melted down, the temple was gifted to the Dominicans, who own it to this day.

Cusco is ideally situated as a center from which excursions to other interesting sites can be made, from the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu, rafting trips on the Urubamba River to shopping for crafts in village markets.

"The Inca called themselves "Children of the Sun"

They called their Sun God "Apu Inti"

The Sacred Valley is the first stop for explorations in Cusco's vicinity. The valley lies about 20 miles north of Cusco, and can easily be reached by bus, with a tour company, or by taxi, if a day trip is negotiated beforehand. Not only does it help the body acclimate to the elevation (it is roughly 1800 feet /600 meters below the altitude of Cusco), it combines sightseeing, exploration of ruins, and shopping for indigenous crafts with an introduction to hiking. The entire drive is spellbinding, with terraced mountains rising up from the cultivated river valley.

"For the Inca, the Moon gave light to the earth at night

The Moon was the wife of the Sun

Many temples were built to honor it"

If you are neither a rock climber nor have the conditioning of a long-distance runner, but are contemplating hiking the "Inca Trail", test yourself here first. Starting out in the village of Pisac, there are two ways to spend an entire day or more: On any Sunday, the bustling market comes alive in this colonial village. Approaching Pisac, a large area of bright blue tarps is visible from afar. These are the tarps sheltering the hundreds of merchants' booths from the sun. Artisans from the entire valley sell their wares here. Take a close look at the pottery. It is fired at low temperatures, therefore easy to break. If you want to take ...