Pre inca trail warm up

Today the same guide that came to give us the briefing on the Inca trail turned up to collect us about 7am. It was to be a kind of "pre-inca trail training session" although we didn't know that when we departed.

We were driven to a place called Sacsayhuamam. Although it's supposed to be pronounced "Sexy wooman", (honestly!) I preferred to call it "Hot Chick Place". It's in the Sacred Valley which is a very fertile valley running through this psart of Peru that's littered with thousands of Inca and pre-inca ruins.

The ruins were truly spectacular and they made Stonehenge pale into insignificance. It was shocking and outraging when the tour guide told us that the locals were until very recently pinching stones to make and repair their own modern day structures. Here's a bit of a hippy website that has some info. http://www.crystalinks.com/incaruins.html

We then continued to a place that produces Alpaca and Llama wool / products to ancient methods. It was cool. Lots of weathered old ladies sitting in person-sized huts knitting and weaving. And animals to feed. And people producing ancient dyes from minerals, roots, etc.

Next we headed to a place called Pisac ruins. This is where the inca trail training began. We hiked for about an hour up some impressive stairs which was quite literally breathtaking. Because we were already 3.5 km above sea level the air was a little thin, so stairs were not overly welcomed. The effort was well worth it though. The views were impressive and the ruins even more so.

It was at these ruins though I noticed our guide has a very annoying voice. I hope he doesn't point out too much on the inca trail.

After looking around we then hiked back down again and had lunch at the local town. Strangely it was a cafe run by a german woman who had all the typical associated efficiency. When she asked what you wanted to order you felt obliged to answer immediately. If anyone had said "I'm not ready yet" I'm sure her answer would have been "Vy not?"

After lunch we used the rest of our break time to watch 2 dogs shagging. There wasn't much to do in the village.

We then travlled for an hour or so more to visit Ollantaytambo with "its enormous terraces and magnificent Inca stone work". This involved another hour hike up then an hour hike down.

We returned to Cuzco in the evening to prepare our 4 kilo bags for the mornings early departure for the inca trail.