I have been home for nearly 2 weeks and loving fall life in the Valley:) I am working on my Peru Trek 2010 slideshow and the first step is rotating and sorting through literally thousands of photos from the trip. The next few blog posts will give you a taste of our amazing journey in Peru.
Cusco and the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Salineras- salt 'mine' near Ollyantaytambo (say that one 5 times fast). I had no idea salt could come from a river but here in Salineras, at 3600m, that is exactly how they capture salt for the people. Family run pools collect fresh flowing salt water from a creek coming out of the mountainside. Once the pools evaporate the owners scoop up the salt and sell to local buyers.
Fields near Maras (circle terraces see below). The rural people of Peru are herders. Everywhere you see sheep, cattle, horses and even llamas being tended by people of all ages- usually women and small pre-school children actually. At 3900metres you wouldn't think to find herds of animals let alone communities of people...but that is exactly what you find in Peru.
Spanish conquistadors made a lasting impression on Peru. Women have held onto Spanish dress and their hats really demonstrate this. Every region sports a different hat. From 'Panama' to 'Matador' style hats, the women of rural Peru are rarely seen without one. Photographers dream with the long braids and tall hats everywhere...
Market places are full of local goods and this is a snapshot of the produce you might find. Yes, that is purple corn! They have many many different types of corn in Peru- and each grows best at different elevations. This purple corn is rarely eaten on the cob- instead they make a delicious drink from the kernals called Chica Moreda (purple corn) which is fantastic and refreshing.
Cusco- what the Incas believed to be the centre of the universe. An Incan Emperor built Cusco's main streets in the outline of a Puma. Pretty cool. 3500metres ish.
The children of Peru are so special. Rural children are poor, are required to work hard alongside their families and they have limited access to education and opportunities. And yet they smile... alot. They laugh, they play and they shine. The smiles of these two young girls light up my heart. We were lucky to have the opportunity to visit and bring school supplies to an extremely remote village in the mountains of Peru. This amazing experience will be a highlight of my life...
Mud bricks laying out to dry. All of the houses and buildings and rooftop tiles in Peru are made of this mud/clay...the red colour against a blue sky will forever be burned into my memories of Peru...
Hints of the ancient Incan Empire is everywhere you go in Peru. In Cusco, all of the old colonial buildings are based with original Inca sculpted stones. Incan hands shaped these stones and it is easy to become lost in their mysterious stories...
More rocks! That was our favorite saying by the end of the trip as we visited countless Incan temples, villages and agricultural sites. Saqsaywaman (everyone loves saying that) was a favorite- just minutes from Cusco, the walls that remain are a massive demonstration of Incan architechture and military strategy. And they didn't even have the wheel...
Shopping! Of course we had many opportunities to visit local markets and browse through beautiful handicrafts. Peruvian markets are loaded with colourful alpaca blankets, sweaters, toques and scarves. They are friendly, family run stalls where the people smile and greet you kindly rather than harass you into buying from them.
Old meets new in Cusco. Many female rural herders come to the tourist mecca of Cusco to try and make a few dollars posing for photos in their traditional clothing with their alpacas. Some disagree with encouraging them to leave their farms...but life is hard in the mountains so every bit helps them survive.
Moray - pretty cool huh? This is believed to have been a meteor crator when the Incas came upon it. They terraced the slopes to create an experimental greenhouse - where each level is a different temperature. They learned which plants grew best at which temperature so they could better produce food for their massive empire of people. One of many many mind blowing sites...
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