Hello.
From 26 a 29 April we went with my wife, my daughter Isabella and my parents to the city of Cusco.
We purchased a tour 4 days and 3 nights, the minimum time that the board be able to see the beautiful and eternal capital of the Inca Empire and Machu Picchu, the mysterious citadel built on the mountains and rediscovered in 1911 by the American explorer Hiram Bingham.
I strongly suggest to all the people who want to come to Peru to give priority to this goal that leaves fascinated by the megalithic structures, comparable to the majesty and grandeur of the pyramids of Egypt.
Very important to ache a unique opportunity to understand how a culture completely different from the West has found alternative ways of size and balance into completely in harmony with the territory, the “pachamama”.
BELOW THE HISTORY OF OUR JOURNEY:
Day 01
ARRIVAL IN CUSCO AND VISIT THE INCA RUINS – 26 April 2014
Reception and transfer to the hotel with a brief explanation of the city and the tours. Required for the hill, rest a couple of hours in the hotel after drinking a good coca tea (excellent vasodilator) seen that Cusco is located 3400 meters offshore. After resting they took us to visit the Plaza de Armas (the main square of Cusco), the Cathedral and the Koricancha or Temple of the Sun that is the royal palace built by the Incas and transformed by the conquerors to church and then into a museum.
From the city of Cusco then we left by bus to get to see four gorgeous Inca archaeological remains: Kenko, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara and the impressive fortress of Sacsayhuaman, strategically built on a hill overlooking Cusco, famous for its enormous carved stones, some of which reach a height of 9 meters and a weight of more than 350 tons. How did they move them in and make them adhere to each other so perfectly? The guide tries to explain it but I'm not so sure. At the end of the day we also do a little stop to see garments made from Alpaca wool, the famous camelid Peru and then return to the hotel.
Day 02
FROM CUSCO TO THE SACRED VALLEY OF THE INCA – 27 April 2014
We had breakfast and then off to the bus for the trip to “Sacred Valley” along the Vilcanota River. We stopped to visit the typical market of Pisac where you can buy local products and local crafts. As a good Italian I found an old wood-burning oven where churn out delicious “pan con queso”, bread with cheese Andean and we stocked. From there they took us to eat at a good restaurant in the area of “Sacred Valley” where they offered a buffet lunch, I highly recommend you try the stew meat Lama. After eating in the afternoon, we passed through the towns of Calca and Urubamba and we visited the impressive Inca fortress in the citadel of Ollantaytambo, built to guard the entrance to this part of the valley and protect it from possible invasion from the tribes in the lower jungle. When you arrive at the ruins go up a flight of stairs that leads eternal slowly on top. You go up with his tongue out but it's worth it. From, in fact, you can fully appreciate this complex limitless left by the Incas with huge stones still perfectly squared to fix. Here too, the guide tries to explain how they did the Incas to bring the giant stones up the mountain from the valley below and to me it seems quite impossible. After the visit to Ollantaytambo took us to the hotel for overnight stay. The hotel where we were was built on the ruins of an ancient Inca house and all the “Sacred Valley” is really impressive, almost magical. Do not miss the unique experience of going out at night to see the starry celo. In these parts thanks to the dry climate and the altitude is possible to distinguish clouds of stars within the Milky Way. And never ever in my entire life to see a sky so beautiful and so precious!
Day 03
THE SACRED VALLEY TO MACHU PICCHU – 28 April 2014
We have breakfast and the hotel we transfer to Ollanta station to catch the train that will take us to Aguas Calientes. From there take a bus to get to the famous Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. You arrive in an hour and a half through enchanted valleys and snow-capped peaks still unknown to most people with Inca ruins and vegetation in Amazonian seeds as we are close to the border with the Peruvian jungle. Arriviati at the top the view is truly breathtaking and we feel privileged to be in a unique place where every stone and even the surrounding mountains have been carved to have a meaning in a synergistic way and channel the energies of the earth, water, the wind and the sun, to be able to communicate in a deeper way with the creator God and the Earth. The visit to the ruins takes about 3 hours, during which we could appreciate the Intihuatana, a stone-built complex that the Incas used to study the movement of the sun, the Royal Tomb, House of Priests, Inca Baths, the Temple of the Sun and the Temple of the three windows that you think were used to study the equinoxes. All the while you can enjoy picturesque views of the mighty mountains with beautiful valleys and. After the tour we got off the bus to catch the train and then another bus took us back to Cusco for overnight.
Day 04
FROM CUSCO TO LIMA – 29 April 2014
Breakfast at the hotel and go by plane to return to Lima.
TIPS FOR TRAVEL
- The cost of the trip with a good tour operator Peruvian is approximately 550 $ more 250 $ for the air ticket Lima-Cusco return.
- We went with our daughter Isabella a year and a half, it is better to go with children at least three years of ageà may suffer because of altitude sickness.
- Bring a camera with a good zoom.
- Essential to a good hat and sunscreen 30 or 50.
Greetings to all and the next shipment.
Henry
