Puno to Cuzco and Machu Picchu, Peru 19 - 23 Jan 2006

Capital of the Incas

After lunch in Puno, it was time for our bus to Cuzco – another journey of 7 hours. But this time, the surprise was the other way round: instead of the less luxurious bus they had told us we would be travelling on, it turned out to be the Royal Class!

It was dark by the time we arrived in Cuzco and we took a taxi to the Hostal El Balcón, in a lovely house dating back to 1630.
 

20 January. With only a few days at our disposal, we decided the best plan was to hire a taxi for the day to drive us through the Sacred Valley to Ollantaytambo and spend the night there, before catching the tourist train to Aguas Calientes, near the famous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. After visiting the ruins, we would take the train back to Cuzco and spend two more nights there before returning to Arequipa – by airline this time.
It all worked out very well. Our excellent and informative taxi driver took us first to a weaving centre where only traditional techniques and natural dyes are used. We fell for a beautiful wall hanging which was a copy of an original design by the pre-Incan Wari people. Our next stop was at Pisac, the first place of interest in the Sacred Valley. Our taxi driver left us by the Inca ruins set high above the village on a triangular plateau with a plunging gorge on either side – a spectacular site with only a few tourists. After wandering around the ruins we walked down to Pisac village where our taxi awaited us. For a quick snack we bought delicious empanadas (pasties) fresh from the oven.