Friday – May 22, 2015
I awoke before the alarm at 4:30, excited and nervous about the upcoming day. Luggage outside the door at 5:45; breakfast at 6:00 in The Observatory Restaurant on the eleventh floor with a panoramic view of Lima and the Pacific Ocean. We boarded the bus and everyone was ready to go at seven to get to Jorge Chavez airport for a 9:30 flight to Cusco.
From the plane, I saw the desert of the coast gradually change to the Andes Mountains of eastern Peru. The red brick houses in Cusco extended up the sides of the mountains. It was a crystal clear morning and the airport was a beehive of activity with new arrivals of eager tourists bustling about and Peruvian guides offering their services.
Two buses met our group and we immediately drove out of Cusco. The city is located at 11,000 feet above sea level, so all the guides recommend going to the Sacred Valley (8,000 to 9000 feet) first, to become acclimated to the altitude. I took photos of Cusco as the bus passed residential neighborhoods.
Our local guide, Maria, talked about the history of the region and the Inka Empire. As the bus climbed the mountains surrounding Cusco, I felt lightheaded and out of breath in my seat. The destination was the Tambo del Inka Resort & Spa, about two hours away, in the village of Urubamba in the Sacred Valley.
We passed many small villages with mud brick houses and subsistence farms as the high Andes Mountains loomed above. The Sacred Valley is truly beautiful.
We stopped at the Awanacancha farm which raises llamas, alpacas, and vicunas which are native to the region. The Inca people used them as pack animals, for food, and the fur for clothing.
A woman in a traditional costume demonstrated how to prepare and dye the fur of the animals.
The motor coach continued along the road into the valley. After a while, we stopped at Wayra Ranch for lunch and a demonstration of Peru’s Paso horses who are famous for their lateral gait known as paso llano.
Then we continued on to the fabulous Tambo del Inka Resort located in the village of Urubamba. Below are a few photos of the public spaces of the hotel:
