Day 25: the sacred valley

Because we couldn't get enough of the impressive Inca ruins, we booked a tour to the sacred valley, where we would visit some more... you guessed it: Inca ruins. But before we could start our trip there was a more pressing matter, our first hot shower in 5 days, finally! After a nice breakfast we were picked up and off we were. 

As we descended from Cusco, the landscape became very photogenic, allowing us to capture a part of this 270 km long valley on film. We continued our descent to the Inca ruins of Pisac. Here the terraces were laid out in a convex pattern, complementing the mountain's shape. Here we also visited their fort, which was located at the top of the mountain, giving a panoramic view of the area. Next to the fort, there was a hill, which had multiple small caves and crevices. This was apparently their cemetery, where the Incas were burried in fetal position, orientated eastwards.  

Now we headed to the local market where we snooped around and tried new exotic kinds of fruit. But the granadia is still our favorite, so we bought a few for on the road. After our shopping experience, we went on to the next city, Ollatatambo, to see more of the Inca remains. 

This town still has the original Inca layout, including all the aquaducts, which alleviate the city from excess water during the rainy season. From the sky, the city has the shape of corn cone, having the same grid structure. This could not go unnoticed and therefore the city is also referred to as the city of corn. On the hills surrounding the city we could see Inca ruins all over (the Inca must have really liked the mountains). We went on to take a closer look, at one of the sites massive stones towered above us, each weighing at least 200 ton! This civilization never ceases to amaze us it seems. We saw blocks of 2m wide with a even and smooth surface, perfectly horizontal. Really incredible! After this last Inca ruin it was time to head back to Cusco.