The Sacred Valley

Wednesday morning we toured the Sacred Valley (a valley in the Andes near Cusco that was the "heartland" of the Inca Empire). The first two stops were Puca Pucara and Tambomachay. Our guide Cynthia had us get an early start so we would avoid crowds. We were the only people at these first stops which was great. She also offered to take a lot of family photos for us.

rumi punku

We stayed in a really beautiful hotel in Cusco, the Rumi Punku Hotel. There were lovely courtyards and a delicious breakfast with lots of fresh mango and other fruit.

first night in cusco

I didn't really know what to expect in Cusco. But it turned out to be a beautifully charming city with narrow, hilly streets. My camera rarely got a rest in this picturesque city. We arrived in the afternoon and got settled in our hotel. Then we ventured out and visited the Museo Inka, the archaeological museum of Cusco. When we emerged, the evening lighting was so fantastic on the main square. We wandered a bit more and then went to a performance of some traditional Peruvian dance and music. We ended the evening at a restaurant with a great view of the main square.

A huge crowd gathered to watch a soccer game being broadcast on the square.

There were wild dogs everywhere. I'm pretty sure these dogs were after me.

pumpkin break

I'm interrupting the Peru posts to declare the awesomeness of Pumpkin Salted Caramel Blondies (recipe from Baked Bree). Somehow this week became crazy busy and all I really wanted to do was make (and eat) these pumpkin blondies. So I did.

And the sea salt and vanilla bean caramel sauce that goes inside (and on top if you're me) is heaven. In case you need something to do this week...