Pisac.

Our next stop in the Sacred Valley was Pisac. These Inca ruins are separated into four groups: Pisaqa, Intihuatana, Q'allaqasa, and Kinchiracay. The Inca constructed agricultural terraces on the steep hillside which are still used today. It was exhausting hiking up all these ruins. It's amazing to think about people building them. The whole valley was really beautiful. We stopped at a market for some shopping and then had lunch in Urubamba.

Our guide told us we were blocking the view.

llama vs alpaca

While touring the Sacred Valley, we made a stop at a llama farm. We got to feed all kinds of llamas and alpacas and see how the locals make things with the wool.

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.