The Sacred Valley

We were up, packed and loaded onto the bus by 7:30. I made a quick trip to the ATM and still couldn't get money out of TD Canada Trust, but during a restless night I thought of using my BMO card and bingo, it worked. Problem solved.

First stop was up in the Andes at a small village that is a GAP sponsored site. Here the local people demonstrate how to make, dye and weave llama and alpaca wool into lots of crafts that they hope you will buy.

Second stop was an Inca site called Pisaq where we climbed up the terraces that the Incas used to use for growing crops. Our guide, Ali, gave us a lot of background information and history.
Third stop was for lunch at a touristy restaurant with a terrific buffet. We had a great lunch while listening to Inca music and getting to know one another.

Our group consists of 14 people:
Me and my bunkie, Mark from Australia, Gareth and Kylie from England and Australia, Johnny and Elanor from Sweden, Dustin and Katie from Toronto, John and Saobhan from Ireland, Petra, Tuvya, and Elin all from Sweden and Kathy from England.

Then we drove to the town of Ollanataytambo and checked into our small hotel. The town exists because there is another Inca ruin there. We hiked up the terraces again. This is really hard because of the altitude. Again Ali gave us another talk about history. After he finished he suggested we hike up the other side of the valley to the site where the Inca's stored their dried food for up to three years. He said it would be good training for hiking at altitude. Great view to boot. Then we went and explored the touristy market of the village before meeting again at the Blue Puppy restaurant for a group dinner with Ali. At first when I met him, I thought he was going to be a swaggering, cocky guy who would cater to the young girls in the group. In fact he was an excellent guide, very knowledgable, friendly and funny to everyone. It was obvious he loved his job.

Two last things: the problem with the bank was caused by the fact that I went to the bank to get $400 for the trip to the Amazon, but when I tried to take out more money, it said insufficient funds. I think I have a $400 daily limit. That caused a restless night, because I didn't have enough more to spend on the Trail. Mark offered to lend me some. But luckily I solved it.
And two, Mark is 50 and I'm 57, everyone else is less than 33. There you go.