Wendy

After a slow start to the day (kids in bed, Alexis watching the Olympics, my knowing that we would be rising at the crack of dawn for the next six days on our Inca Trail trek), we finally made it up and out with the intention of climbing up to the Inca ruins « Sacsayhuaman » (or « sexy woman » as Alexis would say). However, when we got to the entrance, we did not want to buy the tourist tickets for four sites for $80 since we only wanted to see the one, nor did we want to go with the guide who was semi-harrassing us there. So, we decided to venture out on our own, which turned out to be a great call. We walked up I don’t know how many steps through houses perched on the hillside until we reached the Cristo Blanco, a giant white statue of Christ that overlooks the city of Cuzco. 

We then walked walked down a hill behind and gained free access to Sacsayhuaman. The size of the rocks that the Incas had cut and assembled to make these foundations was just mind boggling. 

Afterward, we descended to the Plaza Saint Blas, which in fact is just above our hotel, with its great fountain and little shops and restaurants. 

As we are leaving on our trek tomorrow morning, we attended an orientation meeting at EcoInka at 6pm. Our guide « Marco » walked us through the itinerary for the next five days. We also met two of the members of our eight-person group, Nancy and Nick. We are all feeling excited about the trip, though apprehensive as well since several of the days sound very physically challenging… Stay tuned for our next report upon our return at the end of this week!

Alexis

Cusco depuis les hauteurs (derrière San Blas). Je recommende la grimpette vers le Cristo Blanco, très intéressante et ensuite il est possible d’accéder au Sacsayhuaman (prononcer sexy woman).

Très ingénieux, pour faire tenir les murets en Adobe, ils plantent des cactus dessus (dont les racines s’infiltrent pour solidifier la structure).

Place dans le quartier San Blas.