The Sacred Valley

Peru's sacred valley is 3,800 m in elevation and encompasses a large pocket in the north eastern Andes. We combined two touristic tours to see as much as we could.

The Mighty Andes - over 7k km in length (worlds longest) and over 7k m high at highest point in Argentina. Here, Pisac stands as a regional capital city of 10000 tombs and a military outpost at it's peak.

The town of Pisac was our first stop and where I was more impressed by the ancient agricultural progress than the citadel that stands proudly above hundreds of mountain terraces. I didn't know that Andenes actually means terraces. The Andean people respected the original shape of the mountain when they engineered walled soil terraces. They usually faced eastward and benefit from a 1 degree shift in temperature for every six levels in order to grow different crops.These people have been extremely good farmers for a very long time with early demonstrations of seed selection, soil selection, seasonal timing, germentatuon, conservation, storage and use of different edible and non edible parts of the plant. Needless to say I was a little bummed that the mass market tour we got at the last minute seemed to be the only one that bypassed the famous Pisac market.

Physically the Andean people have bigger inner organs lungs and hearts, allowing better circulation and ability to climb mountains in half the time (or maybe four times faster at our current rate). We jogged to keep up with our guide Willy who was going a mile a minute in spanish, then English if you were lucky to be two steps behind him. A note to tour shoppers - an English-only tour is worth the extra money. Willy explained in the sand the geometry of a perfect triangle between Pisac, Cusco and Pumahuaca which are each 30km apart and stand at 3300 m high. A coincidence? Steph and I were both scratching our heads. Perhaps this was the snow line that determined the similar elevation, but how did they make a perfect triangle? I was a bit more skeptical since a triangle would not be too hard given we had seen in museums how Incan cities were built radiatating from Cusco in a star shape from a birds eye view. Regardless, to some people this means perfect energy. Many spiritual people believe that there is a magnetic middle point in the mountain where today Shamens sit in an Indian triangular pose to gain this magnetic energy.

We pushed on to a lunch in a small town called Urubamba that seemed have an incredible abundence of what is known as the 'Restaruante Touristico' - a title that is curiously advertised with pride in Peru. I tried civiche for the first time while watching the football on TV. Steph and I were quickly remembering why we almost always take the independent travel routes. The whirlwind guided tour bus is good for those short on time like the many Americans in south america who are only afforded a handful of precious vacation days a year.

After lunch came the highlight of the tour for me - the ancient town of Ollantaytambo that grew as major stop on the Inca trail on the way to Machu Picchu. It took the Incan army one day to walk from Cusco to Ollantaytambo, a resting place where they built camp.

The fortress perched on the hill was where the Incan army made one of their only great stands against the Spanish. Pizarro's step brother led the invading army here but was met with tumbling boulders, a shower of arrows and, in a masterful touch, a gushing wave of water from canals that were opened to sink the Spanish horses in mud causing a clumsy and hasty retreat. Pizarro soon returned with an army of men four times larger in numbers to ensure Ollantaytambo's capture. Steph almost forcefully stopped the Willy Whiz Tour by yelling "Wait! I have a question! Where are all the bullet holes from the European guns?". Unfortunately we didn't get much of an answer - one of many mysteries unsolved.

What truly amazed me about Ollantaytambo was the walls, cobbles and archways are exactly the same in their living form as they were when built. This is the best surviving example of Inca town planing. As in all Incan cities, they form streets that were always aligned to the sun's rays. From above the city of Ollantaytambo takes on the shape of a seated lama, visible from a special summer solstsce viewpoint on the mountain. It seemed that all these cities were built to take the shape of one of the usual folklore suspects: Pisac is designed as a condor while Saqsaywoman's walls were in the shape of lightning (dedicated to rain) but served more broadly as the teeth in Cusco's arial Puma shape.

Back on the bus we seemed to stop many times for people who boarded and gave us a demonstration of their tourist experience DVD-rom on a laptop or a their trinkets and local spirits. We drove on to a holy town higher in the Andes to visit a church but I couldn't help but notice that we spent more time for an opportunity to buy souveniers at 'craft demonstration'. We were looking forward to the end of the day to be honest.

Luckily the second tour was much more professional. We had decided to take a tour bus through the other half of the sacred valley all the way to Puno on the shores of Lake Titikaka. As much as I would have loved another installment on the famous train that takes this scenic route - but $200 was out of the question. We opted instead to pay a little more than a public bus for the Inka Express that drives along a road shadowing the railway tracks, except you stop off for guided tours along the way. This was well worth the $30 that included lunch and entrance fees. What's more, our guide Hugo was far more patient and kept us interested en route all day long.

The main visit was that of the Raqchi ruins. Here remains a massive wall that stands as the last part of the Temple of Viracocha, one of the holiest in the empire. Hugo knelt down to explain the Chakana in the sand where he drew this Andean cross. There is a huge empahsis on the power of three for the Incans. The andean cross has three stairs and indeed we had seen that Incan sites all had patterns in threes, especially a series of three stairs at important sites. These three steps represent the Condor, puma (balance), snake. Incas always had balance and counterbalance. The Andean cross also reflects that there are three stages to spiritual life. The underworld, the living world and the heavens which house the sun and the gods.

The Inca trail streches far beyond what most people think (Cusco-Machu Picchu), here 60km southeast of Cusco.

Inti Raymi, Festival of the Sun

Last Christmas - well, the one in 2008 before our trip - Chris received an amazing coffee-table book from my parents. It detailed the greatest festivals in the world and Chris determined to include some of them in our trip. He spent days upon days with the book and his google calendar, checking he had the dates right and trying to correspond them with our whens and whereabouts. The number one world festival in the book was Peru's Inti Raymi and if we were going to make it to one, this would be it. We made sure our trip to Cusco corresponded with 24th June, just after the Winter Solstice here.

The Inti Raymi festival was of course another thing of the Inca's that the Spanish succeeded in destroying back in 16th Century; many argue that since its reinstatement in 1944 it is merely a theatrical performance to attract tourists and yet more money to Cusco. In fairness, since the Inca's never wrote anything down, it is difficult to say that this is completely authentic. Nonetheless, the day was an incredibly special one...

The festival celebrates the God 'Inti' or the sun, the most important God to the Incas. It was apparently held on the actual Winter Solstice to mark the New Year in the Andes but for some reason has been moved to 24th. Is this to keep tourists in the area for longer? The week leading up to the festival saw the streets of Cusco full of festivities and this could be said for many surrounding towns and villages apparently.

Chris and I had a great time watching some of the dancing competitions between the children one day. This was a big event in itself; the costumes were incredible. So much time and effort, not to mention money, had been put into these pre-Inti Raymi celebrations and television crews were out in full force. What we missed in person we were always able to watch live on the national TV channels once back at the hostel.

The main activity during the Inti Raymi takes place up at 'SexyWoman' though, by asking a mixture of locals including our guides at many of the sites in and around Cusco, we'd found out the schedule for the whole day and managed to squeeze ourselves in amongst those in the know for some of the best seats in the house for each part.

The Inti Raymi was the most important of four festivals in Cusco (the Incan capital) during the Incan reign. Like today, it included days of dancing and fesitivities. Theatrical performance or not, this festival was truly magnificent.

The performance begins at the Qorikancha, 'Golden Courtyard' in Quechua - this was once the richest temple in the Inca empire and was literally covered with gold. the Spanish destroyed everything but the base which they used as foundations for what is now the Santa Domingo church.

We made our way to the Qorikancha by 9.30am just in time to see the Incan king giving a speech surrounded by a community of differently dressed people who would rise and shout things as well as jump up and down in various patterns. We were already impressed. It's no wonder the Incas worshipped the sun; it's forever sunny in this town, their capital, and we had a glorious day for it.

The Incas then formed a procession round the back of what is now Santa Domingo church where, helped and encourged by locals, Chris and I were given an amazing seat on a wall right in the centre if the procession. We were given a great view of the 'actors' and their costumes as they danced and played music right next to us.

The procession became a lot more serious when, following a group of dancing ladies who threw petals on the ground, in came the king, carried on a golden throne by his fellow Incas. It was a moving performance but they were nowhere near finished yet...

The procession were making their way to the Plaza de Armas which was in fact the main square even during Inca times. Chris and I beat them to it and got a place facing all the action yet again. This time however it was the local, non-acting people who provided the most entertainment. We waited a good while for the Inca king and his crew to arrive but in the meantime the crowd became more and more unruly. They'd obviously been saving their seats for a good while and the people sitting on the steps became incredibly angry when anyone below them on the flat pavement would stand up, preventing their view. It seemed to me that a unanimous decision needed to be made - either everyone sits down so as not to spoil anyone's view behind them OR everyone stands to be able to see over the people in front. However, there was stubborness on both sides and as the time for the procession's arrival grew closer, the crowd became more and more rowdy. They began shouting at one another and those sitting started throwing, of all things, orange peel at the offending stander-uppers. By British standards, it was all very civilised. I mean, there was no swearing as far as we could tell and certainly no beer bottles being thrown. Still, Chris and I had never seen a Peruvian so angry (petrol strikes aside) and when they started throwing the orange peel, well, we really felt for them actually.

To sit or to stand? Just make your minds up?!!

Eventually the Incas arrived and began various choreographed dances and worshipping of the sun...

The King stood up on the sacred rock podium (the fountain in the centre of the main square had been covered just so) and began a lengthy speech in Quechua. The lady next to me translated a little into Spanish and frankly, it was a lovely reminder that for the majority of the locals here, they were watching a performance conducted entirely in their mother tongue.

After a good hour of orange peel throwing, our aching knees began to protest at being forced to kneel on concrete ground. Not wanting to be the target of angry orange peel ourselves we hurried out of peoples' way and began our ascent up to Saqsaywaman to find a spot for the main event of the day: the llama sacrifice.

We read an article recently by a journalist who was there this year (I've included a link) and who talks about this being just another expensive way to lure the foreigners in and something that true local Peruvians struggle to attend or enjoy. While full of contradictions, the article's still worth a read if you have chance.

http://matadorabroad.com/perus-incan-celebration-of-inti-raymi-cultural-preservation-or-capitalistic-exploitation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+MatadorStudy+(Matador+Abroad)

It's true that there is a grandstand set up around the main 'stage' area where people can buy tickets for $80 US but from what we could see, these seats were filled purely by middle aged Americans who were probably part of a huge tour group and didn't know any better. Or at least, by people who were willing to surrender money quickly. For the independent traveller or the Peruvian local, there is plenty of space on the surrounding hillside to perch your bum and watch the event. Granted, most of the locals who had managed a prime viewing spot had been waiting there since 6am and were now beginning to sell remaining bum space for one British pound a spot (we heard crazy stories that bigger money was involved but who really knows - it all depends on how easy you are with your money, how gullable, or how tight, in my case!).

Chris and I cheekily pushed our way through the crowds and found one such man who sold us a patch of land he'd saved with a plastic bag for 5 soles for the two of us (£1.25). We also bought his whole family an ice-cream (which extended now to new friends he'd met at 6am during the waiting period) in order to break the ice a bit. If you're someone who has qualms about this, then you can still find a patch on the hill for free without waiting since 6am and without bribing a local; you just might have a slightly hindered view. In any case, what the journalist in the article says about the 'majority' of people having to pay $100s of dollars for a seat is ridiculous, especially as she quotes the crowd at being around 25,000 strong. There aren't even half that number of seats in the grandstand, I don't think.

After settling me in with my new friends, most of whom looked like they were above 80, Chris made a swift departure back to town in order to watch Denmark's match against Japan in the World Cup. I was alone with the Peruvians in the baking hot sun waiting for the Incas. All I can say is this: as they started to prepare their orange peel once again, I was so glad I'd bought them the ice-creams in some attempt to pacify them at least a little bit.

The Incas arrived and began an amazing show of synchronised marching and choreography where they really did make use of the sun and the shadows it cast down the lines of people towards the King. I stayed for about an hour but yet again, the shouting, pushing and shoving of locals who'd been waiting since six in the morning, now fighting to retain their view all became too much. The sun was so strong and there was no escaping it. I realised that I might have to sacrifice the llama sacrifice and escape... As the King continued with an incredibly lengthy speech in Quechua, the locals continued to throw orange peel at one another and the police descended on our section to try to sort it all out, I decided to join chris and see what the score was.

It took me absolutely ages to get back to town through the huge crowds - a good hour at least. This was a big BIG day out for families. So many had set up camp with huge picnics, football games and even tents behind the hill at saqsaywaman: though they weren't even attempting to watch the performance they had still come to spend the day at this sacred site. What a great atmosphere. The walk back to town was tough and as I fought my way through crowds of people, roast chicken stalls and soft drink vendors I realised once again what an incredible festival this was for people of this region.

When I was finally reunited with Christophe, it wasn't good news. Denmark had been kicked out of the World Cup and he ws the only man remaining in the pub. I found him drowning his sorrows with a Bloody Mary - oh dear. Despite this, he agrees that the day in general had been a huge success. We'd gained a great insight into the culture of the Peruvians and managed pretty much front row seats throughout.

Propaganda

After we'd said goodbye to the horses and while we were walking towards our next site, SexyWoman, Chris decided it best if we stop for a quick beer. We approached someone's mud house/shop where we'd spotted a shiny new poster on the door advertising a big beer for 6 soles.

When we received our beer the shop keeper, an old man who must've been in his 70s, quoted his price at 8 soles despite his poster saying otherwise. When questioned about this by Chris, the man explained, 'Ah, yes yes, but, you see, that poster is just propaganda. The real price is 8'!! We found this so funny that we gave him the money anyway. It was the kind of thing we'd not heard since India when cheeky Indians used to quote us all sorts of prices despite different things being written down. We sat in his back yard and he even brought us a cup of chicha which had been freshly made that day...

Drinking Chicha while surrounded by propaganda.

Incan Sites by Horseback

One sunny day in Cusco, Chris and I explored the Inca sites on offer within supposed walking distance of this city. At 140 Soles (4 soles = 1 British pound), the 'Billetto Touristico' does not come cheap. Luckily, we always have our international student cards at hand and this time they gave us half of the ticket. The Billetto does include entrance to the majority of Incan sites in and around Cusco, (including those in the Sacred Valley) and there are also a few museums thrown in too. Tickets in hand, Chris and I were determined to get our money's worth and tick as many sites off as we could.

As we scrambled up the steep hill to the first on our list, Q'enko, (not easy in these altitudes, believe me) we met a lady who asked whether we wouldn't prefer to see the ruins on horseback. We obliged as it was only about £5 each and arranged to meet her in an hour after we'd seen Q'enko. We were completely out of breath by the time we'd made this 4km uphill walk - I'm seriously hoping that I'll be fit as a fiddle by the time I get back to sea level. Maybe my lungs will have expanded or something; taking a brisk walk down the street even makes us breathless!

Q'enko

We paid for a guide at Q'enko because it only looked like a small site and from a number of angles just looked like natural rock... We wanted to get to the bottom of what it actually was. Our guide explained that this site was used for rituals and funeral ceremonies for the rich and most important people of Cusco. It really is just a huge limestone rock that's been cut out in places for the Incan ceremonies. Inside a cave-like entrance there was a flat surface which the guide said was used to prepare the bodies for mummification - they used to remove the organs and then put the bodies in a foetal position ready to be born into the next world. There was a gutter for the blood to run down proving it was basically a butcher's slab but for humans. More passageways and little caves were home to llama, condor and puma imprints but in all honesty, it's difficult to make these out.

We then met up with the lady who took us on another brisk walk (leaving us breathless after 30 seconds yet again) to where her horses were. The strange thing was, the other tourists had already left and there were only enough horses for the two of us meaning the lady walked the whole way beside us. I wasn't too impressed with this and it made us feel bad as she hurried up hills to catch up. Having said that, the 'Salapunco' or Temple of the Moon was only 1.5 km from Q'enko but it was nice that the horses were doing the work for us at least!

The horses (and the lady) were tested as we made our way up a very steep hill for around thirty minutes. Instead of reaching another site, the lady explained in fast, breathless Spanish, that we were now to get a bus! She would wait by the side of the sunny, dusty road while we went to visit the next two places! So we hopped onto a Collectivo full of young school children while they asked us cheeky questions.

The bus to Tambomachay...

When we arrived at Tambomachay, some ceremonial stone baths, we saw an old lady washing some fresh wool down by the river. She was cleaning it ready to be spun then dyed using the natural colours from corn, insects' blood or minerals from the rocks. This Incan site was splendid - you could sense the grandeur. Fountains and mini-waterways channelled water to the stone baths and the water still runs today.

Tambomachay

Washing wool in the river

No wonder we're constantly out of breath here; we haven't been anywhere near sea level for ages.

Next, we walked the short distance to 'Pukapukara' which means 'red fort': the rock here looks pink in some lights. Despite the name however, it is believed that this was most likely a hunting lodge. It offers great panoramic views of Cusco in any case. Aside from one other couple, we were the only people looking round yet despite such a small set of customers, ladies remained outside selling blankets, bags and other trinkets while their donkey's grazed beside them waiting for the walk home. We hopped on the next bus that came by and screeched to a stop just in time as the corner where our horses were waiting sped into view. The horses had a little bit of an easier ride from now on as we made the journey back down the hill to Saqsaywaman.

Pukapukara

Saqsaywaman (most easily pronounced by us gringos as 'Sexy Woman') means 'satisfied falcon' in Quechua. Nowadays you can see only 20% of the original site because the Spaniards used most of the huge blocks from the immense walls here to build their own houses and buildings. It's so sad, really. Luckily, many of the stones proved too heavy for them to lift. The largest stone in the wall weighs 300 tonnes (how do geologists know this, by the way? It has many more rocks sitting on top of it: did they dissassble the wall, weigh it then reassemble? Or do they just look at the mineral content/what the rock is made of and look at the volume and make a calculation? Can a geologist or scientist please get back to me on that?!)

SexyWoman's largest rock...

Apparently one of the most violent battles after the Spanish conquest happened here, but that's certainly not why tourists visit: we paid for a guide to explain it all to us. About 5000 warriers are estimated to have lived at this religious and military site.We were so impressed by the zigzagging walls which were built by the Incas to represent lightning. This is what our lovely lovely guide told us but the Lonely Planet says they represent the teeth of a puma (the whole of SexyWoman being the head and Cusco city having being designed in the shape of a whole Puma). Another one of Peru's mysteries. Our guide took us over to where the Inca's throne was and showed us huge rocks that were now upside down - you could see the three stairs, upside down- having been shifted by an earthquake.

The next part of our tour was quite exciting as the guide led us through some ancient water tunnels... Made by centuries of water running through before the Incas built here, these tunnels were now pitch black passageways which the Incas themselves used to get from place to place.

Though expensive, the Billetto Touristico is definitely worth it: however, if your wallets don't object to an extra few pounds, I would definitely recommend paying the little bit extra for a guide at each place. The explanations they are able to give due to their University studies in the subject makes the ticket worth it. Otherwise, you're just looking at an awful lot of ruins without knowing the story behind them.

Street Food Speial - The Beer Milkshake

Video blog - This insane (but surprisingly tasty) concoction can be found at fruit juice stands in Peruvian markets like El Molino in Cusco. the strange brew includes: malt, egg white, a whole amber beer, a tin of condensed milk, LOTS of fruit and a few other mystery ingredients.

Ancient Imperial Cusco

Once the epicenter of the empire's four surrounding regions, Cusco was the navel of the four parts corresponding cultures and it's capital of religion and power. Cusco, or Cosqo, should always be written with an "S" as this word rightly means navel in Quechua. Many of the Andean residents still speak this ancient language of the Incans instead of, or along with Spanish.

We settled in nicely to the Canadian-run hostel Southern Comfort, where hot pancakes were flipped onto our plates every morning. Cusco was sunny every day and we really enjoyed our stay with a view over the imperial city.

On our first walk around town we were astonished by the sheer scenic and historic majesty. We ducked through the thousand-year old streets that remain in the network that has never changed since the Incas designed this city in the shape of a Puma.

The cathedral and main square almost breathed a little bit of the same eerie historic atmosphere as Prague at night. Our first visits were to the Inca museum and Koricancha - the temple of the sun. This holy Incan temple was once was the center of the central naval. It's walls were even capped in gold. When the Spanish came they predictably needed to destroy it right away and built a church right on top of it so now the lower foundation is still Incan and the upper part Spanish.

Our second day around town was a little odd. It happened to be a strike day (I think against regional petrol prices). Any cars, buses or other vehicles who decided to drive the streets were met with rocks hurled at their windows. We had read about the occasional unrest in Peruvian towns but never really believe it could happen in such a peaceful culture on the streets. That image was quickly broken when we saw 10 year old kids hurl bricks at a taxi window while everyone in the street yelled their opinion for or against this manifestation. When we later left town a few days later for the Incan sites I thought their was an awful lot of fallen rubble from the cliffs in the way. I later realized these were improvised roadblocks when some were topped with cactus for makeshift barbed wire.

Three women and a giant outside Korikancha church/temple.

That day was an exception. We were otherwise astounded by how at home Southern Comfort made us feel and how much there was to see in and around this city. Thanks to the friendly hospitality of Staph, notably will the manager, Steph and I had many perfect days from here. We made use of the baker on the corner and the supermarket to cook in a few nights. I even found a local brulerie that ground and roasted fresh organic coffee beans at Cafe Perla. We later were advised by a restaurant owner to find Qori Sara, a local restaurant with a menu for 12 soles that seemed to be the most popular lunch hour in town. Three hearty courses and a chicha down the hatch, we would often hit the Mercado Central. This place had everything from piles of meats and veg to about 101 identical fresh juice stands. Try the Jugo Especial if you dare.

One night we even braved the Molino Market - home to the best fake DVDs this side of Asia. We found some greasy street food at the back to sit among the locals and plan our catchup strategies for the next seasons we've missed of Lost, House, Dexter, etc, etc - a masterstroke of domestic life. Happy days.

25 Tips for Machu Picchu

Travellers were giving us logistical advice for visiting Machu Picchu throughout our stay, during the journey, and even as far back as Cusco and Lima.

Here are our 25 tips for getting there, staying in Aguas Calientes and visiting the lost city in the mountains above:

AGUAS CALIENTES

> Buy your entry ticket in advance when you arrive at the tourist office near the main square. This is not only convenient - it's required.

> An ISIC student card will save you 50% off this pricy entry fee.

> Buy your bus tickets in advance too from the bus station by the railway bridge. This will give you an idea where to queue up early the next morning.

Contrary to what people tell you, Aguas Calientes is not entirely unforgettable. Yes, there may be 100 tourist restaurants on one street with exactly the same menu. But for a local fix, just go across the bridge to the other side of town. We learned this quickly when asking for a cheap local pub.

> Go for the 20 soles lunch menu at La Caldera when you arrive in Aguas Calientes It's actually a good value for the town's swankiet restaurant and will enable you with the town's only wifi signal every time you pass thereafter.

> Download Hiram Bingham's diary for free from project guttenberg, or via the Stanza app on your iPhone/iPod touch.

> Most of the tourist restaurants have a 'menu del dia' for dinner too. Some feed two people and are as low as 10 nuevo soles.

> The 4-for-1 drink deals are the same at every tourist resto in town - cheap and watered down. Be sure to ask them to throw in free nachos. Or, large beers can be negotiated down from 20 to 10 soles.

> To ensure access to climb Waynu Picchu you have two miserable options that all backpackers will be debating to ensure arriving early enough for one of the 400 daily tickets. 1) Be in the bus line at 4am to catch one of the very first busses. 2) Walk up the mountain yourself at 3:30am. And if you are on the inca trail you will probably arrive early enough to beat the aguas caliente crowd all together.

MACHU PICCHU

> The best time to explore the ancient city and have it all to yourself is between 8-10am before the train and tourist busses arrive en masse. This is a good time to climb Waynu Picchu, mount Machu Picchu, or take the trail over to the Inca Bridge perhaps with a picnic en route.

> Another strategy is to go down the path along the terraces when you arrive anntour the city in a counter clockwise fashion.

> The second best time to void the crowds is between 4-5:15pm when the day trippers all need to catch the train home and the park guards havn't yet made their rounds to usher you out.

> The Waynu Picchu climb is stunning. Whether it worth the race to get a ticket is another story. Try your luck at the WP gate (back side of the city) around 7:30-8:00 am. They may let you in with just a signiature in the logbook. This tip from a guard worked for us, but don't count on it!

> Bring your passport since ID is needed and you can even get a special stamp if you take it to the office next to the entrance.

> Pack a lunch and many snacks. The cafe on the top is highway robbery. There are many remote and breathtaking picnic spots inside so lond long as you absolutely sure to not leave anything behind.

> More imprtantly, bring lots of water unless you want to also pay an arm and two tired legs for some much needed hydration.

> You can leave things like extra water at the bag check at the entrance, and come back for it as needed.

> At some point you will need a break in the shade back at the entrance anyway. Discretely have a look in the MP Lodge hotel lobby and restaurant where the original discovery photographs that Bingham took are on display.

> Get a guide from the entrance. They are expensive if you want a private tour. However you should be able to negotiate it for 10-20 soles p/p if you don't mind waiting for a few more people to join.

> Read up on the site before you go. Unlocking the little we do know about the Incan empire will transform your visit.

> Be advised - yellow clothing attracts the llamas in a big way!

GETTING THERE

This can be a little complicated:

> If you are taking the spectacular train journey, book seats on the river side, direction travel, for a much better view. Be advised that half the train journey is under construction since the mudslides and you are paying for partial bus shuttle service from Cusco.

> For the inca trail trek of a lifetime, be sure to book many months in advance since the park passes go quick - especially during the June-July-August high season.

> Consider taking the trek from 1 or 2 days distance (in combination with the train) if you are not up for the full 4 day trek.

> The train and treks are expensive. For those on a budget it is entirely possible to access nearby towns by colectivo from cusco and then trek along the train tracks o aguas calientes.

> Another clever option is to pay 15 soles in cusco for a guided full-day tour of the sacred valley Incan sites. One of the last stops before returning to cusco is usually Ollantaytambo - a lovely town very near to the train tracks and where the train currently leaves (for a smaller fare than paying for the cusco fare with shuttle connection).

> Book ahead one of the 18 rooma in El Arberghe, a charming garden hotel through a doorway in the Ollantaytambo station.