Bike Dreams had been good enough as to organise a trip to Machu Picchu and with it there was to be a tour the town of Pisaq which researchers suggest was established by the Incas, to defend the entrance to the Sacred Valley through which one much travel...
Whilst the the local market at Pisaq, may be somewhat of a "tourist trap", it was very fascinating and did have a few pictures / trinkets that caught my eye. After our visit to the markets we drove on through the Sacred Valley, which has some marvelous scenery, with a fast flowing river running right through it. We are reliably informed that the river was important to the Inca's as they viewed it as a Holy river! Now a days however it's important because of it's contribution to the agricultural growth in the area.
Our bus ultimately arrived in Ollantaytambo, with sufficient time as to enable us to explore the agricultural terraces & township that had been built by the Inca. From what I have been led to believe, the terracing permitted farming on otherwise unusable terrain whilst also enabling the Incas to take advantage of the different ecological zones created by the variations in altitude.
We then all subsequently headed down to train station for the two hour journey to Aguas Calientes, which is the town from which one departs for Machu Picchu itself.... The trip was rather enjoyable, with the train forging through winding cliffs and over several bridges as it crossed the river on from time to time. It's just a pity that it's been raining so much today, because I would love to have had the opportunity to take more photos than I did.
I can only hope that it's better weather tomorrow. I mean, having to be up at 4:45 AM, so as to be ready for a 5:30 AM bus trip up the mountain, is one thing, but I'd hate to think that it'd be raining on what may be my one & only chance to see Machu Picchu. I have been looking forward to this day for so long....
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