We had a quick breakfast at 8 a.m. and were off to see some stuff. I say stuff because I really didn’t know what we were doing until we actually did it. I don’t think any of the other guys knew what we were doing that day as well. I thought we were starting our Inca Trail hike but it was mainly just brisk hiking and exploration. The first stop we made was to the top of Cuzco. The view up there was phenomenal. I got a panorama shot. I hope it turns out OK. The next stop was Pisac. It was a little further away through the Sacred Valley. Our trip started early in the morning so we got to see the sun slowly rise revealing the lush green of the Sacred Valley. Pisac was a hillside ruin built within the Sacred Valley. The path was a brisk 15 minutes. At the top Wilbert, our guide, gave us a short story about how the Incans dug holes in the side of the mountains to bury the dead. The hillsides at Pisac were levels of farmland built into a circular pattern. It reminded me of the corn patterns in the Midwest. Very interesting

The next place we stopped was a small woman village where clothing was made. For about 10-20 sol you could get a hat, socks or a pair of gloves. I picked up some hats for friends at home. We left the village and headed to a small market outside of Pisac on the way to Ollantaytambo. It was exactly like a flea market under canopy tents. I bought some more gifts and we were off to lunch in Ollantaytambo. The place we stopped off at was a buffet restaurant. It served pretty good vegetarian food made with corn, potatoes and other local vegetables. Nothing to rave about. The dessert was pretty good. I had a coca mousse. Very delicious.

The final stop for the day was Ollantaytambo, a small ruin built into the hillside. The ruin was actually very interesting and very windy. The hike up was strenuous and took about 40 minutes. Once we were at the top we could overlook the city of Ollantaytambo. We explored around the ruins and the group dispersed back to the hotel. I stayed a little longer to catch a glimpse of the sunset. It got pretty cold up there so I didn’t stay too long and also the place was closing.

We all met back at the hotel for a quick round of beers then we were off to dinner at a local restaurant called the Blue Puppy. There were only 3 (Barry and Cathy and I) of us as the rest of the group decided to eat elsewhere. My BLT was OK. I wasn’t expecting much but it turned out good for breakfast the next day. Supposed the breakfast the hotel served was a bun and orange juice. Lame! I enjoyed every bite of my BLT for breakfast. After dinner that night we had white chocolate cheesecake right down the street from our hotel. It was damn tasty. I wish I could have eaten that every day I was in Peru. We knocked out early after dinner. The day was exhausting.