What a difference a day makes, and may be a better tour guide, a more relaxed pace and 1 kilometer lower altitude.
We had lunch at Alhalambra near Urubamba followed by a walk through the archeological site at Ollantaytambo.
Our guide said that when she was a child living in Ollantaytambo there was no appreciation or understanding of the significance of the site and it was often used to host large local events. The terraces were used for seating like an ampitheatre. If a rock was in the way they just moved it. She followed on by saying that it wasn’t until tourists started to come and visit that they began to realize what they had.
Unlike the previous day’s tour this one didn’t try to take us to every hot spot along the way; just a few where we spent more time and didn’t push too hard. A much better strategy.
The archeological part of the tour was followed by going to our hotel, The Sonesta in Yucay. We got there early enough so we had time to take a walk around through the country side before it got dark. The front desk provided a map of a walking trail. The trail circled through farmland, and it took us about 1 and one half hours to complete.
The Sacred Valley was a lush and pleasant change from the dry, desert conditions we had previously experienced on our trip
The market in Pisca (mostly for tourists)
The Archeological Site at Ollantaytambo
The Sonesta Hotel in Yucay, a converted and extended Monastery
Farmland in the Yucay area seen on our walk
A country Chapel seen on our walk
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