We decided to rent a motorcycle for the day and tour the country side of the Andes. Cuzco is situated in the valley between mountatin ranges and a 10 minute drive will put you in the most breathtaking and amazing views...think rolling grasslands, snow capped mountains, lakes, small towns, panoramic valleys. We found some amazing terraced salt farms in the mountain (pictures to come) that are still very much in use today. We also stopped by in a town called Chinchero just outside of Cuzco and saw Incan terraces that still had the original stone walls intact. The locals still make use of a few of these terraces to grow potatoes. The precision in which the walls were built were unbelievably precise. Each stone fit seemlessly together as if they were part of a jigsaw puzzle.
I am now armed with a bag of coca leaves and am ready to hit the Salkantay trail up to Machu Picchu. We leave bright and early tomorrow at 6am. I think I´ve finally acclimated to the altitude (dealt with a horrible horrible stomach ache all day yesterday) so hopefully the 15,000 foot pass won´t decimate me!
Drive by shooting right outside of Cuzco
Salinas, salt farms from incan times still in use today.
150 kilos of salt per pool per month.
Posing in the Incan terraces at Chinchero
Drying potatoes
Incan walls
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