Acclimatisation in the Sacred Valley

After three days of overindulgence in Lima, we flew to Cuzco at 3400m and joined the rest of the 12-strong Mountain Kingdoms group including our friends Gill, Ralph, Jeanette and Ian. In order to get used to the altitude we were then driven with our local guide Chino down to the lower level Sacred Valley where we spent a few days visiting Inca sites such as Moray and the salt pans at Salinas and doing a little light walking, mostly downhill!

 A visit to a local home in Ollantaytambo proved very interesting. Elements of both Christian and indigenous religions are evidenced by the roof decorations.....and we couldn't resist a couple of bulls for the shed roof in Berkhamsted either! The skulls of your ancestors are believed to allow them to watch over you and the llama fetuses are a cha'lla (offering) to Pachamama (Mother Earth) encouraging her to inspire good luck, and are often buried under buildings being constructed.  Guinea pigs are kept by everyone and the majority later eaten as a delicacy ('cuy') although male black ones are used for traditional medical diagnoses and treatment.

Carolyn fattening some up for later !

After being shown how the local fermented corn beer, chicha, was made (raw, acidic and definitely an acquired taste), we were introduced to the game of sapa, during which Nic managed to be very irritating by throwing two discs into a very small frog's mouth!

We then returned for a night in Cusco where en route to a restaurant we were greeted by screaming! It transpired that the Plaza San Francisco was filled with teenage girls: One Direction were in town!