A Journey to Pisac and The Sacred Valley

Usually, when we are abroad, I stay awake when travelling between and through towns I’ve never been to before, even if it’s just from the airport to the hotel. In that respect, I’m like a kid who refuses to go to sleep at bedtime. Or someone with a case of FOMO. I want to see everything — the people and their homes, the architecture of the city, the landscape of the countryside, the sun, the sky, the clouds, and the stars. What I’m not able to capture on film or SD card, I commit as much as I can to my human memory.

Our trip to Pisac and the Sacred Valley, however, was not like that. I’ll explain what happened. Then we will visit Pisac and the Sacred Valley.

Warning/Aviso: The next four paragraphs contain a frank account of digestive issues that some may be uncomfortable reading. If you are sensitive to such material, please scroll back up to the Table of Contents and jump to the section titled “Awana Kancha Alpaca Farm”, or scroll down to the bottom and click “Next Post” to join us on the next entry. It is not my intention to gross anyone out, just to let you know this is what happened to me; and hopefully it will help you avoid having this happen to you.

I’ve been enduring bouts of UC (Ulcerative Colitis) for the last nine years. Having a flare-up flare up before this trip started certainly was not welcome. I knew that if this flare-up followed the same pattern as the others, it would be a few more weeks before it cleared up, no matter how careful I was about what I ate… or didn’t eat. This visit to Perú could be a once-in-a-lifetime trip and I wanted to take full advantage of everything I could, especially the cuisine. I decided the heck with it; I was not going to modify my diet while here in Perú. I knew this decision could extend the time the flare-up would be active. I also knew what to expect if I ate certain things, and when to expect it. Fortunately, I had a plan to deal with the consequences. That plan included taking note of where the restrooms where at each stage of our trip.

We had a 5:15 a.m. wake-up call. Our itinerary had us leaving Lima mid-morning and flying to Cusco. A couple of hours after waking, I started feeling strange. That strangeness turned into sweats. On the bus ride to the airport, I felt an intensifying urge to run to the restroom. When it became clear those sweats meant impending diarrhea, I actually got up to ask the driver if we could pull over. (We were less than five minutes from the airport.) I finally had to go in the bus’ restroom. Relief was mercifully immediate, as was the end to the sweats. But it was only a brief respite. While at the airport, the urge returned, though less intense this time. I ended up having to jump out of line, walk rather briskly to a nearby restroom (which I had located earlier while standing in line (see previous paragraph)) and go again. And once again after we got to the gate waiting for the plane to arrive. When we got to the Alpaca Farm in Cusco, I actually missed a lot of the talk our guide, Angel, gave as we entered the venue due to a pressing fourth trip to bathroom. I started feeling better little by little after that, and was able to catch up to and stay with the group this time.

(For those of you who plan on visiting Perú, be advised that you are not supposed to dispose of bathroom tissue in the toilet once the, uh, paperwork is done. You must use the trash receptacle. Don’t worry, they have sanitization procedures in place to deal with odors, etc. This is because Perú’s sewage system, by necessity, has to use narrower pipes to get water up to those higher mountainous elevations. Bathroom tissue, or anything else, just adds material to the waste that the pipes are not able to handle.)

So what went wrong? In short, I drank the water, which I learned afterward you are not supposed to do. And at a folklore show, I ate raw vegetables, which apparently you aren’t supposed to do, either. Pro tip: If you do eat vegetables, make sure they are fully cooked, or if raw, make sure they have been washed with bottled water.

Awana Kancha Alpaca Farm

Our first stop after we landed in Cusco was Awana Kancha (website is currently down), an interpretive center for camelids of South America and Peruvian textiles. Awana Kancha is considered a living museum of the Andes. It was designed to raise and protect camelids — alpacas, vicuñas, etc. It soon grew to include space to preserve, make, and display the fabrics made from the fur of these animals. The elaborate textile work you see around Perú was becoming a lost art. Awana Kancha is working to make sure this skill is taught to and endures for future generations. We would see more of the art of making Peruvian textiles later in the afternoon.

Llamas and alpacas (and vicuñas and guanacos) look very similar, all related to the camel. So, you may be asking, “What is the difference between llamas and alpacas?” The easiest way tell is by their face and ears. Alpacas have shorter, more pointed ears. Llamas have longer, curved, some say banana-shaped ears. Alpacas have shorter, more blunt faces. Llamas have longer faces. Alpacas are shorter and have softer wool. Llamas are taller and have coarse hair. Both will spit, but llamas are the ones with the temper; they’re the ones you have to watch out for.

Our group took a lot of photos of the animals. Our guide, Angel, even posed with a few of them for us. If you want, you can even feed the llamas and alpacas.

As you dine around Perú, you will notice that almost every dish incorporates potatoes or corn. Both of these items are staples of the Peruvian diet. Believe it or not, there are more than 4,000 varieties of potato and 55 varieties of corn grown in Perú. Awana Kancha has a display showing a small sampling of the numerous varieties of both.

Next, we got to see first-hand the beautiful textiles that Perú is famous for. Just outside one of the buildings, two groups of weavers sat making blankets. One of the nearby structures displayed dozens of skeins of yarn hanging in rows, dyed in assorted colors, ready to be woven into various products. Inside the main building were blankets, purses, sweaters, and other garments for sale. We learned how to tell a real alpaca sweater from an imitation. (Hint: Real alpaca is very soft, like cashmere, and a sweater costs as much as US$100, often much, much more. If you find an alpaca sweater for less than that, it is probably a fake.)  We also learned it takes a lot of work to turn alpaca fur into wool for garments. The finished product is very resilient. All of these justify the higher prices true alpaca commands.

Why is it called the Sacred Valley?

We then stopped at an overlook and saw the Sacred Valley (Valle Segrada) spread out before us. Below, the Urubamba River snaked its way through the valley. The river has different names depending on which part of the valley it is running through: the Urubamba River, Wilka Maya (Willcamayu, Vilcamayo) or Sacred River, and Vilcanota. Further north, this same river passes below Machu Picchu, and eventually becomes one of the headwaters of the Amazon. The Urubamba River threads its way past the towns of Chinchero, Maras, Moray, Ollantaytambo, Pisac, Urubamba, and Yucay in the Sacred Valley.

Why is it called the Sacred Valley? What makes it “sacred”? The best answer I’ve found is this excerpt from the Las Qolqas site: “[I]n Andean cosmovision, The Planet Earth is perceived as a Microcosm that mimics the Macrocosm of The Universe, and in that sense, they realized the Vilcanota River (Willqa Mayu or Sacred River) followed the trajectory of the River Snake (Amaru Mayu)/Milky Way. Thus, making Willqa Mayu the twin, opposite and complimentary sibling on Earth of the Amaru Mayu (Milky Way) in Heaven.” Las Qolqas goes on to say, “The Valley was also considered sacred because it was (and still is) so fertile.” No doubt its fertility is due to the river that runs through it.

The Town of Pisac

Pisac (Pisaq in the Quechua language) is on the eastern end of the Sacred Valley. It sits at about 2,972 meters (9,750 feet) above sea level. At the western end of the valley is Ollantaytambo. Pisac comes from the Quechua word Pisaqa, which means “partridge”. Because Pisac sits at a little lower elevation than does nearby Cusco, it is a popular stop on the way to Cusco as it gives travelers time to acclimate to the altitude.

Once you’ve acclimated to the altitude, just a short 9-kilometer (5.6-mile) drive away is the Pisac Archeological Park. It was established sometime during the mid-15^th century. During its time, it was one of the finest archeological complexes in Perú. It remains a very well-preserved site, even today.

Many of the residents of Pisac speak Quechua, the language of the Incan Empire. It is also known as Runasimi, which means “the people’s language”. Quechua was once spoken as widely as Columbia, Brazil, and Argentina. We got more of an introduction to Quechua when we arrived in Cusco.

Walking through Pisac, I felt like we were in a different world, one unfamiliar to me. Though I did have one connection through the Spanish language, it still felt, um, foreign. Strolling along the cobblestone streets of Pisac, admiring the adobe structures, and watching the residents go about their daily lives, was like walking back in time. Back to even pre-Columbian times. There is evidence that there were settlements in Pisac as early as 5,000 B.C.

As Pisac is a well-known stop in the Sacred Valley, you’ll find craft stores, coffee bars, and restaurants in the town. If you plan to stay more than a day, there are hotels that can accommodate you. The large outdoor market is very popular, selling all sorts of crafts, ceramics, textiles — lots of textiles — fruits and vegetables, etc. And, of course, typical tourist souvenirs like t-shirts, jewelry, refrigerator magnets, and the like.

My wife and I browsed through a few of the stores. I bought a couple of souvenirs and a bag of coca leaves. I bought the leaves for two reasons: 1) I wanted to get a taste, literally, of Incan culture through the practice of chewing coca leaves, and 2) I wanted to find out what effect, if any, chewing coca leaves had on reducing or eliminating altitude sickness symptoms. I didn’t get to do either. After we came out of the store, we saw Angel. I asked him about the leaves. He told me I probably shouldn’t chew those leaves because they hadn’t been washed in bottled water. This brought to mind the conversation about drinking the water in Perú that we had on our second day. I ended up giving the bag of leaves to a resident we passed on the street. Some coca candy we bought later would have to suffice.

You have probably seen or eaten the large, white, deep-fried corn kernels called Giant Corn or Inca Corn (think Corn Nuts). Its history goes back through this part of the world. In Perú, it is called cancha. The Urubamba province is said to produce the largest white corn in the world. As we returned to our bus, Angel pointed out a couple of vendors selling the giant corn still on the cob. I have had the giant corn several times before this trip, including in soups in Lima during this trip, so it was really cool to see where it comes from.

The Weavers or Chincheros

We stayed at Sonesta Posadas del Inca Sacred Valley in Yucay, Urubamba. The property is a restored 18^th century colonial-style monastery. Angel told us we would stop and overnight here to allow us time to acclimate to the altitude, instead of heading directly to Machu Picchu.

The grounds are beautiful. The property butts up against a hillside, which our room had a great view of. Most of the buildings are two stories with old tile roofs. The rooms have a rustic feel with heavy wooden doors, and a mix of tile and brick walls and brick floors. The chapel, fountain, landscaping, and large courtyard gave off a very serene vibe. It put me in mind of a hacienda. I really did not want to leave.

Two members of our group were not feeling well by the time we arrived, including my wife. It was probably the result of the high altitude. As soon as we checked in, they went directly to their rooms, not to be seen or heard from again until check-out the next morning.

Speaking of the rooms… For some reason I tend to notice hotel room keys. This time we were given an old-style thin skeleton key, which actually did its job quite well. I know this because while fiddling around with it, I managed to lock myself out of the room.

Our itinerary called for something called a “Local Specialty”. A Local Specialty is basically a behind-the-scenes look at, or a deeper insight into, an aspect of culture in the country you are visiting. This one would feature Andean textiles and we would be treated to a weaving demonstration by some of Perú’s finest at the craft. Angel explained to us that the weavers are called Chincheros. They know as many as 54 different patterns. You can see the colorful patterns in the products they make all throughout Perú.

As the sun began throwing off its golden rays, the chincheros gave us a demonstration of how they spin the yarn, clean and dye the wool, and make their apparel. When watching the process, it seemed very simple; no machines, no artificial chemicals, just all natural dyes and human-powered spinning and weaving. An unexpected treat was learning how crushing a certain insect released a cream-like substance that could be used for cosmetics. One of the chincheras showed us by applying the result as a lipstick and as a rouge. They asked our group if there were any volunteers. A couple of ladies were brave enough and agreed to have the rouge applied to their cheeks.

While the demonstration was going on, I was standing in back with one ear listening to the narration Angel provided, and one eye in the viewfinder of my camera, taking lots of photos. Even though I tried to maintain a low profile (kinda hard as I was the only one not sitting down and the only one slinking around with a DSLR camera), one of the chincheras apparently took a liking to me. Which led Angel to jokingly comment to me, “there’s going to be three of you going home.” (My wife was still recovering in our hotel room so she missed all of this. The next morning, though, members of our tour group were smiling at her and asking her questions. She figured out that something had happened during the demonstration but had no idea what.)

At the end of the demonstration, we gave them a round of applause. Their handiwork was displayed behind them. Just about everything they made was available for purchase if we wanted. Many in our group did buy a few items, including me.

The Southern Cross

The two members of our group I told you about earlier were still down due to difficulties adjusting to the altitude. They stayed in their rooms and missed dinner. I was kind of skeptical about what I could eat due to my condition. Angel suggested just trying a little bit and seeing how it goes. That sounded like a plan I could work with.

On the dinner menu was alpaca. New country, new food… I decided to try some. Alpaca tastes like dark meat chicken, only slightly tougher. Very little if any fat. It wasn’t nearly as gamey as I expected. If I have the chance to have alpaca again, I would definitely take advantage of the opportunity. Surprisingly, I was able to eat a full meal, but stayed away from green vegetables. I felt good afterwards and throughout the rest of the evening.

Compared to Lima, the temperatures in the Sacred Valley varied greatly. Now the range was 64°F/17°C during the day, and right at freezing (32°F/0°C) at night. Maybe it had something to do with the altitude but it really didn’t feel that cold. I was able to walk around without a jacket.

For those who were still up after dinner, Angel took us outside for a treat. The skies were dark and there was very little light pollution. He directed our eyes skyward toward the stars and pointed out the Southern Cross constellation. I live in the Northern Hemisphere where the Southern Cross never rises above the horizon, so I had never seen the constellation before. I marveled at this sight for a while, realizing that the sky looks different in this part of the world. It dawned on me that Perú was continuing to reveal even more of its marvels. I wonder what Perú has in store for us tomorrow?

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