After talking to the guys at the hotel I learnt that I could easily take a walk up to Saqsayhuman, a large Inca archaeological site located just outside of Cusco. Saqsayhuman (not sexy woman) was about a 30 minute hike up hill from the historical centre of Cusco, leaving by a small road off the main plaza called Calle Suecia. The walk was a little tough as the high altitude takes your breath away quickly. As you walk you can feel your heart beating in your chest quite heavily, its quite a strange feeling!
At the end of Calle Suecia you take a right, following a much larger road, which I was told takes you to the Sacred Valley. At a sharp bend in the road, is the entrance to the national park of Saqsayhuman (think the spelling is correct). From there you continue following a narrow path up to the site.
At the site there were a whole bunch of (so say) official guides, so I decided that it would be a great idea to hire one.....Juan was his name!
The site is really impressive and has some of the largest Inca stones in the whole of the empire (some of the 20 feet high). Archologists are still unsure the exact reason of Saqsayhuman, but it is thought that this was a place of worship for the Inca's that lived in Cusco. Juan gave me a 1 hour tour of the site, which was interesting, he also told me that this was the venue for the Inti Raymi festival which is held every year in Cusco (the festival of the Incas).
Saqsayhuman was really impressive, and the anticipation to visit Machu Picchu is growing! Can't wait.
