Before we went to Machu Picchu we stayed in the Sacred Valley of the Urubamba River. We drove down to the ancient city of Pisac it was an Inca site. It was amazing to see the terraces and to learn this is how they planted their crops. What shocked me is that they still use some of the terraces still for planting of their crops. If I remember right about 200 types of potatoes and thought the number of types of corn is not that high there are still an amazing variety of corn that they grow. The stone temples and buildings are in good shape for all their history. The small markets are great. It is turning toward the tourists but still holds their old way of life.
We took a raft down part of the Urubamba River, another way to see the lush valley. Again I was amazed to see all the different corn plants and other grains they grow. I am still eating Quinoa it’s a great grain and surprising great for you. They us this in soups, as a rice to put food over, for a breakfast like oatmeal and in just about anything else they want to.
Don’t miss the Incan fortress of Ollanyaytambo. As you climb the steps you start to understand the reason this was a sacred valley. If you closed your eyes you could almost hear the sounds of the people that walked and lived there so long ago.
