So with Stirling stuck in Lima, we knew we had to start our tour without her. We decided to do a private tour in the first place because we had heard so many great things about the Sacred Valley, and by not going with 50 other annoying people...we would have the flexibility in case something happened with Stir´s flight (isnt it amazing when you actually DO have foresight?!)..or in case she didn´t feel well with the altitude, and we needed to cut the day short.
For the non-toury-type people we are, the experience far surpassed our expectations. We were in a nice minivan, with a driver and a guide, Renaldo.(Peru Tours...aka Lima Tours..it kind of went by both names). He quickly got on board with our humor and jokes, and was so professional and attentive, we finally had to tell him to chill out(we saw him later in the week at Machu Picchu and he was like hugging us, etc. I suppose we werent his average tour..). We stopped whenever we wanted to take pics and could spend as much time as we wanted at each stop. Plus, we finally were able to get all of our ignorant Inca, Cusco, Mach Picch, etc, questions answered by a (hired) local.
Keep in mind, we were still missing a third of the trio. All morning long Stirling and I were texting back and forth, while I was working through IF\THEN equations with Renaldo: IF her flight takes off an hour late, then she meets us at the market in Pisac. IF its delayed later, then when is our next stop, etc. Renaldo was super in to Project Stirling...he was just as concerned as to her whereabouts and ETA as we were..it was really cute.
Our first spontaneous stop of the morning was at Sacsayhuaman (pronounced "Sexy Woman"...no joke). We had heard a lot about it, but were glad that we didn´t make a special trip from Cusco to visit it alone. Renaldo told us everything we needed to know from the comfort of the side of the rode overlooking the ´sexy ruins´.
We pulled over next as we reached the highest point of our journey for a birds-eye view of the Sacred Valley. It´s more or less an oval: our first stop in the valley was Pisac (famous for its markets) - at the opposite end is, Ollyantatambo, where we´d finish up and spend the evening.
And situated just about in the middle of the Valley is Urubamba, now made famous by the miraculous arrival of Stirling just in time for lunch! Her cab driver was slightly obsessed with her (but, really, who isn´t?)...so I think there was mutual relief that we were finally all together. Again..Renaldo, estatic...
After lunch and a celebratory cerveza at the cute Sonesta Posada del Inca, we departed for Ollyantaytambo. It was windy by the time we arrived at the fortress, but it was our first exposure to the Inca ruins, so we really wanted to see and learn all that we could. The key take-away, at least for me, was how brilliant these people were. From their agricultural techniques to the design of each temple and ruin - it was all totally well-thought out and logical. How many communities today can claim that? It was also so interesting to understand the intimate connection the Incas felt with nature. I´ve noticed this bond with the natural is prevalant in so many Peruvians even today.
At the end of a long day, we arrived at our darling hotel (Jamie definitely wins the award for best hotel finds!), Pakaritampu. It was just outside of town, and a mere 4 minute walk to our train station the next morning. I highly recommend this day en route to MP. A) you dont need to board the train at 6am from Cusco, and 2) the Valle Sagrado is such an important piece of this region´s puzzle. It seems silly to dart from Cusco to MP without this exposure..
I´ll admit, however, that even after such a wonderful and full day, the highlight for me was finally sitting down with Jamie and Stirling over bottle of Chilean wine. I literally sat back as they played the Texas name game (which I tuned out) and counted my blessings for both having these two amazing friends in my life, and for having this unique opportunity to share this Peruvian experience with them. With so many wonderfully exciting, yet time-consuming, things going on in our lives right now, it´s hard enough to set phone dates, let alone international travel dates. I´ll remember this moment.. with two of my very best life friends.. in that upstairs bar.. watching the color of the mountains fade to black.. in a town with far too many syllables.. forever.
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