Machu Picchu - Day 2

At the Sacred Valley Overlook

Day two we headed out of the hotel ready to go.  We found some alpacas (or llamas I can't really tell the difference) at one of the places we stopped to enjoy the view ..... and shop, of course. 



Cute little girl.  Her mom told
me I coudn't take her picture unless
I bought something.  I'll show her...



Shawn at Moray

Our first real stop was Moray, this was amazing and beautiful.   We learned that the Inka's did agracultural testing here.  They learned what plants would grow at what altitude, then they would take that information and grow in their cities the food that would work best. 

Irigation system

Climbing the huge steps to get out.

Floating steps- 3 steps = 6 feet

They also created an amazing irigation system and "floating" steps to get from level to level.  Some of the steps were quite a workout, and the elevation did not make it easy on us.  By the time we hiked out of that hole I could hardly breath.  But thankfully the rest of my body did not give out on me. 



Us at the bottom of Moray.

They cut all the grass with a machete.



With our tour guide Carolina.

Next we headed to the salt mines.  We learned that individual families each own a few of these puddles that they fill with salt water that comes from a highly salty spring, and if I remember correctly she said that they have never found the source of the water.



At the salt mines

There are more than 3,000 pools for mining salt.

After filling the ponds they allow them to evaporate (taking about a month) and then the remaining salt is "harvested" by hitting it with a stick or paddle and then putting it in a bag.  One of the "farmers" told us they harvest several hundred pounds of salt out of each pond.  However our tour guide said that because salt is so cheap now they still live in poverty. 





Mud Bricks

We hiked down from the salt mines (about an hour) and met up with our bus that then took us to lunch.  On our way down we saw a couple of small villages and one family making bricks.  It reminded me of teaching California history and talking about the bricks made of mud and straw.

Shawn napping on the train.

Because Shawn still had food poisoning from the night before our guide arranged for his lunch to be changed into free sodas.  Then we were off to the train and began our ride up to Augas Calientes.   

Aguas Calientes