Big day out...

Zac managed to arrange hire of a car and driver for us (for $60 US) so that we could visit some of the outlying tourist sites. Bargain, I reckon. We left home at 9am and didn't get back until 6.30pm and he had the cost of a flat tyre as well.

The scenery is spectacular – high snow capped mountains, terraced hillsides, deep valleys, local villages as well as Inca ruins and salt terraces. We tried to capture the scenery – with video as well as stills, but it is so immense - you just have to see it for yourself.

The township of Chinchero has a village atmosphere with many market stalls both in the narrow streets as well as in the town square, but then the enormity of it opens up. Inca terraces spread out around the hillside below the village. We also watched some women processing potatoes - stamping on them to squeeze the moisture out of them, peeling the skins off them, turning them ... these become dehydrated potatoes often used in cooking stews or soups.

The Morays HUGE... terraced areas ... miles from anywhere ... where the Incas experimented with different climatic conditions for agriculture. Apparently there are several degrees of temperature between the various levels. Amazing, amazing

Moras – Salt Terraces – we drove more miles on rocky dirt roads, often quite narrow, up steep sections where the driver constantly tooted his horn to alert on-coming traffic, which could be taxis, cars or big tourist buses!!!

We approached this site from a high point, and the sight is breath-taking – the whole side of the valley is sectioned into terraces. We stopped to take in the scene ... and stopped again shortly after to change a tyre before driving down to the entrance to the terraces. From this point we were able to walk along the narrow top of the salt terraces, see how the water comes out of the mountain and is channeled into the various areas, and then down a road/track which is where mountain bike groups also venture to meet our car at the bottom. Interestingly this is also where Zac came off a mountain bike some weeks ago.

Next stop, Ollyatatambo. This is a really interesting village with much original Incan construction as well as Inca construction and terracing on the steep mountain sides (read this as MANY steps up). We've been here before, and since it was quite late by this time, Jill and Jeff took a quick look at the ruins while the rest of us opted for a late lunch. Two hour drive home with spectacular scenery topped off a brilliant day out.