2013 MACHU PICCHU***PERU: PUNO***LAKE TITICACA***SACRED VALLEY

May 7
Puno***Copamaya***Luquina***Lake Titicaca (Uros Floating Islands)
Drove to the town of Puno where they were having a street festival. Puno was established in 1668, elevation 12,556 ft.

Next stop was a farm in Copamaya where we were shown how the people dug for potatoes.

Our next stop was in Luquina where we visited an Aymara family who served us lunch with a beautiful view of Lake Titicaca. There was even music and some dancing after lunch.

Finally we rode on a boat to see the Floating Islands of the Uros people of Lake Titicaca, elevation 12,507 ft. The "islands" are made of floating aquatic plants, mud, and peat ranging in thickness from a few inches to several feet. Lake Titicaca is translated as "Rock Puma", as local communities have traditionally interpreted the shape of the lake to be that of a puma hunting a rabbit.

May 8
Sacred Valley***Raqchi***Urcos***Casa Andina
Drove through the beautiful Sacred Valley, formed by the Urubamba River also known as the Willkanuta River (Aymara, "house of the sun") or the Willkamayu (Quechua, "sacred river"). Quechua was the lingua franca of the Inca Empire and still spoken today.

Next stop was Raqchi, an Inca archaeological site also known as the Temple of Wiracocha. It is the most prominent structure, an enormous rectangular two-story roofed structure built by the Inka Huayna Capac to honor Viracocha. There are 12 living quarters adjacent to the temple for both priests and administrators. There are also 152 round storehouses called qolcas.

Urcos, was our next stop where we had lunch at a local restaurant.

Our beautiful hotel tonight is the Casa Andina, in Urubamba, elevation 9,420 ft, in the Sacred Valley. The hotel has a nice restaurant, great lobby and spa. It even has an Inca woman selling her wares and there are llamas in a corral.

May 9
Urubamba***Torrechayoc***Chinchero***Ollantaytambo
Started sightseeing this morning in Urubamba to see a pottery-making and along the way we saw a parade with costumed natives.

Next stop was a small town Torrechayoc, where they have one of the famous churches, the Santuario de Señor de Torrechayoc.

Next stop is in Chinchero at the Centro de Producción Artesanal Angélica Concha Whuarhua where we saw the various steps in the production of natural dyes used in wool weaving. Local Peruvian lunch was served at the weaving factory.

Ollantaytambo is a town and an archaeological site. It was the royal estate of Emperor Pachacuti who conquered the region, built the town and a ceremonial center. During the time of the Spanish conquest of Peru it served as a stronghold for Manco Inca Yupanqui, leader of the Inca resistance.