We started out fairly early on the first day of a 2-Day tour with our personal local guide and driver. On our way out of Cusco we stopped briefly to glimpse Sacsayhuaman ("sexy woman"). Not so sexy, but quite formative Inka walls.
We drove to the Secret Valley (also known as Sun Valley) where we saw the Secret River and learned about the history and farming in the area.
Our guide took us to a goods market and jewelry factory, where we watched jewellery being made and learned to tell the difference between real Llama sweaters and synthetic ( it's a secret ;-) ).
Afterwards, we had time to wander through the stalls of vibrantly coloured wares.
Next our guide introduced us to a local delicacy, "cuy" - freshly roasted guinea pig. Although it looked gruesome, it was quite good. Our guide insisted our snack be washed down with a sip of Inka tequilla. It would've been rude not to partake.
To continue our authentic experience, our guide took us to a market for the locals. This is where they do all their domestic shopping. We saw all sorts of fresh produce, meat, cheese, bread, even coca leaves, and picked up some things to try.
On our way to Ollantaytambo, we stopped to sample another local favourite, Cheecha - a drink of fermented corn mixed with strawberries.
Before catching the train to Aquas Calientes, we wandered the streets of Ollantaytambo, looking at the ancient architecture and learning more about the culture.
Once in Aquas Calientes, we met our guide for tomorrow's trip to Machu Pitcchu, who informed us that we should meet at 5am the next day, rather than the scheduled 6:30am, because of long wait times (2 hrs!) for the bus.
Tired from the day's walking and knowing we had an early start in the morning, we had a small dinner and hit the hay.
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