Up early the next morning (Sept 8) for another large breakfast -- and on the road by 8am to visit the 'sacred valley' of Urubamba. Our group is traveling in style with our guide Edwin and our driver Luis, who chauffeurs us around in a luxury SUV and feeds us snacks throughout the day. We pass several small towns on our way -- and these communities in Peru have their own unique look.
Hopping out of the car at a high point on the road, we hike down to the valley, stopping to visit interesting archeological sites along the way. The car will meet us later in town at the end of our hike. These trails & terraces might have been built a thousand years ago, and many are still in use today for farming.
The remains of a gateway or checkpoint show these trails were important pathways between villages. Notches cut in the stones would have been used for a hinged doorway or gate that could be closed or locked when needed -- perhaps to block invaders from other tribes during wars in the distant past. The weathering on these stones indicates their great age -- but the perfection of the handcut stonework is still evident.
