Pisaq-tastic!

We spent our first real day at the Pisaq ruins.  Neither Kirk nor I had heard of them, and we were so glad to go and learn some more about them. Here's a great overview!  Ruins are all over Peru, but many people have only heard of Manchu Picchu.

The drive up included our first encounter with guinea pigs. They are cleaned and stuffed with local herbs, then put on a stick and slow roasted over a fire pit. There were several guinea pig vendors in along the road.  We stopped so we could get a picture.

Many on the tour were surprised that they were so big, but they seemed about right to us.

The lady even took one out for us to look at.

Pisaq was an Incan village and farming area.  It was beautiful, of course!  The scenery was unbelievable.

The pale ones trying not to burn.  

 

The moss and flowers growing out of the rocks were really pretty.

The terraces where they grew their crops were still there, as well as the remains of the bunkers where the workers lived.

Bunkers

The garden.

They took care of their own crops and they had migrant farmers that would come in during harvest and planting to help. The houses look small, but our tour guide reminded us that everything was communal in the Incan society.  There was one big kitchen that made meals for everyone.  The bunkers were just for sleeping.

There were holes in the cliffs, which turned out to be tombs.  In this area, they would be mummified after they died and put in them in their tombs with things that they believed that they would need in the afterlife.  This sometimes included precious metals and jewels.  When we looked at the cliff graves, we were pretty astounded that they were able to get the bodies UP there!

The graves in the cliff wall.

However, it clearly had been done, and grave robbers have since taken most of the gold artifacts. Carols mentioned that they could be very dangerous.  There are gasses that can kill people in many of the tombs.  His own aunt stumbled on one once and explored it (it has been robbed previously- no artifacts were found)- then very quickly got sick from the gasses that were present in the tomb.  She died a month later.  Carlos told us that you will sometimes see scorch marks around the rocks of some graves because grave robbers will try to see if they can burn off any poison.

The elevation made it hard to climb and explore.  We were all out of breath!  It is nearly 10,000 feet up.  You go downhill to see Manchu Picchu.

The tour group was offered another free tour to another ruin, but Kirk and I declined.  The elevation was really getting to us, and we were tired.  Instead, we headed back to the hotel.

Coca tea- You put the leaves in and drink it. 

Cathy tried the Coca tea, which is recommended for altitude sickness.  It really did make her feel better!  It tasted like what fresh cut grass smells like.  The locals chew on the leaves for energy- it's their version of coffee. It is made from the same leaves that are used to make cocaine.  The tea is illegal in most places outside of South America.  We were told to enjoy it while we can, but to not try to bring it out of the country.  Trying to bring the leaves or tea (or candy or soda...it's in a lot of stuff here!) can result in a jail sentence!   Kirk did not try any due to his job.  We were warned that while this is NOT potent and addictive like cocaine is, it still has the came chemical makeup, and therefore may show up on a drug test for up to 90 days after the trip.  Cathy's work does not generally have the same level of drug testing as Kirk's industry, so she decided to live on the wild side.

Our hotel had a spa, so we decided to book a couple's massage package.  It was reasonably priced, and include a massage, time in the steam room and sauna, plus time in the hot tub.  It was truly the best end to the day possible.