AWANA KANCHA, LLAMA & ALPACA Farm. SACRED VALLEY, PERU
PISAC MARKET
MORAY & SALINAS DE MARAS (SALT MINES). The town of CHINCHEROS.
Random stops along the road, we encountered a young boy & his dogs looking after his sheep & a woman tending to her flock. I felt like I was in another world! This was a perfect example of when hiring a private guide makes sense. "Quechua" was the language spoken in this area and it's the second most common language spoken in Peru. It's nothing like Spanish but luckily our guide spoke the language and was able to communicate & translate for us.
MACHU PICCHU, we stayed overnight at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge. This is the only Machu Picchu hotel, located adjacent to the entrance gate. Since we had limited time here, it allowed us to make the most of our visit. You don't have to worry about the bus schedule and you definitely beat the crowds, first in and last out. It's not inexpensive though so if it's not in your budget, you do have other hotel options in Aguas Calientes where you catch the bus.
The PEOPLE of PERU...
CUSCO...
AIRLINE's: Delta Air Lines (in & out of Lima), LAN Airlines (in & out of Cusco).
HOTEL's: Belmond Miraflores Park Hotel in Lima, Belmond Rio Sagrado Hotel in Sacred Valley, Belmond Sanctuary Lodge in Machu Picchu, Belmond Hotel Monasterio in Cusco.
TRAIN: Vistadome (Ollantaytambo station to Machu Picchu station) & then a bus from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu. On the return we hired a private car to Cusco from the Ollantaytambo station. You can take the train directly to Cusco (Poroy station) as well, it's just a longer train ride.