In the footsteps of the Incas

For two weeks now, we have been in Cusco and have visited many Inca sites here. We were amazed again and again at how perfectly the Incas built the heavy stones on top of each other.

On Silvio's birthday, we visited Moray and the Maras Salineras. Moray is a place where the Incas practiced agriculture. They created circular terraces there, which were supplied with water through an irrigation system. It is not entirely clear whether the Incas simply planted potatoes and cereals there or whether they conducted agricultural experiments.
But what impressed us the most were the Maras Salineras. There are 3,300 salt terraces that can produce salt through an irrigation and drying system. The saline water is dried for about three days during the dry season, leaving only the salt behind. Each family owns several terraces and everything is done by hand. The area and size were very impressive to us.

Of course, you cannot leave Peru without seeing Machu Picchu. So on the last Saturday, we set off on an eight-hour drive to Hydroelectrica in a minivan. The drive was quite tough, with narrow roads and steep slopes. From Hydroelectrica, we hiked for about three hours to Aguas Calientes. The hike runs alongside the railway track through the jungle. Along the way, we heard many animals and saw a beautiful bird. On Sunday, the long-awaited visit to Machu Picchu took place. We decided against the tourist crowds and started hiking at 4:30 am. Just 15 minutes later, it started raining! The rain turned into a heavy jungle shower over the next 90 minutes. When we reached the entrance of Machu Picchu at 6 am, we were soaking wet down to our underwear. So we put on another dry layer and made our way into the site. This time, the weather was on our side and the rain stopped. So we didn't get to see a sunrise, but we witnessed an impressive spectacle with mist over Machu Picchu. We spent some time at the Guardhouse with a view of the Machu Picchu village, constantly waiting for the clouds to clear and reveal the fascinating structures. The other half of our visit, we explored the village below, walking through residential houses, temple complexes, and agricultural zones, marveling at the architecture. We were very impressed by the fact that we could see everything up close and could easily imagine life during that time. It is difficult to put the visit to Machu Picchu into words, it was so impressive. When we left the site at 10 am, it started pouring rain again. So we were happy to have a dry visit and treated ourselves to the bus back to Aguas Calientes. We made the return journey to Cusco in the afternoon by train with Incarail and saw beautiful landscapes and enchanting whitewater along the way. Now we are looking forward to continuing our journey to Arequipa before heading to Lake Titicaca.