Breakfast was as good this morning as it had been on previous mornings. So much variety and the quality of the food items was very good. I loved the fact that this hotel had an egg station as I just can't abide by runny scrambled eggs! I have made arrangements with Taxidatum prior to our arrival in Peru for today's tour to Moray, Maras/Salineras, and Chinchero. I had also requested a slow pace with pick up at 8:30 AM. I've been assured by Leonardo of Taxidatum that this experience will not be like the one we had on 5/7/17 driving from Ollantaytambo to Cusco. Our driver is right on time and his name is Gonzalo Rojas T. e-mail gonzalo_rojas@gmail.com
Our first stop will be Moray but to get there we have to drive through the town of Maras. Not much to see in this town. We arrived in Maras around 10:00 AM. The town square has a few statues-a man and his donkey who has what looks like a sack of maybe salt on its back and a woman beside him in native dress. There are locals and some tourists here. We see donkeys and llamas. Lots of women in local attire. There's some nice scenery on the way from Cusco to Moray.
Maras/Salineras. Not covered by the BT ticket. Admission 10 soles per person. Before we enter we stop where there are several stands selling all sorts of items. Gonzalo buys us small glasses of chicha-a beer made from corn and here it's also made from strawberries. I take a sip and then Gonzalo tells me to pour the rest on to the ground to honor Pachamama-goddess of the earth. This place is another feat of the Inca. A spring of warm, salty water was discovered and diverted into thousands of pools. Sunlight evaporates the water leaving a thin crust of salt. Today each pool is tended by families from nearby villages. We see women, men, children of all ages arriving with picks and other implements to work their pool to get the salt for sale. Gonzalo takes some salt from one of the pools and gives it to me to taste. It's salty! I was mesmerized by this place and could have stayed here for hours. On our way out we stop to purchase some salt of course. I bought 3 bags only mindful of my luggage, weight, etc. A bag of salt 200 grams with eucalyptus oil colored green for the bath. Pink salt 9 oz. for cooking. Medicinal salt 17 oz. colored brown/black to use in the bath for aches and pains. I can't remember the exact cost but reasonable-maybe 15/20 soles total?? Gonzalo buys me a small bag of sated corn kernels which ended up being a tasty snack. Continuing our walk back to the car I hear some lovely music. There's a woman selling CDs and a man playing the music using traditional instruments. I bought a CD $10 and talked to the guy telling him how much I liked his music. Gonzalo interpreted for me. We spent 1 1/2 hours here.
Chinchero is our last stop. It's a small Andean village with great views of the snowcapped Urubamba Mountains. Chinchero is at higher altitude than Cusco but we've not experienced any problems in Peru so far. Today is Tuesday so there will be handicrafts at the market. First we stop at a shop for a demonstration on weaving. It was cool to see what natural items are used for the dye-purple corn, plants, flowers, etc. She demonstrated how she transforms the rough alpaca wool into the fine, washed thread for making the different textiles like blankets, scarves, hats, capes, shawls...... She said she was taught by her grandmother. She demonstrated on the weaving loom how she gets the pattern into the weaving. It was so interesting. I ended up buying a stunning alpaca blanket for my guest BR back home and some placemats which had a different weaving technique than the blanket. I almost bought one of the prettiest, softer Peruvian hats that you see everywhere that has the ear flaps. I regret not buying it! I also got a small purse that I will use for coins/change. Credit cards accepted! Cost for everything was 520 soles/$158.68. She had my husband try on a cape/shawl and one of those hats. It was so funny but I couldn't convince him to buy them for himself. We left my purchases behind to pick up on our way back to the car. We headed up to the open square where there are some locals displaying their handicrafts. Many have tarps covering their wares as it looks like it may rain. However, I'm happy with what I bought and I have to consider the amount of space in my luggage and my budget! Quality is not cheap. The highlight of the square is an Inca wall with large niches. There's also a 17th century adobe church that was built on Inca foundations. Fading designs painted inside. Open for visitors on market days only. No pictures allowed inside by Gonzalo talk to the caretaker who allows us to take 2 pictures without using the flash. The church's ceiling is painted and there's an ornate altar even though this is a very small church. There's not a lot of tourists here so it's very peaceful. Admission to Chinchero is included in the BT ticket. We've spent 2 hours here.
All too soon we are back at our hotel. It's 5:00 PM. Our driver was the absolute best. He walked with us, took pictures of us, explained things, helped us bargain for some purchases. It was just a pleasure to spend the day with such a nice guy. Price for this tour $65.00 and worth every penny. Of course I added a very nice tip which Gonzalo certainly deserved. He made this day so special for us and the memories we have from this day will be with us always. My husband walks across the street to pick up our laundry. We get our pisco sours from the bar with our vouchers. Too bad there's no time for the pool or hot tub today.
Thinking about dinner we decided to try Morena Peruvian Kitchen. Contemporary twist on Peruvian classics. Taxi 5 soles. Very nice decor. There appeared to be 2 levels of tables for dining and we requested to be seated on the lower level. Luckily we got a large booth even though we did not have a reservation. I ordered and loved the lomo saltado. Beef fillet stir fried with onions, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, native potatoes, mild yellow chili, pisco, and soy sauce served over quinoa and huancaina sauce. It was delicious! I ate every bite but did allow my husband a taste. He ordered the la pituca sandwich vegetarian option. This is a sweet potato, pumpkin, and quinoa patty topped with Andean cheese/avacado/lettuce/tomato/grilled onion/spicy rococo aioli served with Andea fried potatoes. The flower on his plate he tucked behind his ear-LOL!! Cost of dinner was 90 soles/$27.46 without tip. Yummy food and fantastic service. Cost of taxi back to our hotel 5 soles. Great way to end this superb day.
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| Great driver/guide Gonzalo from Taxidatum |
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| Comfortable car for sightseeing |
Our first stop will be Moray but to get there we have to drive through the town of Maras. Not much to see in this town. We arrived in Maras around 10:00 AM. The town square has a few statues-a man and his donkey who has what looks like a sack of maybe salt on its back and a woman beside him in native dress. There are locals and some tourists here. We see donkeys and llamas. Lots of women in local attire. There's some nice scenery on the way from Cusco to Moray.
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| Billboards for advertisements |
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| Sights while driving |
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| Scenery |
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| Maras |
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| Maras |
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| Maras |
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Moray. Crater like Inca terraces used for growing a variety of crops. Quinoa on the top and potatoes on the bottom. Discovery of seeds showed that the Inca knew much about agriculture. They created microclimates for growing their vegetables. Sun, shade, and elevation which created differences in temperature on the levels determined where the crops were planted. Irrigation canals. This area never floods. There are 4 natural depressions here. We spend around 1 hour here. Very peaceful. There is a walking path where you can get different views looking down at the terraces. Admission was included in the Boleto Touristico ticket.
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| Entrance to Moray |
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| Walk way path |
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| Parking area |
Maras/Salineras. Not covered by the BT ticket. Admission 10 soles per person. Before we enter we stop where there are several stands selling all sorts of items. Gonzalo buys us small glasses of chicha-a beer made from corn and here it's also made from strawberries. I take a sip and then Gonzalo tells me to pour the rest on to the ground to honor Pachamama-goddess of the earth. This place is another feat of the Inca. A spring of warm, salty water was discovered and diverted into thousands of pools. Sunlight evaporates the water leaving a thin crust of salt. Today each pool is tended by families from nearby villages. We see women, men, children of all ages arriving with picks and other implements to work their pool to get the salt for sale. Gonzalo takes some salt from one of the pools and gives it to me to taste. It's salty! I was mesmerized by this place and could have stayed here for hours. On our way out we stop to purchase some salt of course. I bought 3 bags only mindful of my luggage, weight, etc. A bag of salt 200 grams with eucalyptus oil colored green for the bath. Pink salt 9 oz. for cooking. Medicinal salt 17 oz. colored brown/black to use in the bath for aches and pains. I can't remember the exact cost but reasonable-maybe 15/20 soles total?? Gonzalo buys me a small bag of sated corn kernels which ended up being a tasty snack. Continuing our walk back to the car I hear some lovely music. There's a woman selling CDs and a man playing the music using traditional instruments. I bought a CD $10 and talked to the guy telling him how much I liked his music. Gonzalo interpreted for me. We spent 1 1/2 hours here.
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| Driving through Maras again |
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| First view of Salineras |
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| Pouring the chicha to honor Pachamama-goddess of the earth |
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| Have to walk down to the actual salt pools |
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| Gonzalo gave me some of the salt to taste |
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| Families arriving to work their pools |
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| Arriving to work |
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| Where I bought my salt |
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| Lovely music |
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| Lots of families now working |
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| Salt that I bought |
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| Salted corn kernels Gonzalo bought me |
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| CD I bought |
Chinchero is our last stop. It's a small Andean village with great views of the snowcapped Urubamba Mountains. Chinchero is at higher altitude than Cusco but we've not experienced any problems in Peru so far. Today is Tuesday so there will be handicrafts at the market. First we stop at a shop for a demonstration on weaving. It was cool to see what natural items are used for the dye-purple corn, plants, flowers, etc. She demonstrated how she transforms the rough alpaca wool into the fine, washed thread for making the different textiles like blankets, scarves, hats, capes, shawls...... She said she was taught by her grandmother. She demonstrated on the weaving loom how she gets the pattern into the weaving. It was so interesting. I ended up buying a stunning alpaca blanket for my guest BR back home and some placemats which had a different weaving technique than the blanket. I almost bought one of the prettiest, softer Peruvian hats that you see everywhere that has the ear flaps. I regret not buying it! I also got a small purse that I will use for coins/change. Credit cards accepted! Cost for everything was 520 soles/$158.68. She had my husband try on a cape/shawl and one of those hats. It was so funny but I couldn't convince him to buy them for himself. We left my purchases behind to pick up on our way back to the car. We headed up to the open square where there are some locals displaying their handicrafts. Many have tarps covering their wares as it looks like it may rain. However, I'm happy with what I bought and I have to consider the amount of space in my luggage and my budget! Quality is not cheap. The highlight of the square is an Inca wall with large niches. There's also a 17th century adobe church that was built on Inca foundations. Fading designs painted inside. Open for visitors on market days only. No pictures allowed inside by Gonzalo talk to the caretaker who allows us to take 2 pictures without using the flash. The church's ceiling is painted and there's an ornate altar even though this is a very small church. There's not a lot of tourists here so it's very peaceful. Admission to Chinchero is included in the BT ticket. We've spent 2 hours here.
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| Driving to Chinchero |
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| Picking potatoes |
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| Almost there |
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| Admission included in Boleto Touristico ticket |
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| Awac Ayllu is where we stopped for the weaving demonstration |
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| Natural elements used for the dyes |
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| Showing us how the alpaca yarn is dyed |
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| Weaving loom |
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| It was fun to try on things |
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| Got a good laugh here! |
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| I bought a beautiful soft alpaca blanket with a chakana cross pattern, some placemats, and a small change purse |
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| Lots of stores |
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| Ornament on top of the roof is for luck |
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| Main square of the town |
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| This is the market where you can buy handicrafts |
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| Part of Inca wall |
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| Inca wall |
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| Entrance to 17th century adobe church |
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| Ornate painted ceiling |
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| Main altar |
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| Terraces |
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| Wall of 12 niches |
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| It's raining |
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| Pretty balcony in Cusco |
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| Fountain in Cusco |
All too soon we are back at our hotel. It's 5:00 PM. Our driver was the absolute best. He walked with us, took pictures of us, explained things, helped us bargain for some purchases. It was just a pleasure to spend the day with such a nice guy. Price for this tour $65.00 and worth every penny. Of course I added a very nice tip which Gonzalo certainly deserved. He made this day so special for us and the memories we have from this day will be with us always. My husband walks across the street to pick up our laundry. We get our pisco sours from the bar with our vouchers. Too bad there's no time for the pool or hot tub today.
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| Laundry |
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| Love those pisco sours! |
Thinking about dinner we decided to try Morena Peruvian Kitchen. Contemporary twist on Peruvian classics. Taxi 5 soles. Very nice decor. There appeared to be 2 levels of tables for dining and we requested to be seated on the lower level. Luckily we got a large booth even though we did not have a reservation. I ordered and loved the lomo saltado. Beef fillet stir fried with onions, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, native potatoes, mild yellow chili, pisco, and soy sauce served over quinoa and huancaina sauce. It was delicious! I ate every bite but did allow my husband a taste. He ordered the la pituca sandwich vegetarian option. This is a sweet potato, pumpkin, and quinoa patty topped with Andean cheese/avacado/lettuce/tomato/grilled onion/spicy rococo aioli served with Andea fried potatoes. The flower on his plate he tucked behind his ear-LOL!! Cost of dinner was 90 soles/$27.46 without tip. Yummy food and fantastic service. Cost of taxi back to our hotel 5 soles. Great way to end this superb day.
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| Dinner |
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| Entrance to Morena Peruvian Kitchen |
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| 2 levels of seating |
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| Menu |
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| Menu |
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| Menu |
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| Menu |
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| Menu |
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| Menu |
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| I ordered the lomo saltado |
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| My husband ordered the La Pituca |
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| Menu |
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| Cappuccino |
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| I ordered the Lomo saltado |
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| My husband order the La Pituca sandwich |
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| So cute! |
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| Servers |
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| Colorful fountain-Plaza Kusipata |
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