The Sacred Valley - a unique hidden wonder

Decided on a late start today as I watched the election unfold in Australia - Glad that's over. First stop was Moray where huge large scale ring terraces were used for agricultural experiments by the Incas. Different soils are found on different terraces, and there's a microclimate that varies by 15* from top to bottom. So the Incans' were able to determin what crops could grow where. It's believed that seeds produced here were sent all over the Incan empire. It was then onto another Incan site - the salt pans of Maras which is a canyon filled with geometric salt pools that have been being harvested since the Incan empire. The place today is largely as it was over 1,000 years ago. I then drove back to town so I could spend sometime exploring Chinchero which is the most typical population of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It is a purely Inca city and one of the few places where the traditional form of marketing called barter is preserved, although I didn't try to trade anything.

When I arrived back, I made my way to the square and was lucky enough to see the beginning of the Vela Cuy Cross or The festival of the Cross, which is a traditional religious event. It's a blend of Catholic traditions and Andean customs, marked by the procession of crosses adorned with flowers and ribbons, traditional music and dances, and the best part is that they feed everyone. Huge bowls of traditional foods are prepared by the women and at the end of some dances every body (including me) got fed. They also handed out piles of Lima beans so you sat and ate them waiting for the main course to arrive. The people were so friendly - and the food absolutely delicious.