The Sacred Valley

Not far from Cuzco lies the Sacred Valley. It’s a spot littered with beautiful archaeological sites. I’m amazed at how the ancient Incans managed to mason large stone blocks together so well. Massive boulders interlock perfectly with each other without any mortar, just impressive engineering.

Yesterday, we rented some horses to tour the nearby countryside and had the misfortune of ending up with some really, really stubborn horses. If there was a terrible path to take, they’d choose it, without any notice of our input. Mine was more interested in following my commands than Greg or Hillary’s, but it was still frustrating. I did manage to command Hillary’s into a trot though, with her on its back. I had a good laugh.

Today has been a really quiet day, since we’re all feeling pretty ill. Hillary and I got glutened two days in a row and Josh & Greg have brought some mystery bacteria into the mix. It’s a small hotel room and there’s only one bathroom.

We leave for the Inca Trail tomorrow, which will be four days of pain. I’m hoping the sickness is over by the time we start. I can’t imagine doing this trek with a queasy stomach (and other unmentionable issues).