2012 Peru Day 12 Easter

By travelerdon on June 4, 2021

Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012

Today begins bright and early even though it is holiday. Our bus first takes us toward Pisaq in the “Sacred Valley of the Incas”. An appropriate place to spend Easter Sunday! Our first stop is at a roadside stand to help support the local economy. Here, a young boy proudly shows us his little sister. We then go to Mirador Taray, an overlook of the Valley, where we get some stunning vistas and our cameras are in their element. We then go through a security checkpoint when we arrive in Pisaq.

We first come to Pisaq Archaeological Park and check out this hilltop Incan citadel with ancient temples, plazas and the Intihuatana, a stone structure thought to have been a sundial. Here we witness the elaborate terracing of the Inca.

We then go into the town market which Pisaq is famous for and we walk around the extensive market where I buy a t-shirt and take photos of the colorful products and even a weaver lady.

Now it is time for lunch and we are taken to “Arco Iris Del Puente Lodge” restaurant for a buffet lunch in the town of Urubamba. We are early for our seating reservation so we get to walk around the grounds for some scenic shots of colorful gardens and even a couple pet Vicunas. A young boy lounges in the grass. When we are called to be seated, we go in and a massive spread of food has been laid out on the buffet and we sit with our bus mates and eat to our hearts delight!

Back on the bus we chat amicably with a younger couple and the conversation turns to them asking me what I do for a living. When I tell them I’m a photographer, I am asked what I shoot. I give them a line a friend and associate taught me and my reply is, “I’ll shoot anything that can stand in front of me with a wallet!” So that was the impetus for this photo!

Shortly we arrive in Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is a village in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, located on the Urubamba River and surrounded by snow-capped mountains. It’s known for its ruins, a massive Inca fortress with large stone terraces built on a hillside. Attractions include the Sun Temple and the Princess Baths fountain. We are greeted at the entrance by an Inca King or at least he appears to be! Somebody I know has decided to photo-bomb the photo!

The sun sets and we travel wearily back to Cusco where we try out another restaurant and we think we see a celebrity actor in the restaurant. Do you recognize him?