Alfredo had figured us out the day before, and knew to stop the car for photo opportunities. Mr. Y and I took advantage of every stop (of course) even if we had taken pictures of the same thing, or in the same place, already. Here we are overlooking the Sacred Valley:
The drive was extremely scenic, and while it was challenging to get good pictures from a moving vehicle, we tried often enough that we actually managed to get a few that weren't too blurred.
The drive up to Moray itself was pretty scary at times. The road was only wide enough for one car in most places, and with the hairpin turns and obstructed corners, there was always the danger of running into someone else at a most inopportune time. Fortunately, Alfredo still had mastery of his horn usage, and made it clear to any oncoming drivers that we were coming through.
We had our first experience in backing down the side of a mountain to find a place to pull to the side and get passed (and on the way back, we had to back someone else down the mountain). It was unnerving for Mr. Y and I, but the local drivers are definitely comfortable navitating the roads, no matter how narrow and winding.
Our first ruins of the day were at Moray, and consisted of circles that were an agricultural experiment for the Incas. They were intriguing and fascinating, for sure, but for some reason people also found them to be somewhat spiritual. Some were meditating, others appeared to be praying, one was practically in convulsions, and a large group of them decided to form a circle. The people were almost as interesting as the ruins themselves! =)
Here is the Wikipedia page for Moray: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moray_(Inca_ruin)
And here are some pictures:
On our way back through Sacred Valley on our way to Ollantaytambo, we asked Alfredo to find a good restaurant for lunch. He selected a place that we never would have found on our own--off the main road closer to the Urubamba River with no sign whatsoever. Alfredo says the restaurant's name is Tu Nopa (hopefully I spelled that right, but I guess I'll never know!). It was absolutely beautiful--a tourist trap, to be sure, but beautiful nonetheless. Mr. Y learned that he could even negotiate prices at restaurants. He agreed that we would pay full price for our meals if Alfredo's meal was free.
The food was pretty good, too, although we avoided the alpaca carpacio.
We took a few pictures and I made a new friend, then we were off for more sightseeing.
After lunch, we were off to Ollantaytambo, the site of the only Incan victory over the Spanish. Ollantaytambo has the same city layout and retains much Inca influence, except for the tendency to solicit tourists. The ruins there are an Incan religious site that is also said to have been a fortress, though you can see a few houses and other structures on the surrounding hills, and plenty of terraces for crops throughout the valley. It was massive, and awe-inspiring compared to the ruins we had seen thus far.
Here is the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ollantaytambo and more information: http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/destinations/cusco/ollantaytambo.html (Note that Wikipedia says it was not a fortress/military site, but the locals disagree with that assertion and I tend to not to disregard their point of view.)
Here are pics from Ollantaytambo:
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