We leave for
the Pisaq archeological complex by bus in the morning, a trip of
45 km on paved road. This complex features examples of Incan architecture,
revealing aspects of their religion, agriculture, housing and road
building. It is situated on a hill overlooking the small town of
Pisaq. Our guide will spend an hour sharing with us his knowledge
of these ruins.
We have the
choice of speeding down the paved road to Pïsaq itself or taking
the van. Once in Pisaq we leave our bikes for about a half-an-hour
and walk through its narrow stone-paved streets. In the center of
town a large market displays a great variety of fruits and vegetables.
The local merchants do not use money to buy their products but trade
their goods with one another. The market is biggest on Tuesday,
Thursday, and Sunday. We will find a spot to have our snack and
watch the activity.
To leave Pisaq
we take our bikes and ride the paved road over the bridge and follow
a dirt road along the Vilcanota river. We pass through the small
colonial town of Taray, surrounded by maize and potato fields. Cycling
on, we reach the large town of Calca in about two-and-a-half hours.
Calca is the largest town in the Sacred Valley. It is also very
near the gorge which is the entry to the Valley of Lares. Many agricultural
products come from this valley and are sold in the market of Calca,
which means a lot of hustle and bustle. We will have lunch on the
riverbank.
After lunch
we head on to Huayllabamba on the same road that borders the river.
We pass some impressive rapids before riding through Huincho, a
small community of farmers. In the afternoon they serve chicha,
the indigenous corn beer-a great opportunity to sample the local
cerveza and enjoy our refreshments.
Taking to the
road once more we reach Huayllabamba after about an hour. In this
town we visit one of the local families in their home. The bike
ride back to the hotel takes about another hour on paved road.
