Exploring the Sacred Valley

We first took the train through the Sacred Valley on our way to Machu Picchu.

We took the ordinary train - above,

but there is also the Vista Dome.
After staying in Cusco and visiting Machu Picchu it is well worth staying in a hotel in the Sacred Valley.  We have already shown you the Aranwa, and now we move to the Sol y Luna at Urubamba.

This is a standard lodge in a beautiful setting, but what I want to do is to show you around.

This is one way of getting around but we choose to go by car.

This is the church at Chincheros

And this is the Indian Market.  Sorry about the quality of this photo.

Here are the Maras Salt Pools - and again:

And now the Moray Terraces - and then we move on to Ollantaytambo, which I really love and have masses of photos, but we only have space for a few.

Here we have several photos of the old fortress.

And this is the last of Ollantaytambo.

 Here is Huaypo Lake

 Here we have paragliding

And here are Peruvian Paso horses, which are the ones that are often trained to do very intricate steps.

Not a wonderful photo, but you can just about make out the very distinctive dress they wear.

These steps are terraces called Andenes de Moray.

And now for Dessert

Here is the dessert menu as promised:

This is a Dome of Bitter Chocolate.

Pisco confit quince pudding stuffed with purple corn and pineapple crisp.  Pisco is a well-known alcoholic drink.

And the third and final offering is Rice Pudding Pastry.

What are you going to drink?  I have already mentioned Pisco, but how about something non-alcoholic?

This is my all time favourite drink.  Inca Kola is a really delicious Cola that easily outsells Coke and Pepsi in Peru, with the result that Coca-Cola ended up buying it.  It was actually invented by an English couple,José Robinson Lindley and his wife Martha  .  In 1935, Lima was celebrating 400 years since its founding, and the Lindleys decided to produce a unique drink to commemorate the event and their new homeland.

José Lindley had learned of a concoction based on hierba Luísa, lemon verbena, and began experimenting with different mixtures, fussing with the ingredients and the levels of carbonation until finding just the right formula. Thus was born, Inca Kola, a fruity soda that was launched with this catchy slogan:


Inca Kola, sólo hay una y no se parece a ninguna.Inca Kola,
 there is only one, unlike any other.

For the full story see my blog posting The Wonderful Inca Kola.

Gastronomic Delight in the Sacred Valley

This hardly looks real, does it?  But it is and it's the Aranwa Hotel in the Sacred Valley near Cusco.

This is one of the rooms and below join us in the restaurant we'll make your mouth water by showing you some of the wonderful food you can eat there.

This is Alpaca Carapaccio.

And this is Alpaca Tenderloin.

While this is Marinated Lamb Cannelloni.

And what about Pappardelle with Grilled Vegetables!  I'm doing this at lunchtime!

Prawns with Garlic Alioli Foam

Sautéed Pumpkin Stew with Grilled Shrimps

And Tiradito of Trout with Hot Pepper Sauce makes up the first course menu.

We'll give you time to make your choice and digest these before returning with the menu for the dessert.

Visit our website to find out how to contact us for more information about how to partake in these fantastic holidays.