21st April- a very early start!
We got up at 05:15 and headed out for a walk, in the hope of seeing the sun come up. We followed the route of the twilight walk last night, but inadvertently took a wrong turning, disturbing the gardener who was getting his overalls on ready to start work..after a quick exit, we found the right path. It was difficult to watch the sun rise- the mountains on all sides allowed the light to filter through without a view of the sun, just giving us reflections of light across the valley. Still worth getting up for though.
We headed back at 7am, for our planned bird watching session with Heroshi. Neither of us know anything about birds, but we're keen to learn, so armed with high grade binoculars and Heroshi's fancy telescopic lens on a tripod, we wandered the hotel grounds. I've got to say, once you start, it is quite adictive. our favourite spots were the sparkling violet hummingbird, giant hummingbird and a gorgeous little Peruvian pigmy owl. I had no idea you could see these, especially during the day.
After breakfast, guide Gladys picked us up with new driver Freddie & we headed straight to Moras, winding through the valley, past stunning mountains & ramshackle dobby houses.
Talking to Gladys as we travelled, we discovered that Ulumbama, where our hotel is located, set back from the hustle & bustle in extensive grounds, is the biggest city in the sacred valley.
Also, It is mandatory to vote in Peru, from the age of 18 until 70, and there are fines if you don't. Local government elections take place every 4 years and presidential elections every 5 years. Even those who are illiterate must vote.
We arrived at Moras salt pans, after driving along a winding road with sheer drops, reminiscent of Northern India. We told Gladys we had been advised when driving on roads like this, it is best to loosen your seat belt, in the hope that should the car plunge over the side, you would be thrown free, rather than remain tied into the car until it reached the bottom..
Moras, or Salineras de Maras as it's known, is now ran as a cooperative and is a big venture, producing tons of salt for export each year. After the Spanish conquest, the Spaniards took control of the area & paid workers in salt (sal)- where the word salary derives. The salt pans have been at this site for hundreds of years, and today, are officially owned by about 10 local families in the neighbouring village of Moras, with the rights to the salt pans being handed down through generations. There is more work involved than you would think, as each pan has to have a new clay base each year, and the ancient waterways need to be maintained & managed & the saline given the right amount of time, depending of weather conditions, and then harvested, bagged & stored. There were various types of salt available for sale too- including salts for cooking and medicinal salts for bathing.
Next we stopped at a local house, where we were shown how the traditional drink chichera is made using fermented corn. This drink pre-datrs the Incas and is as popular today, as ever. It is drank by farmers whilst working in the fields, and also by workers at the end of a hard day, in the many Chicherias that are open within the villages. There's even a traditional game with wooden disks, and a carved frog to decide who should pay for the round of drinks!
We were shown the process of making Chicha, and sampled the original version and a fruitier version with added fermented strawberry. The drink is made each evening, to be drank the following day. We were given samples in shot glasses, but it is usually drank in pints. In truth, I couldn't drink a pint of it, if it was the last drink on earth. It is definitely an acquired taste. There was also a guinea pig pen, but the piggies were allowed to roam free. It would have been lovely to see, if it hadn't been for the fact they are destined for the dinner table. I did feel like chasing them off into the hills for a chance of life, but their owner was a lovely lady and it's a very different culture. At least they were currently happily roaming free….
Next stop was Moray ( mor- aye), a set of three circular terraces believed to be used as experimental agricultural terraces, with each layer having their own microclimate & controlled growing conditions. This was very clever stuff from the Incas, who it is believed, used these terraces to perfect growing techniques, cross pollination of plant species, and biodiversity. Traces of seeds and foods produced here have been located at other Inca sites by specialist archeologists. This proves that Moray was a production area to feed the Inca population. Incredible. They were so far ahead of their time.
Next we headed upwards to the traditional village of Misminay.
The tallest mountain that can be seen from the village, is the much worshipped Mount. Veronica. The tallest mountain in Peru at 6,760 metres above sea level. The glacier on the top could easily be seen and is the source of water for the village. Here we were met by villagers, in traditional dress, who sang and played music to greet us. They even got Graeme up for a dance! We had not been particularly looking forward to this visit & had expected it to be another commercial venture to help us part with our spending money- however, we couldn't have been more wrong. The people were lovely, taking turns to tell us their story, & details of their lives, translated by guide Gladys. We then shared a little bit about ourselves and thanked them for allowing us to share part of their day. We were then shown the farm land of the village, where we took part in a traditional Inca ceremony giving thanks to the mountains that give the people protection, shelter & water. We then gave an offering of chicha ( corn beer) to Patcha Mama ( mother earth) to help the crops grow & I was given the honour of blessing the mountains again, reciting the names and blowing on 3 coca leaves, 3 times to the wind. We were then given a wish, & I wished for prosperity & good crops for the village. Graeme then did some ploughing of the earth, with the men of the village, using a traditional tool. He said it was bloody hard work, and was glad he didn't have to do a whole field. The Yukay people plough their land by hand, apart from large fields away from the village where machines are now used.
They had cooked us a lovely 4 course traditional lunch, served by the head of the village. We were joined for lunch by a beautiful bright green hummingbird, darting around the pretty gardens, with it's abundance of flowers. So special to see. We had boiled white corn with cheese & a spicy chilli salsa, a delicious hearty soup made from maize, vegetables & potatoe ( it was very filling & is often eaten for breakfast before ploughing the land), then beautifully seasoned chicken, with rice & vegetables followed by a desert made from dehydrated potatoes, milk & sugar. It had a taste similar to semolina, but the texture of a jar of baby food pudding. Dehydrated potato has been a staple food of Peru since Inca times, as can be stored for years once the lengthy preparation process is completed, which includes drying the potatoes in a dark place before then soaking them in river pools, and then redrying. Gladys said the potato pudding is usually given to children on their return from school as a filling & nutritious meal, as often children walk long distances to get to & from school. There are no school buses for the outlying villages. It is usual for even very young children to walk for 45 minutes to an hour in each direction. Education is held in high esteem in Peru, but often only boys are sent to high school, as there's the expectation that girls will end up married, with a home and family to look after, whilst the men need to be educated to bring in a decent income to support them. This is different in the cities, where girls and women have much better opportunities.
We tried to converse with the locals,in Kechua, but struggled to remember anything, even though phrases were written down. Here's a few phrases you can practice- Allianchu- how are you?, Iman sutiki? - what is your name?, Anay (an aye)- thankyou, and Tupananchiskama- goodbye. Although it is more of a "until we meet again" type phrase, rather than goodbye, as the Mismanay people take you to their hearts.
We said our good-byes to the villagers, who presented us with woven friendship bracelets and big hugs, with thanks for taking the time to visit them. It felt very genuine. The village has been working with the tourist industry, with some funding to build a suitable kitchen and seating area to serve groups, and toilet facilities. They were also given some training. We were the only visitors they received today, and Gladys said that it has been a slow process for the village to rebuild tourism, which stopped completely during Covid. The recent political unrest has also prevented people from visiting the country & has decimated the income the villagers recieved. I think they saw our visit as hope for the future, and they had been particularly impressed by how far we had travelled to learn about their culture & traditions. The visitors they usually get are predominantly South American, American or Japanese.
We headed back to the hotel, freshened up and sat on our private terrace watching the rain fall, we had planned to explore the hotel grounds, but secretly I was pleased the heavens opened, as really needed the time to rest. We later had a lovely meal, followed by a cocktail and a much needed early night.
Another adventure starts tomorrow!
Speak soon,
Caroline.
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