Luck was on our side today - the person we spoke with at the tourist information centre yesterday, Carlos, ended up picking us up at the hotel in the morning to take us to Maras and Moray. He felt bad sending us off with a driver who couldn't speak English, so he decided he would be our personal tour guide! We were ushered into a very comfortable SUV, and then made our way to the Maras salt mines, learning about Peruvian life and culture along the way.
When we arrived at the salt mines, Carlos accompanied us into the site, explaining the history and how the mines are used today - answering tons of questions we had. The area is divided into more than 3000 separate plots, which are maintained by different families, and have been in place for thousands of years - and the water for all the plots is sourced from a single hot spring. During the rainy season, the plots are too wet to harvest, but once the dry season starts, combined with the summer heat, the salt deposits created in each plot can be harvested every few weeks. When harvesting (which is done manually by the families, which we got to see while we were there), the top layer is used for cooking salt, the second layer for more expensive products, and the third layer for purposes that don't involve eating (e.g. salt for baths). Next month will be the annual salt festival, where tons of tourists will come as the mines are ready for harvest, and everyone celebrates the traditional extraction and use of salt. By the time we finished admiring the landscape, the parking lot was overflowing - good thing Carlos had suggested we visit earlier, before the throngs of tourists!
Maras, the actual town, was fairly small - we had to drive through the narrow streets in order to get to the next archaeological site: Moray. Since most people probably visit the Maras salt mines first (like us), we were able to find parking at Moray. After we purchased our tourist tickets (we still had to pay for a combination ticket, but we got the cheapest option which was 70 soles), we were able to explore the various walking paths around the circular terraces on our own. Apparently, this site was used by the Incans to experiment with different micro-climates (the terraces) to try and grow crops that are not normally grown in this region. We saw meticulously crafted terraces, steps created to move between terraces, irrigation systems, and even mechanisms to protect the terraces from frost. Similar to the Temple of the Sun in Cusco, this site really made me appreciate the knowledge and skill of the Incans - they were able to do so much without the technology we have today. It makes me wonder what would have happened if they had survived and had access to modern technology - they would probably be the best at everything.
Inspired, we headed back to Urubamba, and Carlos even provided us with a parting gift - a book about a lesser-known archaeological site in Urubamba, translated into English with help from his daughter! It was a magical experience - getting to spend hours with a local and chatting about all aspects of life. I felt very grateful for the time he spent with us.
Back at the hotel, we were able to meet the only English-speaking staff member, and arrange transportation to the train station tomorrow morning. With that out of the way, he suggested that we take the afternoon to explore the neighbouring town, Yucay, and try to see the ruins there (Chullpas de Yucay). So we found ourselves in a tuk tuk headed to Yucay - a much smaller town, with a beautiful pair of parks, surrounded by flowers, different types of trees, and very well maintained buildings, including a fancy 4-star hotel, which is where we went for lunch! After yesterday's lunch at Wayra, this meal was not quite as indulgent - we ate healthy and enjoyed having the café to ourselves as we refueled for the afternoon.
With rain clouds looming in the distance and occasional thunder, we headed off towards the Inka Trail to see if we could find Chullpas de Yucay before the rain came. Along the way, we saw many fields and terraces filled with crops and/or animals, a few locals tending to their properties, and some structures that looked like ruins. Even though we followed some signs, not knowing Spanish meant we weren't quite sure the signs were pointing us in the right direction for what we wanted to see. As the path grew narrower and the greenery started to sprawl over us, we had to stop before we got too lost. Luckily, the rain clouds shifted away from us, so we made it back to Yucay while the sun was still shining.
Before heading back to Urubamba, we stopped for beer and dinner - soaking in as much of the peace and quiet of Yucay as possible. Then, we walked to the main road in hopes of flagging down another tuk tuk to take us back, to no avail. It was strange that even empty mototaxis would not stop for us - we guessed that maybe they were only permitted to pick up passengers in Urubamba? Eventually, someone felt sorry for us and stopped to check if we needed a ride - again, we lucked out that it was just a good Samaritan, and got back to our hotel safely! Whew!
Tomorrow, we'll be headed to our last stop before Machu Picchu - the town of Aguas Calientes!
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