We left the low-lying Urubamba Valley (8,800 ft.) for Salineras de Maras (11,000 ft.). There are thousands of salt terraces that date back to pre Inca times.
At one point these were split up among all the inhabitants of Maras. These salt terraces are handed down by the families that own them. The salt is pink--similar to Himalayan salt and is used by the best chefs in Peru (of which there are many). The food scene here is insane.
There is a warm, underground river that feeds the salt terraces that is supposedly 10 times saltier than the ocean.
We then went to the Inca terraces of Moray (11,500 ft.). I'm not sure how this works, but apparently each ring has a slightly different temperature that the one above it. The bottom ring represents the hottest microclimate. Many think this was an Inca agricultural laboratory based on the different types of plants that were found. If something grew in the bottom ring one season, they tried it on the next ring up the next--finding the perfect climate for a particular food plant.
This site is spectacular! I was also proud of myself for climbing all the way down to the bottom and then back up again.
It was really worth it seeing this structure up close. This is an Inca ladder that helped them get from one level to another.
Probably the most mind-blowing part of this complex is the irrigation system. Apparently it worked so that one whole level was irrigated before water went down to the next. Some engineers!
We then had a picnic lunch (ha! more like a feast). We ate in a tent off the beaten path.
We started with ceviche. I show this because instead of the usual white fish of the sea, they use local mountain fish call trout (la troche). It was great.
I have never had a Peruvian wine on this entire trip--it's been Chilean and Argentinian. It took a tent lunch to have one. It wasn't bad.
