Journey through the Sacred Valley
Oh, did that sleep feel good! We intended to get an early start on the Sacred Valley, but slept until our bodies woke up which was 7 a.m. We walked down to the Plaza de Armas in the middle of Cuzco, expecting it to be empty on a Sunday morning. The entire town and their mothers were there to celebrate Cuzco with a parade that involved the Peruvian army, police, school kids, and dance troups. We were able to have front row seats for the raising of the flag and the national anthem - the plaza was a hive of energy and excitement! 
After this craziness, we made our way to the bus station for Pisac. One flat tire later, we were in Pisac for the famous Sunday market. Wow, was it crazy with people, tourists, and vendors! You could get anything alpaca, or chicken, or even handwoven finger puppets (don´t worry - we did buy a few - a llama, sheep with baby, and a turtle!) We also got to eat lunch at the local lunch stand. You sit down and they serve up a plate of everything from rice to potatoes and yucca, chicken and pasta salad. Very good, but very filling for about 1 dollar! 
We boarded the craziest bus ride of our lives, packed with people standing in the aisles, and we were part of the standing crowd! Thank goodness we weren´t going up any twisting mountain roads, but it was a journey that left us with wide eyes! We got off the bus too soon and had to take a cute motorcycle taxi to the bus station, but then found our bus for Ollantaytambo - this one we got to sit down on! Gorgeous mountain valley which has the Urubamba river running through the middle of, the sides are so high you can´t see them out the bus window.
Once we got to Ollantaytambo, we raced to get our train tickets to AguasCalientes, the town below Macchu Picchu. The tickets were a complete rip-off because they know it´s the only way to get to Macchu Picchu and they charge foreign tourists through the nose. Oh well, let´s hope they use the money to help with preservation of the valley. We arrive at AguasCalientes at 11 p.m. and we´ll hope to find a cheap hostel for the night. Our plan is to be up early to Macchu Picchu before the throngs of tourists arrive on the trains from Cuzco. If the scenery is at all like what it was today, I´m sure it will be beautiful from the ruins!