We were whisked off in a bus that took us through the outskirts of Cusco and a steep climb further up the mountain to the town of Chincheros at over 12,300 ft. We were supposed to spend a restful afternoon observing the intricacies of Andean weaving. But it was hard to stay cool when we were thrown into so much culture shock, even though it was all very enjoyable.
You can see from the photos below the demonstration by four generations of the Minka family of the weaving process starting with the spinning and dyeing of the wool using natural colourants. It was eye-opening to say the least. We then drove to Urubamba in the Sacred Valley, at 9,400 ft, an accepted location for acclimatization. We spent the night at the splendid Aranwa Sacred Valley Hotel - an experience in itself (more about this later). In between, we had a Peruvian buffet lunch and a delicious dinner where I had my first taste of alpaca. Look out for future posts on Peruvian food on Foodsparks.
Streets of Chincheros |
Learning all about organic textiles with the Minka family - notice the unique stove and chimney and the guinea pigs underneath |
The root was grated to produce the cleaner for the wool |
Cleaning the wool |
Cleaned! |
The different plants used as colourants |
Guess what colour this cactus produces? |
Answer on the palm |
The spinning Minkas...
Serious weaving - it's all in her head! |
The finished product |
Market day in Chincheros |
Photocopies? Why? What an unlikely spot! |
The spectacular view of the Sacred Valley |
The Urubamba range in the distance - always in view |
And in the most unlikely of places - the Aranwa hotel with splendorous grounds and chapel...
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