4.335 METERS ABOVE SEA LEVEL

A journey by coach from Ollantaytambo to Puno looks like an adventure. Ollantaytambo is on the valley of the river Urubamba, better known to tourists as the Sacred Valley, in the Cusco Region; Puno is the capital of the Region with the same name, more to the South, on the Altiplano. The road passes by two interesting Inca villages, Calca and Pisac, this one with a major site of an Inca's fortress ruins; just after Pisac it crosses the river and begins climbing, as the valley comes to an end and is replaced by a canyon. From here till reaching the main highway linking Cusco and Puno it becomes a secondary road for some 60 kilometers, almost all the time up and up, the further up the more the vegetation gets rare. Here and there, towns and villages appear, notably San Pedro, which has the important Inca ruins of Raqchi, one of the holliest temples of all the Empire. Much later in the desolated landscape the coach stops for pictures: it's the separation point between the regions and the highest point in the road: a panel reads 4.335 meters above sea level. It's the highest spot I have been in so far! To the left, on the adjacent valley, I see passing the tired-looking train bound for Cusco. From here it's just going down till populated Juliaca, but not that much in fact: Juliaca is at 3.825 meters. Half an hour later on a now rather flat road the coach reaches Puno, by the Lake Titacaca and one feels happy for finally seing it.