Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/606819
tered away in French and Spanish—there's so much more to see and do. Now that you've mastered the altitude, don't rush back down to earth. Stay a while in the fer- tile Sacred Valley, where time stands still and you can almost touch the ever-present mountain peaks, some capped with snow. In June the wheat fields are golden, waiting to be harvested, while rust-coloured stalks of quinoa fairly burst with tiny seeds. "Until the 1970s, the protein-rich grain was eaten only by poor people," explains our guide Alejandro. "It's now so trendy," he says, "locals can barely afford it." Hotel breakfast buffets also offer kiwicha from the amaranth family, perhaps the next superfood? As men bend to harvest their crops under a big sky, women head to local markets hauling sacks of fresh greens, fat cobs of yellow and purple corn, wheels of fresh sheep cheese, bright chili peppers and some of the 3,000 potato varieties native to the Andes in every shape, size and colour. These women are a marvel, strong and capable, laughing together as they sip cups of bubbly fermented strawberry juice or gather around tables at the partially covered market in Chinchero eating fragrant stewed chicken, a bird brought to Peru by the Spaniards. Each village has its own garb, from top hats to brightly hued sweaters and skirts worn in layers to ward off the autumn chill, topped with shawls bulging with goods or children. Down the street from the busy Sunday market we met more women in a weaving co-operative. They showed us how they dye WINTER 2015/2016 DREAMSCAPES 47 OPPOSITE TOP: The clouds lift at Machu Picchu. OPPOSITE BOTTOM: Quinoa fields bloom in the Andes Mountains of Peru. TOP: Chili, potatoes, corn and other root vegetables are used in a traditional lunch at El Parador de Moray in Cusco. ABOVE: The Temple of the Sun is one of the prime attractions at Machu Picchu. Cynthia David