Five Feet, Nine Inches Above Ground

Tuesday October 28, 2025

The grounds of the hotel, a former monastery, were incredibly landscaped. In addition, there were fields of corn and other crops behind the buildings. Here are a few images.

San Augustin Monasterio de la Recoleta was founded in the 17th century and the buildings and chapel have been preserved as an historic site. The interior of the chapel, dedicated to St Francis of Assisi is very simple and there are some interesting liturgical vestments on display. As faras I was able to ascertain, it is still in use for worship.

We spent most of the day on a leisurely road trip to Chinchero, a women’s cooperative farm and Moray. The Inca ruins at Chinchero are quite impressive and was an estate built for Emperor Tupac Yupanki. Today, The Church of Montserrat stands on the foundations of his palace.

Chinchero is situated 3,760 metres above sea level and is also a market town with merchants targeting tourists with a wide variety of merchandise from jewelry to textiles. I resisted the temptations although it was quite difficult! I knew I would have a better opportunity for shopping in Pisac the next day. After a light snack and a bathroom break, we headed off to visit a women’s collective llama farm where we were treated to a wool dying and weaving demonstration. I supported the collective by shopping!

The Inca ruins of Moray or Muray have always been a bit of mystery. Originally, it may have been an open pit mine but was transformed into an immense experimental farm. There is a variation of 30 degrees Celsius from the bottom of the pit to the top creating a variety of microclimates similar to those found throughout the Inca empire. Soil samples indicate that earth was brought in from various parts of the empire and used at specific levels to create the terraces.

As mentioned earlier, we met up with the McKinnon’s – an unplanned treat!

The trip back to Urubamba took us through some amazing scenery and countryside.

Dinner was definitely on the menu and one of our dining options was a funky restaurant a few minutes drive from the hotel.

The food was delicious and company friendly and entertaining. And the wine – well, the contents of the bottle disappeared without complaint! A fitting end to a wonderful day.