I am in Calca for a music course in Andean Music (more on the course in a separate post). Calca is the capital town of the Calca province in the district of Cusco. (Why does Peru confuse everything by having capital cities and towns with the same name as their district or province?).
Calca (the town) has about 8000 residents and lies in the Sacred Valley, about 22 kms from Cusco (40 -50 minutes on the bus or in a minivan) and at an elevation of 2928 metres. The drive is beautiful as you descend down the mountain from Cusco into the Sacred Valley and past Pisac.
As you enter Calca you are greeted by this magnificent creature!
Calca is a quiet little town and you don’t see many tourists here. Like most Peruvian towns, there is a Plaza de Armos (Plaza or Arms), thanks to the Spanish conquistadors.
I consider myself incredibly lucky to be staying in a beautiful place with a large, airy room surrounded by lovely gardens and magnificent views of Pitusiray and Sahuasiray mountains. David and Mabel are the owners and they could not do more to make their guests feel welcome. You really feel like you are staying with a family but you also have your privacy. David is originally from USA and Mabel from Cusco and they have an adorable two year old son, Fenn. David is an exceptional handyman, having built his own home as well as renovated the existing buildings on their block to accommodate 5 generously sized rooms with 2 bathrooms, a laundry and a kitchen for guests.
Here are some pics of Calca from my strolls around the streets.
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