Chincherro
You can only get in to see Chincherro with a tourist ticket. It caused great difficulty for us as some of our group did not have a tourist ticket. Chincherro has a lovely church built on Inca remains. The wall and ceiling of the Church are heavily decorated by wonderful paintings mainly of flowers. There is an amazing wooden altar with some gilt. Jesus was dressed in local clothes as a peasant. When we visited for the first time there was a wedding and the local children were dressed up in their best clothes playing on the grass square outside the church. We walked round the Inca site. The building seemed to have been some kind of Inca palace asnd there was lots of terracing. We also trekked through the valley surrounded on all sides by imposing mountains but had to turn back as the path petered out and it had started raining and it became very cold. We stayed in Urumbamba at a pretty grotty hostel (Hostel Urumbamba). However we did find the Muze pub which served lovely coffee and brownies and we had a great breakfast there.
The market in Chincherro stands underneath the Church and that you can get to this for free but only on a Sunday. If you are one of the wise you can walk up some sides streets and get in without the valuable tourist ticket! Locals will also show you the way. The fruits and vegetables are haggled over by local toothie cronies. The colourful artisan market is presided over by local craftswomen wearing their typical dress of embroidered hat worn inside out or outside in, maroon and black embroidered jackets. They shout at you to visitand beg ypou to look at their wares and if you dare to stop just for an instant then a lovely scarf, handbag, tapestry or gloves are waved in front of your face. The starting price is high but reduces immediately you walkj away. The banter is goodnatured.
