FRIDAY – OLLANTAYTAMBO – WHERE THE HELL'S THAT

The scenery just continues to get more spectacular. The four of us plus Reni left Cusco this morning in a 20 seater bus. Our first stop was the statue of Jesus, a giant statue which overlooks Cusco, apparently not unlike the one in Rio. On the way there, we passed the various sites we visited yesterday so Trish was able to see them, at least from the road. Trish has considerably improved and we are now at Ollantaytambo, approximately 1500 feet lower in altitude than Cosco so hopefully the altitude sickness is behind us.

Shortly after leaving Cusco, we crossed into the Sacred Valley where we followed the valley floor and the river that flows through it as we progressively descended. The valley has spectacularly high mountains on both sides of it.

 

In the Sacred Valley, we visited another Inca site being Pisaq It was the first site we visited where extensive Inca terraces exist. The stonework in and around the terraces wasn't as precise as the stonework in Cusco but it was extremely extensive and in good condition. Apparently, it wasn't of interest to the Spaniards because it was a rural area with no gold to be plundered so they left it intact – very impressive and quite steep to climb but we took it easy and got to the top.

 

This afternoon was really different and really interesting. There is a tourism project under way to bring tourists into the community so we visited three houses. We were completely intrigued as to what to expect but it was excellent. Our first visit was to Celia's home. She makes and sells chicka, an alcoholic drink made from corn. People who make chicka and have it available for sale display a pole with a red flag outside their homes.

Before we got to Celia's home, we passed through a village where the industry seems to be to try and entice passing tourists to stop and try their pig on a spit. There are numerous shops side by side with barbeque cooking facilities visible to the passing public and women standing outside displaying the pigs in the hope that tourists will stop and try some and many obviously do. We declined because the pigs on offer are guinea pigs, apparently a local delicacy.

 

Our second visit was to Monika who makes chocolate. Her home has an earth floor and is in typical poor condition as village houses tend to be but she was perfectly presented and her chocolate was excellent.

The third visit was to Bernadino's house. He is a potter who demonstrated his pot making skills. His house was relatively modern and very well presented. It included a gallery from which we bought a small piece to support the project.

Apparently the tour companies are being encouraged to bring tour groups into the communities to display their skills and to give them the opportunity to make some money. It seems to be a very worthwhile project.

This evening, we arrived at the town with the unpronounceable name, without doubt the quaintest town we have visited. The hotel, although situated behind a nondescript rock wall, is very modern and comfortable. There are other similar establishments in the town but externally, most of the buildings consist at least partially of ancient Inca structures and are located in original narrow Inca roads, certainly not designed for use by cars. Tuk tuks are very much in use here. They can negotiate the narrow streets.

 

Tomorrow we spend the morning exploring the Inca structures visible on the surrounding mountains before getting the train to Aguas Calientes, the town nestled in the forest at the foot of Machu Picchu.