Alright, That´s Enough Ruins For One Trip

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After getting settled into Cusco and shedding a few tonnes of crap that we bought along the way, we figured it was time to venture a bit farther a field and begin checking out the neighbouring pueblos. As we headed out, it became pretty obvious that the renowned Machu Picchu is only one of many amazing Inca ruins near Cusco. In fact, it seemed that every little pueblo we popped into (i.e., Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, Pumamarca) held some pile of rocks that could be attributed to those busy Incas. One can not deny the amount of ingenuity and workmanship that this culture displayed in building their cities of stone.

While never losing recognition of the amazing works that the Incas left behind, we both began to suffer from Ruin-Overload. Fortunately, most of the towns we stayed in provided unexpected sources of interest. Our first afternoon in the Sacred Valley was spent in Urubamba, during the peak of Carnaval season. There is nothing like a city-wide water fight to make things interesting! As a gringo traveller, we couldn’t have been a more tempting target to the locals. The second we hopped out of the taxi into the street, we were met with a volley of water balloons and foam spray. It wasn’t long before we were all soaked to the bone. I am happy to report, however, that we put up a brave fight and nailed plenty of people in return. Thanks to the manager at the Muse restaurant who let us hide from the mob and use his balcony to douse endless people in the street below with buckets of water. The hard day of water fights caused me to work up enough of an appetite to finally try the South American favourite... guinea pig. I can’t say I am going to run out to the nearest pet-shop back home and start buying up these little critters for dinner. Seemed a little salty to me, and, not surprisingly, a little lean in the meat department.

After Urubamba, we headed off to Ollantaytambo, where we were happy to see a momentary end to the water balloons. We spent a couple days wandering around the area, exploring the main ruins and hiking into the hills in search of others. While we never did reach the ruins of Pumamarca, we did inadvertently wander into a village who was still fervently celebrating Carnaval. Fortunately, the town spared us from a big dousing, as the weather was getting a little cool for getting wet. Not to be deterred from the Carnaval spirit, however, they gave us pink-chalk face-washes, pushed some home-brew corn cider (i.e., chicha) into our hands, dragged us into a circle to dance around tree and encouraged us to take a few drunken whacks at the tree with an axe in an effort to cut the sucker down. Just another ordinary day in the backwaters of Peru. It certainly was an interesting alternative to looking at another ruin.

Even while suffering strong symptoms of ruin-burnout, we still made another day trip to Pisaq to see more ruins. Fortunately, our efforts were rewarded. Only a handful of other tourists were visiting the amazing site that afternoon. Shortly after arriving, the rain arrived and washed all the other visitors away, as we watched from the shelter of an old Incan tunnel. Only we and a few locals remained when the rain finally stopped. After the hustle and bustle of Machu Picchu, Pisaq felt truly serene and provided an opportunity to once again experience the shear wonder of being in these amazing places, without all the tourist frills.

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Photos

Ruins of Sacsayhuaman
Sunshine on a cloudy day

Guinea pig, anyone?
Tasted kind of salty and there wasn't much meat to be had... could be an acquired taste.

Suckered into a Fiesta
Nothing says "Good times" like dancing around a tree, sporting an axe, a belly full of chicha and a face full of chalk...

Terraces at Pisaq
Those clever Incas making good use of steep slopes

Shelter
Hiding from the rain in the Inca-made tunnel at Pisaq