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The Road Up
Pisac is down in the valley below. The ruins sit high above it. Today was my first real day of travel. I left in the early morning with César, my trusted taxi driver, for the Incan ruins in the mountains high above Pisac. At the ruins, I was honestly the most struck by the fact that the Inca were definitely not afraid of heights. You approach the ruins basically right on the side of a giant cliff, and then spend your time either clutching to hand-rails as you climb up the cliff face, or walking around in the steep alleyways of the ruined town itself. There was even a tunnel the Inca bored right through some of the mountains (how did they do that without any real power tools?). The final thing about the ruins was the cut stone itself. Massive blocks placed perfectly together - there's nothing actually holding them together at all. It's all about gravity and cutting the stone right.
Descending from Pisac in the late morning, César and I went down the Sacred Valley for Ollantaytambo, which is about an hour away. It was a beautiful drive, which basically just follows the clear and fast Urubamba River. In broken Spanish, and trying to respond the best I could, I
Terraces at Pisac
Where the Inca grew potatoes, corn, and quinoa. found out along the way that one town we passed through is known for the pumas that lurk in the mountains nearby... apparently people are dragged off a couple of times a year. In the town of Urubamba we were actually stopped for about 30 minutes as a festival went down the main street. It was interesting to watch - mainly a lot of people dressed in masks dancing to drum and trumpet music. We then made it into Ollantaytambo, which is the last actual village before Machu Picchu. You have to take a train from here to the small village at the base of Machu Picchu.
There was also a festival in town, and since we were just on the outskirts, I followed a few other people and hiked in. This was actually an awesome thing to do. You follow part of the Inca Trail, and enter the town from the old Inca gate. Ollantaytambo itself is a town that honestly seems lost in time. You're at the very end of a valley, and mountains around you are filled with ruined Incan granaries and temples. It just feels sacred here, almost like you can sense a lot of
In Pisac
In the garrison town, with the terraces behind. history has happened in this tiny village. And actually it's pretty sad history. I'm literally down the street from the fortress in town, and this is where the Inca had their last real victory against the Spanish. They absolutely butchered the Spanish. But the victory also signaled a retreat, and the Inca never really won back their empire. A lot was lost right here, and I think that's what you feel. It's a time-warp, and you can feel and see the passing of history.
Other than that, just relaxed in town, had a good dinner, and watched another parade go by. Tomorrow I actually see the ruin in town before taking the afternoon train to the base of Machu Picchu.
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