Blogs from Ollantaytambo, Cusco, Peru, South America - page 4

September 27th, 2012 Elevation 2800m, 9186ft After an amazing time in Puno and Lake Titicaca it was back on a bus and heading to Cusco, launch point of the Sacred Valley and our final destination before the Inca Trail: Ollantaytambo... Took the better part of the day to get from Puno to Cusco, with a stop along the way at the highest elevation of the tour, 4338m (14232ft), hard to believe...it was a brief stop in Cusco, spent a number of days there after the Inca Trail so will talk more about it in a future post...basically arrived, got some laundry together, grabbed a bite to eat and a couple of pints and that was about it... It was this night that we first met our guide for the Inca Trail, David. Seemed very knowledgeable and ... read more

I spent the weekend camping in an original Andean forest, high in the mountains. When I got back to town on Sunday, there was a tree planted in the middle of the soccer court. On my way passing it in the afternoon I came upon a scene that I was soon dragged into. A colorful confetti necklace was wrapped around my neck and my face was dusted with a purple powder. A chain of hands absorbed anyone with a necklace and formed a circle, dancing around the tree. The tree was decorated with balloons, confetti, soda bottles, and colorful little trinckets. Our circle began rotating around the tree. I glanced around and saw him. He was wearing a NY Giant sweatshirt. He looked as if he had also been forced into the dance. He shuffled his ... read more

Taxi ordered by Andina Travel for the four of us not trekking at 9.00 am to drive us to the hotel at Ollyantaytambo to meet the rest of the group finishing the trek. Ollyantaytambo is a very pretty place surrounded by steep mountains on all sides with a fierce river running alongside it. Dumped our stuff at the hotel (pretty green painted room with wooden floors and a good shower) and walked up hill to the Central Square (yet another Plaza de Armas!) Much more relaxed and a quainter atmosphere than Cusco.... Went to a coffee shop which had only opened its doors for the first time that morning. It was run and owned by an American nurse, a social worker and someone who helps the local community with textiles - run as a non-profit making ... read more

Beeds of sweat dripped from my head into the bile below. I gagged and coughed up the white saliva of dehydration. I was dizzy and began to look for the best place to pass out. The bathroom floor had no accomodating spaces. I was weak and y arms trembled as I grasped the toilet seat. It smelled like death and I felt possessed by something very evil. I'd return to my room cold, weak, and thirsty. I knew I'd have no more than an hour before I had to return to the bathroom. Slipping under my warm blankets, I felt an indescribable comfort. For a few sublime moments I could escape the pain and rest my exhausted body. The cramps returned like clockwork. My bowels were so loose that I could barely make it to the ... read more

The people of these mountains are sad. They are generally introverted and shy. They seem truly a conquered race, who have lived in poverty since Europeans arrived over four hundered years ago. How much livelihood have they lost since they once governed themselves and the country they inhabited? Tonight, Doris described me the issues Ollantinos face with agricultural diversification. There are no local markets to support diversified farming nor is their education to inform farmers of how this may be done. The only vegetable of any worth growing in Ollanta is corn. The overproduction of corn leads to oversaturation in the local markets. Saturation lowers the price of corn and saps the income of local farmers (who seem to occupy the majority of the non-tourist industry). Other vegetables are imported from distant places, like Arequipa, when ... read more