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Most tourists visit the numerous ruins in the sacred valley on a whistle stop tour on their way to Machu Pichu but we decided to take our time and we’re glad we did. Our first destination was Ollantaytambo (Oy-an-tay-tambo) which is the first major town before or after Machu Pichu, depending which way you’re going. It took us about an hour to reach it by train from Aguas Calientes.
The site of several Inca ruins, Ollantaytambo is much more than a quick stop destination. Beset on all sides by magnificent mountains, much of the old town is the same as it was when the Incas left; fast flowing ice cold water still runs down the original irrigation channels that are cut into the sides of the narrow cobbled streets and most of the locals appear to live as if time has stood still. There is also a good dose of wildlife around if you have a keen eye; we saw falcons, swifts and several types of humming birds. In addition to the birds the valley is home to dozens of different kinds of plants and flowers including lilac and purple lupins, rose coloured fuchsias, orange and yellow daisies which swarm
the hedgerows and hundreds of different kinds of succulents and bromeliads. Despite being a big tourist draw the town is mostly very quiet, the air is clean and the scenery stunning. As soon as we arrived we knew we were going to stay for a few days.
We chose Hospedaje Las Portadas as our temporary home which I highly recommend. It lacked wifi but that only added to the tranquillity of the place. For ten dollars we had a private room that overlooked beautifully cultivated gardens and we were visited every day by a resident humming bird. There was also a roof terrace where we watched the stars. I think I’ve said it in previous blogs but having a good place to stay really adds to your experience.
Having seen Machu Pichu only two days before we arrived in Ollantaytambo we were never going to be blown away by the ruins. However they are still quite impressive, particularly the agricultural terraces that are built into the mountain sides and seem to defy logic in their construction. The site was one of the last strongholds for the Incas, one story tells of how the Incas defeated Pizarro’s forces by
throwing spears and boulders from the fortress and flooding the valley from previously prepared dams. Unfortunately the victory was short lived and Pizarro just returned with four times as many soldiers.
The mountain opposite the fortress of Ollantaytambo has another fortress called Pinkulluna but this site is in a much worse state of repair and for this reason it is free to visit. However I suspect that it is actually free because climbing its steep cracked paths is so precarious the Peruvian government aren’t prepared to take responsibility for the inevitable tourist accident. Fortunately we didn’t have any falls but probably because we only climbed about a third of the way up, it was fun to explore and worth even just climbing up a little to get a good overall view the Ollantaytambo ruins opposite.
After our semi adventure we joined the locals for a little chicha session. Chicha being the Peruvian ‘home brew’, once we saw the red flag we thought it be rude not to give it a try. (We had read that if you spot a red flag outside a house, or in our case a red bag which was tied to a pole, then
chicha be available.) It was a strange experience stepping into someone’s backyard and asking for a pint of beer but that feeling soon passed and we were quickly laughing and joking with the locals. Although it must be said, how much of what was understood (by either us or the locals) is questionable. Made from corn the beer was quite weak in alcohol content and bitter to taste, the only thing I can compare it too is old English scrumpy cider. The locals must have had several pints to have been in the state they were.
I’m not sure if it was the chicha or one of the many local dishes we tried in Ollantaytambo but by the time we reached Pisac, the next destination on our sacred valley tour, my stomach was in bits. So much so that I spent a day in bed and left Helen to explore the ruins, from her description and the photos it seems that Ollantaytambo was the more impressive of the two. I did get a chance to explore the town which is equally as beautiful as Ollantaytambo but with less of its old world charm. It also felt a lot more
gringofied (my new word); there are several foreign owned business’ in Pisac that have latched onto the ‘spiritual’ aspect of the town and have subsequently turned the place into something that feels (and looks) very similar to Glastonbury town in the UK.
Our final stop in the sacred valley was a return to Cusco where thankfully my stomach returned to normal along with my appetite. As a result we signed off our trip here with a fantastic meal at a lovely little restaurant in the San Blas region. (The restaurant was called Sumaq and was great value, great food all provided with great service – definitely worth checking out)
This whole region has been incredible and comes as no surprise it’s such a big tourist draw. We’re leaving the mountains tomorrow and heading for our first experience of desert.
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