Ollantaytambo

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This morning I got my internal flight from Lima to Cuzco high up in the Andes. It was pretty spectacular flying over the Andes and Cuzco itself is surrounded on all sides by the mountains. I was met at the airport by one of the TAPA staff, and we took a taxi to Urumbamba where TAPA have their HQ. We they continued on to Ollantaytambo where I´ll be based (avoiding the rocks laid across the road at various points, which had been carefully placed a day before as part of a ´general protest against transport´.


Ollantay is quite something, surrounded on all sides by high mountains (or hills as they call them here). Pretty much all the buildings are traditional mud-brick structures separated by narrow cobbled streets... not a stretch of tarmac to be seen! The streets are mostly occupied by the local population of stray dogs, children and farmers herding their bulls. The Inca ruins sit up on the mountainside overlooking the town and are visited by a daily dose of tourists.
I met my host Lola, and her daughter Carmen... the house is very traditional. The rooms open out onto a courtyard. My room is upstairs and opens out onto a a kind of balcony-walkway.

More later...

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Comments

[Grandad]

good to hear all your news Tom - keep it coming!