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Other entries in Ollantaytambo

My Life in Ruins!

We left Cusco for a long journey through the Sacred Valley of the Inca's, heading towards Ollantaytambo. With our local tour guide, we stopped at several Inca ruins, in fact we stopped at so many Inca sites that it reminded me of the 'templed out' experience in South East Asia.

By mid afternoon I felt 'ruined out' and our guide decided that it was time for lunch, we stopped off at the beautiful town of Pisac set in the middle of the Sacred Valley. We walked on the cobbled streets towards the market and encountered traders sitting along the steps on the cobbled streets and colourful market square, enjoying the clean crisp air and the glorious sunny day with the market in full swing, with a riot of colours and noise.

On a corner off the square was Horno Tipico Colonial Bakery selling hot bread rolls, baked with a filling of melted cheese, peppers and onions cooked in a huge wood fired clay oven. Around the corner from the oven was a miniature castle populated by some 20 guinea pigs, and opposite were caged rabbits! Little did these cute creatures know that cooking with the pastries were stuffed guinea pigs with roast potatoes. After pastries, we stopped off at Pisac Inn Cafe for the best coffee in town. A warm and cozy place, it had murals hand-painted by the owners, and an attractive oasis of a courtyard with flowers, cactus and a beautiful balcony overlooking the square. On the balcony sat two student types humming along to the soft acoustics of their guitars.

Continuing the journey through more ruins, we stopped off at a local chicheria, which happened to be run by a frail old women dressed in local costume slaving over a hot stove in her kitchen making this corn beer...... just around the corner from the kitchen.... yes you've guessed it, was a huge pen full of hundreds of little guinea pigs! After a vomit inducing taste of Chicha, I'm sure it's an acquired taste, we tried our hands at Sapa, the local pub game.

We set off again, stopping off at more ruins, followed by more ruins, finally arriving at Ollantaytambo.... and just when you think you're on safe grounds we're met by the mother of all ruins! We booked into Doris's house, our homestay, before starting the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu tomorrow. Poor Doris must have overbooked, so some us were distributed around to her friends homes..... three of us stayed at Rosana's house.

Rosana's was a real rural live-like-the-locals experience. Her house was made from exposed clay brick, with a miniature courtyard and a small farmyard to the side of the house. There was a few chickens roaming and yes you've guessed it.... the kitchen floor was littered with even more guinea pigs, the juicier ones were segregated from the smaller ones..... I suppose this is where they wait before they hit the oven! Being a mainly Catholic country, above our room door was placed a straw cross, with a cross shaped cactus and garlic hanging from it. I suppose it's to ward off the ghost of the guinea pig!

Tomorrow begins our four day trek along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.

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