What a day, yesterday. Despite the exhausting procedure to visit the ruin’s, the ruins themselves are stunning. The labour that must have gone into shaping and installing some of the massive stone, defies comprehension. Given the tools of the day.
This morning by 5.30am there were spots of rain heard on the Caranex. Though they never came to anything at the time, when visiting the historic town of Ollantaytambe nearby, the heavens opened up, just as Jen was visiting a local, well stocked, market.
The township of Ollantaytambo.
There are Mayan ruins everywhere. A small town but buzzing with European tourists.
High on the mountainside overlooking the town. Why did they choose such inhospitable locations for their dwellings?
You can just make out a back packer standing to the right of the dwellings.
We could have included dozens of photo’s of beautifuly terrace fields on mountainsides. About 5k’s from Ollantaytambo we spotted, what from a distance appeared to be white flowers, on the bare mountainside. Through the binoculars we could see they were aluminium pods with glass panels.
They are The Sky Lodge. The only catch, you have climb up the almost sheer rock face to be accommodated. Around the next bend, more. This time The Star Lodge. I photographed four climbers ascending the cliff face, also using the telephoto lens. Can you see them? One with a red jacket.
I guess there are those who would enjoy the climb…:)
It’s been a different days driving. Mostly easy going and flat but still at 2800m. Mainly following a river’s course. It’s the Sacred Valley. There are many Mayan ruins, mostly terracing but some partial walls and an occasional ruined dwelling. The soil is obviously fertile with extensive gardens and crops. Mainly corn.
A Guinea Pig. On a roasting spit?
We pass through a number of small towns of little merit. Our destination is Colca Canyon. Jen is sure we are going to see condors, because somebody saw one once…:)
A typical Andean lady.
Sarah told us about some stunning rock formations, in the form of Rainbow Mountain. We pass quite close but with the weather threatening, we decide to forgo the two hour trek to see them.
Looking for a place to stay.
Stopping for lunch at the roadside the sky turned dark and wind was getting up. Rain felt imminent. By 3.30pm Jen had found a hotel in a nearby town. Winding our way around grotty looking mud brick dwellings, through narrow alleys, we came to what iOverlander told us, was a hotel. Jen rang a bell and it was ultimately answered. The lady said the room rental was s200, about £40 or $80NZ. Jen said it was beautiful inside, but we opted to pass, on the price. 10 k’s further along the road, another hotel, deep inside a small village. This time the owner had a warm, welcoming personality, and the cost, s80.
We are on the 4th floor of a partially built building but the room has hot water and wifi. The room is airy and we are watching lightening and listening to thunderclaps. The owner did a little dance, at the thought of rain.
There is a odd custom in South America. You don’t put the paper in the loo. There is a bin beside, and it goes in there. I first came upon this practice in Russia, 54 years ago. Things change slowly.
Poki has a safe parking spot inside the gated yard. We’ll dine in her tonight.
We should be at Lake Titicaca in a few days, via Colca Canyon, Arepuipa, then on to Bolivia.
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