Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo, Peru


North of Cusco we find the delightful village of Ollantaytambo where we are never more than a ten minute walk from cafe' con leche or our choice of awe-inspiring Inca or pre-Inca ruins.  The ruins require one to hitch up his britches and exert a little effort to climb but they are worthwhile.

This Inca structure is on the left side of the river and is not controlled or patrolled.

The site above is known as temple of the sun.  This and the associated ruins are on the right side of the river, require an admission fee and are carefully patrolled and regulated.

Terraces near the temple of the sun.

The best part is that the village of Ollantaytambo itself is a fascinating place occupying the same buildings occupied by the Incas in the fifteenth century.  The streets too narrow for an oxcart, uniquely fitted stonework of the walls and cobblestone pavement attest to it's origins.

Typical street in Ollantaytambo

This is actually a staircase in an area

away from where most tourists circulate.

Up the down staircase

From our base in Ollantaytambo, a cold-water hostal, we patch together buses and cabs to take us to the neighboring town of Urubamba and a unique mountain site where a spring of salt water flows out of the mountain and over a large matrix of salt pans constructed centuries ago on a terraced hillside.

This stream is only a couple inches wide.  If you
look closely you see salt crystals on the the edges.

The stream feeds a large complex of drying ponds.

In addition to selling the salt, modern-day Peruvians benefit from the patronage of tourists who visit the site called "Salinas."

As an aside, the majority of tourists we meet in sites other than Machupiccu are native Spanish speakers and I believe they are mainly Peruvians.  The largest minority of foreign tourists appear to be French.  A local guide we meet at breakfast points out that there are an awful lot of folks from USA at Machupiccu.

One of the English-speaking tourists charms a local child.

We understand the locals speak the Quechua language.

These costumes are common on the streets of Ollantaytambo.  This hat indicates a different "tribe" from the lady above but we have not learned names of histories of the groups.

A lot of my interest in the ruins is related to architecture.  In this area they use straw thatch for the roofs.

The life expectancy of a straw roof is about one year.

The thatch is supported by wooden "beams" which are in turn held down by leather thongs secured to stone "anchors" in the masonry gables.

This following photo is representative of the area around Ollantaytambo.

This glacier appears high above Urubamba and is readily visible from the village of Moray where we stop for lunch.  We took a delightful stroll through corn fields to get to Moray.  

In November, the campesinos are preparing the soil and planting the seeds.

Quite a character to find behind a team of oxen

Arequipa, Peru

We visit Arequipa in Southern Peru with high expectations and we are not disappointed.  The visitor goes to Arequipa for the colonial architecture, culture, history and access to the surrounding mountain terrain.  At a tourist stop on a dusty dirt road in the suburbs, we observe another group of tourists, school kids from a nearby town enjoying the big treat of the day: their first horseback ride.  Just watching them brings joy to our hearts.  At the same locale, two irresistible ladies in the dress of the Cabana Culture of the Colca Canon pose with “Andes Eagles.”

Gringos tend to be fascinated by local markets and we are no exception.  Arequipa has one of the best.  We spend the better part of a day visiting with the vendors, quizzing them about their produce and marveling at the sights and smells.

This fellow is very helpful when Deb asks him the names and how to prepare the various fruits.

Below are olives, a variety of which is offered in every market.

We learn that Peru produces over 2,500 varieties of potatoes. These are a few examples.

When I complain of a cough back in Ecuador, my friend Victor recommends the naturopathic treatment of a kind of tea made from dried frogs.  He even told us where to find it in the Arequipa market. "Rana" is the Spanish word for frog. 

The most popular attraction of Arequipa is the old convent.  With declining interest in the cloistered life, the 20 remaining sisters retreated to a fraction of the space that once housed up to 500 nuns, orphans and battered women.  The balance of the space was opened to the public as a museum.  There are a few glass case type displays of artifacts, but the real attraction is in the cells, common areas, kitchens, laundry, etc.  We learned that here, at least, the families paid for the sisters admittance and maintenance in the convent.  This lead to a sort of class system where some sisters had more comfortable accommodations than others.  Then came reform, everyone must be treated equally, at least in terms of creature comforts and a more communal way of life was adopted.

The convent grounds includes two of these formally named "streets" and . . .

one of the most beautiful gardens in recent memory.

Eventually time comes to move on and we catch the bus for the town of Chevay, gateway to the Colca Canyon.  This Canyon is advertised to be twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, but how does one measure these things anyway?  Oops, I digress.  On the way we cross a high plain blessed with a few springs and herds of wild, protected vicunas.  They are one of the four “camelids” found in Peru.  We learn that they are always cinnamon color and observe that they resemble the small fleet antelope seen occasionally in the Colorado high country of the USA.  The vicuna have no horns or antlers, are probably not as fleet as the antelope and look like they weigh about 35 lb.  

Vicuna in a very high and windswept valley.

They don't make them like this anymore.  Details from the Cathedral of Arequipa.

Interior of the cathedral at Arequipa.