Sunday, May 13, 2007: Ollantaytambo Chinchero

 ( Happy Mothers' Day to all of you mothers ) 

The day got off to a civilized start when the bus picked us up at 8:45. It was a mixed group, who turned out to be great to tour with. Everyone was enthusiastic and positive. And a big bonus: we had Adriel as our tour guide once again.

 Our first stop was a roadside overlook with fantastic scenery.

There were vendors there in costume, accompanied by animals. So we took photos and gave them money for posing. Then on to Picac market. It was particularly interesting because on Sunday it's a local market as well as a tourist market. There were interesting foods offered for sale as well as trinkets, blankets etc. As well a group of costumed musicians were entertaining in front of the church. 

The down side was that Cathy and I were separated from Larry and he got lost in the maze of the market, delaying our departure by about 20 minutes. It was a worrisome time for everyone, so thank goodness it ended well. We were still in good time for lunch at a great place surrounded by gardens and facing the river. Such a wonderful spread! Then on to Ollantaytambo, Adriel's hometown, where we climbed high into the ruins of an unfinished Inca temple. It was amazing. There are still large stones scattered along the route from the quarry. It was abandoned so suddenly  as word of arrival of the Spanish reached them]. 

By then, Adriel decided it was time for a beer, so we went to a private residence displaying a red plastic bag on a pole by the front door. That means there's corn beer available: called chicha. After a traditional blessing ceremony, we were seated in a room and the process of making the beer was explained to us. then we were given samples of 2 varieties of it. Finally there was an "international" competition of "Frog". A representative from each of the nationalities present on the tour tossed coins at a complicated board, trying to drop them though holes. The Canadian won! Hooray! 

As if we hadn't had enough climbing, the next stop was Chinchero, the highest of the Inca cities: 3762 meters. We climbed steep streets and came out at a lively market, where we also visited a lovely church with a hand-painted ceiling. 

 

We had a couple of very nice encounters with young girls who were bright and determined. One befriended us in Pisac, and eventually sold us about 17 finger puppets. The other was at Chinchero. She asked where we were from and when we said Canada, she shot back "Ottawa"! We congratulated here on knowing the capital of our country and she said "Will you give me one dollar in your money for my education? Larry offered her $5 Canadian for 2 of the water bottle slings she was selling. She was very hesitant until Cathy got out the money conversion chart and she saw the value in soles. At that point she hugged and kissed us and happily wished us everything good. 

We went back at the hotel in time for Pisco Sours before dinner. Once again we closed the dining room. Tomorrow it's off to Puno (altitude 3872 meters) by bus.

Photos 13 May Ollantaytambo Chinchero