A Lighter Day

Today, I went back to the fortress/temple to take some more photos before too many tour buses arrived.  I took the opportunity to explore the site more thoroughly now that I didn’t have a guide taking me to only certain areas.  Namely, I hiked up past the ruins to the top of the mountain they’re on, Inka Watana.  It was probably more of a hike than I anticipated, and I’m pretty sore from yesterday, so after that I needed a break and some lunch.  I chose a spot in the Plaza de Armas where I could sit on the balcony and people watch, but I don’t know if it’s because it’s Sunday or Mother’s Day, but it was very quiet today.  It didn’t seem like there were nearly as many tour buses as there have been other days.  

After lunch, I went on a short walk to the other side of town to see some smaller ruins.  They weren’t very impressive, to be honest, so I didn’t spend much time there.  I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the room and doing some research on what I’ll be doing tomorrow.  Edith, owner of the lodge, arranged a tour of the Sacred Valley for me!  It’s basically just a taxi, so the guy will drive me to these different towns and hang out in the car while I explore.  The plan is to leave at 8:30 and go to Maras, Moray, and Chinchero.  These are towns relatively nearby that all have something unique about them.  More on that tomorrow.

Dinner tonight was Kapchi de Olluco con Setas (potato stew) with a side of quinoa fritters made with corn and Swiss chard.  It was very good!








[Photos above: Alpaca grazing in the ruins; Close-up of massive stones used for building. Imagine a civilization with no metal tools being able to cut stone this precisely; Llama keychain I was given at a restaurant; More shots of the beautiful valleys and mountains surrounding Ollantaytambo; Dinner

Daily step count: 17,054; I was tired today!


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