Temple of the Sun

Today, after a breakfast of scrambled eggs and a bowl of fresh fruit with cereal, I explored Ollantaytambo.  There are two major archeological sites to see here, as well as a few smaller ones.  I opted to start with Pinkuylluna, which was used by the Incans as a granary and storage for other foods.  It’s built into the side of a mountain, and the trail was steep!  I definitely had to stop a few times to catch my breath, because the steps were tall and uneven.  However, I did make a friend on the hike, and she became my unofficial guide leading the way.  

[Photos above: My unofficial tour guide looking down at Ollantaytambo; another shot of Ollantaytambo with Mount Veronica in the distance; Pinkuylluna]

NOTE: It looks treacherous from the photos, but it never felt unsafe.

I made the mistake of petting her, and then she decided I might be worth following around for some food.  I met a French guy while walking around the site, and he said that he’s been coming to Peru twice per year for 45 years, and this is his 90th trip!  He didn’t speak a lot of English, so it was difficult to have much of a conversation.  He asked if I speak Spanish.  I told him I didn’t.  “You should.”  Yeah, thanks, I didn’t realize that during literally every interaction I’ve had with someone in the last two days.

After coming down from the site, I decided to visit Punku Punku, which was the original gate people would come through when they visited Ollantaytambo.  My dog friend was with me every step of the way.  I wasn’t feeding her, and I think she got annoyed because she started nipping at my pockets trying to get my attention.  At this point I’m over the dog, but she isn’t giving up.  As I pass a crossing guard for the second time, he asks me in Spanish if this is my dog (I can understand a little, okay).  I said it wasn’t, and he laughed and said that she was my companion.  Seems like it.  I make my way back into town and towards another smaller site the French guy recommended, Quellorakay.  The directions were basically to go down this street way past the school, and there’s a narrow path that leads to the site.  It was a good 20-minute walk, and I lost my companion at the school (she got distracted by kids eating snacks).  I visited the site, which I later learned was used as a kind of military outpost to guard the town.  Heading back to town, my companion was apparently waiting for me at the school, so we were reunited.  At this point, I decide I’m going to lose this dog.  So, I go into the main square, the Plaza de Armas, where there are lots of people, and I manage to shake her lose.  Finally!  

[Photos above: Punku Punku with my guide before I lost her; Quellorakay ruins and surrounding fields]

My next stop is the Templo del Sol (Sun Temple), which is the main attraction that brings so many tourists into town.  I buy a ticket (boleto touristico) and hire one of the many tour guides hanging around and we go inside.  I didn’t initially plan to hire any guides, but after visiting the first two sites this morning I realize I’m not getting a whole lot out of it without the history and background, and there are no signs or information at all.  My guide, Paul (like you would pronounce Raul), and I go for a two hour walk through the site, and it made the experience so much better.  He pointed out lots of interesting things that I would have had no way of knowing had I been alone.  

[Photos above: Me at the Templo del Sol]

NOTE: I took a lot more photos, but I think Paul accidentally put my camera in live mode, so I don’t love how those turned out.

After the tour, Paul gave me his number and said I could text him if I had questions with I was in town.  He gave me a couple of restaurant suggestions, and I was off to lunch.  I picked Chuncho, which only uses local ingredients to make authentic Peruvian dishes.  I chose the trout, and it was delicious!  Also, check out how big those corn kernels are.  They tasted kind of like hominy that wasn’t fully cooked, but it was still good.  I’ve never grated my own salt before, so that was unique.  I was able to sit on the balcony overlooking the Plaza de Armas while I ate lunch, and there was a special Mother’s Day event going on.  There was hundreds of women sitting around the Plaza, and there was a band playing music for over an hour.  Then there was an announcement, and the workers brought out barriers and hundreds of wrapped baskets.  These baskets looked very pretty, and I heard someone say they were filled with a variety of home essentials like salt, rice, and shampoo.  I think they asked the women to get into five lines to receive a basket, but it was good they put up the barriers because all of a sudden women were running up to get a basket in no form of a line whatsoever.  But, they restored order somehow, and all of the baskets were eventually handed out.  

[Photos above: Lunch at Chuncho; Mother’s Day celebration/giveaway in the Plaza de Armas before and after they rushed the baskets]

For dinner, I had a traditional Peruvian dish called lomo saltado.  It consisted of thin strips of beef cooked with tomatoes and onions with a quail egg on top and served with white rice.  

Finally, a few more random photos I took today while I was exploring.

[Photos above: Cura Ocllo, the last Incan queen; view down one of the old walkways in town that has been kept largely intact from Incan times; Guinea Pig House and Restaurant (check out the top left photo on the restaurant banner!)]

Fun Fact: I asked my guide today about all the stray dogs running around and about the guinea pigs.  He said all families here have lots of guinea pigs in their house, ultimately to eat.  I told him we typically have them as pets in the U.S., and he laughed and said he’s heard that.  He said I should try it and that they taste like rabbit.  He also noted that I should taste the corn beer (Chicha Morada), but maybe just a taste because it is fermented and can be hard on the stomach if you aren’t used to it.  When I asked him about the dogs, he said they are not abandoned and actually belong to people.  “This is how we live in a small place.”  Dogs just run freely and then go home at night to eat and sleep.  After seeing the condition of some of these dogs, I’m not sure that applies to all of them.  Maybe I’ll ask someone else and see how well the answers line up. 

Daily step count:  A respectable 19,020

Tomorrow, I will hike to Pumamarca Ruins, and then if I’m still feeling energetic a shorter hike to the quarry where many of the stones used to build Ollantaytambo were harvested.