2013 Peruvian Adventures: Clear Skys, Stormy Weather and Random Thoughts

Dark clouds moved slowly over the peaks, loud crackling thunder, flashes of lightening, strong gusty winds and big heaping drops of rain slammed down in this small town of Ollantaytambo.  They say that it was the biggest storm in five years and I was here to experience it.  The electricity went out for a few hours and the Internet was down for two days.  The experience reminded me of just how much Mother Nature can be in control of things in our lives. 

Today is my last full day here in Ollantaytambo.  I move on to  Aqua Calientes to explore Machu Picchu more in depth for three days rather than that quick day trip I did on a whim last week so I could buy my entrance tickets.  After, I head back to Ollantaytambo to pick up my luggage which I will store with my hotel who will arrange for a taxi to then take me to Cusco where I'll sightsee for four days before heading home. My, how time has flown by.

I shall miss my home away from home.  The hotel I've been staying in has been wonderful, the people I've met have been friendly and accommodating.  I  even met these three travelers who are artists from across the US.  They leave for Cusco today, I shall miss our conversations.

Although I haven't been blogging much (due to slow internet and the storm), I have been keeping notes so I won't forget my thoughts.  I have some impressions of Peru which I have been working on and which when I have a chance I shall post along with a couple of other posts I have pending.  But for now I shall leave you with this random post.  Aside from that storm this past Saturday, the weather has been wonderful and I have been able to do everything that was on my "must do" list.  I am thankful for that.  I've seen several significant Inca sites and have gone to the two famous Sunday Markets in Pisac and Chinchero.

Here are some random photos. I will try to post more.

Pisac Ruins....

Inca water canal in Ollantaytambo, near the fortress...

Chinchero Sunday Market   . . .

My favorite coffee maker at a shop just a few steps from my hotel in Ollantaytambo....

Hope to post again once I'm in Aqua Calientes.   Thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog posts.



2013 Peruvian Adventures: A Walk Across a Wooden Bridge

I have not been able to blog much due to the slow Internet.  With full days filled with sightseeing and hiking, my evenings are mostly spent taking a quick shower then crashing in bed from pure exhaustion.  But today, I spent a quiet day wondering around Ollantaytambo and taking photographs.  I ended my day with a late lunch and now I'm back in my hotel catching up on my blog.  I've taken notes daily and will hopefully be able to remember my thoughts throughout.

Here in this post, I am featuring one of the first video clips I took on my first day here in the small town of Ollantaytambo.  After several days of visiting the other towns in the Sacred Valley, I made the right decision to base here, while I acclimate. It is quite busy during the day with all the day trippers from Cuzco but by early evening the crowd begins to thin out and it's quite pleasant. It has a nice balance between small and charming with a bit of life so it's doesn't seem too boring 

My hotel is perfect. It is located very close to everything and from my hotel room I have a great view of the Ollantaytambo fortress.

Just outside of my hotel, a local barbecues some chicken and beef. As much as it smelled really good, I just preferred not to chance it. Instead, I set out across this wooden bridge to a restaurant called Mayupata. It was recommended by a traveler who's blog I enjoyed reading and which helped me to prepare for my own trip, 

And if you're wondering how my meal was?  Take a gander . . . I ordered their trout which was perfectly prepared, served on a bed of sweet baked potatoes and topped with these deliciously sweet crunchy noodles. The presentation and quality of this dish would rival any 5 Star restaurant in the US or anywhere for that matter. 

And now after a wonderful dinner, my first night in Peru ends with a slow walk back across a wooden bridge in this small town called Ollantaytambo.

2013 Peruvian Adventures: Coming to you Live from Peru

After a long and I mean long travel two days I finally made it to my home away from home at least for the next few weeks.  I had a very comfortable flight (anything is comfortable even lowly economy class when the seat next to you is empty! Whoo hoo!  The 55 minute flight from Lima to Cuzco was brilliant. Like white cotton balls the clouds float by as the sunrises to show the amazing landscape below.  A small preview I'm sure.

I arrived in Cuzco with a greeting that could feel like you just got the wind knocked out of you. At first I thought the high altitude isn't too bad but after a few steps it hit me!  It took me forever, stopping to catch my breath a couple of times, I slowly made my way to the baggage claim to thankfully see my bag spinning around the carousel. While walking around town a bit I'm still dealing with the high altitude and I have had a slight headache which the large supply of extra strength Tylenol has been able to cure. Thankfully I have not had more seriously issues like nausea or that it has affected my asthma. I'm very thankful for these small travel gifts 

My driver, Raul, was waiting for my and drove me first to Pisac so I could see the open market and then on to Ollyantambo.  My hotel is is a prime location so close to everything and my room has the most amazing view the ruins. Very cool.  I'm very thankful that my hotel has WiFi but it is very slow and loading is time consuming, plus the Internet went out last night. I'll post more later, but for now I'm heading down for the included breakfast. :)