2013 – Page 10 – Deidre Adams

Peru, Part 11 – Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo was my favorite town on the entire Peru trip. I could easily picture myself living to a ripe old age here, starting my mornings with a coffee and empanada at La Esquina before getting the day’s provisions at the market. Then I would spend the afternoon and evening working on my art, stopping only to make a delicious dinner of local foods and spices, or perhaps to take a walk in the glorious afternoon glow of the sun.

It’s a lovely little town on the Urubamba River, nestled in a basin surrounded by majestic mountains. It was originally founded in the mid-1500s by the Inca Pachacutec, one of the most important and powerful emperors of the Inca Empire, and then fortified and used as a stronghold against the Spanish by the Manco Inca, leader of the native resistance. Many of the original buildings are still inhabited today, although changed somewhat, with the original thatched roofs having been replaced with tejas shingles. A network of the original irrigation channels filled with rushing water flow throughout the town beside the cobblestone streets, and pedestrians are constantly stepping over them as they navigate the busy sidewalks.

We stayed at the Ollantaytambo Lodge Hotel – not fancy, but comfortable and charming. I suspect it only gets a 2-star rating because of the fact that you only have a 2-hour window each afternoon in which there is enough water to take a shower – despite the fact that there’s an enormous amount of water flowing throughout the streets 24 hours a day.

This little guy apparently lived at the lodge, and whenever we ventured outside the gate, he would accompany us for a couple of blocks or sometimes all the way to the center of town.

There are many very good restaurants here, as well as a large market for fresh fruit and vegetables and other food, plus the usual shops for souvenirs and the like. The town square was always bustling with activity. We were there in time to see a motorcycle cab race as well as groups of local schoolchildren practicing traditional dances in the main square.

We took one short excursion for the purpose of experiencing chicha beer, a traditional, slightly alcoholic drink made from germinated maize first boiled in a big pot over a wood fire, then fermented in a large earthenware pot.

After meeting the proprietress and hearing about the process, we were ready to try a sample. But wait – you cannot take a taste until you have made the proper acknowledgment by saying “Pachamama, santa tierra” (Earth mother, holy ground) as you pour a couple of drops of your chicha on the ground. For me, one small taste was enough. I’m sticking with microbrews after this.

Also at the Descanso establishment, we got a chance to play a round of juego de sapo, the frog game, in which you toss a large brass coin at the board and try to earn points by getting your piece to land in one of the holes or spinners, with the ultimate goal of getting it into the frog’s mouth. Susan is the reigning champion of our group.

Then we were off to see the Ollantaytambo ruins.

February 3rd, 2013|Travel|Comments Off

Peru, Part 10 – Sacred Valley: Písac

Inca Písac, Sacred Valley, Peru

Písac is an area in Peru’s Sacred Valley that includes both a modern village and a complex of Inca ruins. The ruins contain impressive terraces, used to increase the amount of usable agricultural land in Inca times, as well as structures which were reconstructed after the originals were destroyed by the Spanish in the 1530s. The village has a large market that attracts a large number of tourists.

February 1st, 2013|Travel|Comments Off

Peru, Part 9 – Between Puno & Cusco

I have to backtrack just a bit, because I forgot some good photos from the road trip to Cusco. The one time we didn’t have a private van for just our small group, we traveled in a stylish tour bus with luxurious seats and beverage service. This was the restroom for the bus station, probably the nicest one I saw on the whole trip.

We stopped in a small town called Pukara. This was the first time we saw “toritos,” pairs of small pottery bulls that adorn the rooftops and other parts of most houses in this region. They keep the house safe and bring health and well-being to the occupants.

Pukara (“fortress” in Quechua) is an important archaeological site. They have a small museum, Museo Litico Pukara, where we saw some some of the ancient sculptures from the site. Wall signage describes the devoradores (“devourers”), sculptures which are holding heads and were at one time interpreted to depict rituals of human sacrifice, although some now argue that no one knows if that’s truly the case. Another sign describes Pachamama:

It is an ancient custom of the peoples of the Altiplano to hold rituals, both throughout the year as well as on feast days. An example of a ritual conducted frequently would be the rite of fertility known as the Pachamama, or payment to the Mother Earth. For the peoples of the Andes, their cosmology was intertwined with many aspects of their daily lives.

Another sign describes the arrival of the Spaniards and the building of a Catholic church in the center of the ancient ceremonial center. Then they began the “extirpation of idolatries,” a campaign during which colonial authorities “destroyed or defaced most of the monoliths and effigies considered to be pagan idols.”

After more time on the road, we stopped for a nice lunch and met more llamas. Did you ever see the movie The Emperor’s New Groove? (About the only later Disney movie I really enjoyed.) For one thing, I now know why there was a character in the movie named Pacha. But more importantly, if you saw the movie, you would be familiar with the character Emperor Kuzco (played by David Spade), who is a self-absorbed young king who gets turned into a llama. When I saw this guy (below), I realized from his antics that whoever animated Kuzco had spent some time studying llamas.