Marian Johns' Journal of the Desert
Explorers trip to Peru in 2002
Images by John Page unless otherwise noted
Day 14, September
17, Tuesday
Ollantaytambo to Cuzco See
Map
Sept. 17, Tuesday – This morning, some of us went up to town to see the Inca ruins of Ollantaytambo. There were lots of taxis and buses near the train station and our hotel, which is next to the train station. The drivers were waiting to take people back to Cuzco, so none of them was interested in taking us only one kilometer into town. We had to walk instead.
Once we got to the ruins, there were mucho stairs to climb to reach the main part of this complex. I took ten steps at a time and then rested and finally made it up. Ollantaytambo is situated at the confluence of the Urubamba and Patacancha Rivers. Across the side valley of the Patacancha, are more ruins high on the near-vertical canyon walls. We could see several rows of neat, but roofless buildings. What a hike that must have been to reach those structures.
Reda and I explored the main ruins, and marveled at the six huge, pinkish granite blocks that were moved six kilometers from a quarry across the river and up to their present location. They are part of an Inca temple that was never finished. Down near the Patacancha River, the Incas diverted some of the water and directed it here and there with stone aqueducts, and little picturesque waterfalls chiseled in stone – a pleasant, idyllic spot.
We walked back to the hotel, packed up the trucks and headed toward Urubamba. My cold’s getting worse. In Urubamba, we made an unplanned stop at a ceramic shop operated by a Señor Seminario. They make and sell very impressive creations – from pots, vases, plates, cups, and tile to large, and very expensive ($1100 - $1200) ceramic, totem-like figures. All items are decorated with stylized figures and designs. I couldn’t resist – bought a large, tall pot/vase and a plate. Arranged to have them shipped home - $245 US – ouch! $55 of that was just for packing, shipping and insurance. All our purchases will be sent together to the Mitchell’s – which is supposed to help cut down shipping costs.
The ceramic shop was a delightful place – seems to be their home also, complete with several colorful macaw parrots. It was very neat and tidy. Ceramics have been worked into the decorations of the buildings, yard and outer stone wall. It was another worthwhile stop.
We returned to Cuzco by way of Chinchero
which is a village built on Inca foundations. Here, we found a very nice restaurant and had another memorable meal – one of the best yet. I watched some girls by the front entrance playing jacks. Kids at home don’t seem to play jacks anymore.
We walked around the town for a while, after getting our tourist tickets punched. There were, of course several tourist shops. I bought another alpaca sweater – shades of red and indigo (~$8 US), some more knitted caps (~$1.25 US), and a replica Moche stirrup-spout pot showing a painted ceremonial scene ($6 US). Most of the group went on to see a museum and more Inca stone work, but I went back to the trucks.
From Chinchero, we can see 360 degrees – there are snow-capped peaks everywhere. What a beautiful drive back to Cuzco!
We stayed at the Hostal Los Niños again and had dinner at a restaurant near the main plaza. I had an avocado stuffed with chopped veggies in a mayo sauce similar to the one I had in Puno. My order of soup didn’t come until everyone else was done and ready to leave.
Kathy Mitchell arranged for a tourist shop (headquarters of the shop we stopped at last Saturday) to send a van to pick us up for some more shopping. They weren’t into bargaining, but I bought two baby alpaca sweaters for sons, Jonathan and David – a completely plain black one and a completely plain gray one – about $45 each. Haven’t decided who gets which. The van also returned us to the hotel.
