Day 109: Ollantaytambo, Peru (April 26, 2011)

Well, my morning went far more smoothly that I feared it would. I am now in Ollantaytambo, an ancient town about halfway between Cusco and Machu Picchu. Yesterday, when I was making my travel plans, what I wanted was to come here for about 1/2 day then go to Aguas Calientes tonight, so I could rise early to get to Machu Picchu before most other tourists. Strangely, none of the travel companies seem to operate such a plan, although it makes a lot of sense to me. Most of them start with Machu Picchu, which means their clients don't get to the ruins until they've been open for several hours. So I decided to go it alone, which I pretty much wanted to do anyway.

The nice lady who sold me my rail and bus tickets saved me some money by recommending I take a collectivo to Ollantaytambo, which online message boards described as "comfortable minivans" but which I feared where really tro-tros/dala-dalas/whatever-the-old-rickety-sardine-can-vans-are-called-around-here. It turned out to be even better than a minivan, as I shared a sedan with two other passengers, and it only cost me about $3.50, a big savings over using the railway company's bus to get here.

On the road to Ollantaytambo.

So I'm drinking a coffee to wake me up a bit -- a surprisingly good one, it's got real caramel in it, not just syrup -- then I'll venture into the ruins and should have plenty of time left over to catch my train.

[Later, from a mountainside in Ollantaytambo.] Too bad there's no wifi signal on top of this mountain. I'd love to post a shot of this view in real time.

Huh, actually there are signals here, but they are secured. I have no idea where they are coming from, as I'm about 500 meters from the closest building.

Anyway, my stop in Ollantaytambo is/was very good. I was getting pretty antsy about being in Peru, especially for a whole 10 days, but now that I've gotten to see what I came to see -- some ancient ruins -- I'm much happier. It's also very peaceful here, unlike Lima and Cusco, and it smells like flowers, not fish and pollution. Also, I don't feel discombobulated right now. I've either gotten over my altitude sickness or the medicine I bought to treat it actually works.

I wonder if Machu Picchu will be grander than the Ollantaytambo ruins, or if it's just more famous because it was discovered so recently (1911) and because it's so hard to reach. I'll find out tomorrow, I guess. But the ruins here are pretty extensive, and one can walk nearly anywhere.

Compare the stonework in the two photos.  It varies a lot throughout the ruins.

The modern (and I use that word loosely) town of Ollantaytambo seems to be mostly farm houses and shop and restaurants catering to tourists. It's pretty isolated; not just kind of far from nearby ctowns, but a little hard to reach. All the roads are switchbacks through the mountains to get here. I'm glad I was in a car for this morning's ride here, and I wonder what returning on a bus is going to be like. :\
　[And a bit later...]  When I was done with the ruins, I went and sat in the middle of the town square, which is circled by cafes.  I turned on my computer to see if anyone offered wifi, found a place that did, and settled down to eat and post.