Day 12: Several Stops on the Way Back to Cusco

Today started with a great breakfast at the El Albergue hotel, then we set out on foot to the Ollantaytambo ruins (“the Fortress”). We again climbed a steep staircase through the middle of a series of terraces on our way to the front gate.

The picture of gray stone with orange on it shows the protrusions on individual rocks. It’s not absolutely clear what these were used for, but they probably had to do with either moving the rocks or holding display items. Some of these are more prominent than others, some are gone all together.

Shortly before the gate are a series of wall openings. These certainly had ceremonial significance as it’s thought that the area was a temple for religious purposes.

Just after going in the gate and climbing up some rocks, we came to a stone that looked like a throne. Kip is looking at it because it has a protective rope in front of it to keep people from sitting in it. The very next shot is of the view you would see if you were sitting there looking over the valley (supposing there was no wall in the way then as there isn’t now). Today this looks out over the town of Ollantaytambo, apparently a very up-and-coming little hamlet that gets lots of visitors. It’s apparently much visited by tourists from all over the world. How is it that I’ve never heard of this place?

The picture of the big stone on its side–supported at an angle by rocks underneath–looks like it was on its way to being slid into place when the temple was abandoned. The picture that looks like a “T” in the stone was how they joined the stones together. This hole would have been filled with bronze and then the other stone put into place. The bronze would help hold it together.

This site seems more unfinished than any we’ve yet seen. There are a few key structures, like the main temple wall, but at least as far as stone structures, it wouldn’t have provided much in the way of shelter from the elements (which maybe wasn’t the point, I have to admit). This temple wall is pretty unique, with its big (or maybe I should say huge) blocks joined to smaller stones in between. We haven’t seen anything like this anywhere else. Steve says it’s evidence of different architects being involved.

There’s another perspective of the long walk anyone would have had to reach the main gate. you can see where those niches in the wall start.

Then our intrepid group headed for what is thought to be a granary. The different levels would have allowed grain to be shoved in from the top and then pulled out from the bottom. The shape allowed enough ventilation that the building was cool inside, and probably kept the grain pretty dry.

Another portion of this site had to do with water and was probably for bathing. There were some really well-carved blocks along the way, including the ones I got that were smooth with square openings. You can see the present-day watercourse that runs alongside this site, so there was apparently no shortage of water. We saw what appeared to be bath areas and even a shower! But brrrrr if they didn’t have some way to add hot water! 🙂

Many of the streets in this town are the original stone. You can see drainage ditches running down the middle of all of them. So people from that time to this have inhabited this place, with locals just building and rebuilding within the walls. I mentioned to Steve that I hadn’t seen any real estate signs. I guess buying anything here probably has a lot to do with who knows who.

The doorway picture shows an interesting feature of housing in cities here. There aren’t front yards or spaces as we’d think of them. There is just a doorway, and it’s usually not very attractive. But inside the door is where all the activity goes on. I got a shot of one door that was open showing the pathway and garden inside. So you can’t judge a house by its outside here, or even its door!

We spent some time in the market here, and Kip and Gwenn both purchased these funny knit masks. Guess they’d be good for Halloween. They’re really funny!

After a quick stop back at the El Albergue hotel (big, big, two thumbs up for this place!!) to pick up our bags, we met Raleigh (guide) and Alberto (driver) for our afternoon adventures. The first adventure was getting all the baggage secured on the top of the van. Quite a site, huh?

Our first stop today was at a nearby Chicheria, a place where they make chicha–a local concoction that is about 1-2% alcoholic. We got a little demo about how it was made. We also saw a game that’s played with a board and some rather heavy coin-like pieces you toss from a distance. If your piece goes through any of the holes, it will end up in a drawer underneath. When you open the drawer, you find out how many points you’ve won. this place had several of these, so it’s apparently a place for local entertainment. (They also sell guinea pigs–yes, cute little guinea pigs–to use for meals!)

Next stop down the road was at a salt operation. From this place, they mine salt and ship it all over, even out of the country. We didn’t get to see an explanation of this process but just looked at the many pools from a stop on the road. It was an impressive operation.

Our next stop was Moray. This was a natural depression that the Inka enhanced for agricultural testing purposes. They planted test portions of crops at the various levels and in different configurations to find the best climate for each crop. The site apparently isn’t used for testing anymore, but occasionally crops are grown there.

Our last stop was in Chinchero. A quick stop at a textile operation got us a demonstration of how wool is prepared, dyed, and woven. After a quick look there, we made a short stop at some terraces here and saw a staircase that had been carved into a stone. I can’t imagine the time and persistence that must have taken!

We then walked about the open air market. Because of the way many tour companies try to pack visits to various sites in to one day, most tours apparently don’t end up here until at least 4:00 PM. We were a little early so some vendors were still setting up, but that was OK with me because I didn’t intend to buy anything. I sure do get tired of saying “No, gracias” every 30 seconds. Everyone sees us coming and starts toward us to sell whatever they have. They’re very persistent, and it’s very wearing. I don’t even want to face that gauntlet!

There was also a church here. A few of us went inside. It was very ornately decorated, as befits a South American Catholic church, I guess. But it also had a nice echo as Raleigh proved when he played his flute for us inside.

I had to take a picture of the banos (bathroom) we used here. It was actually one of the better ones because toilet paper was included. Of course, we had to pay one sole (about 2.7 sole to the dollar) to use it. It was worth it, though!

Then it was back in the van for a final 45-minute drive to our hotel here. We’re again staying at the Ninos hotel.

So my time here is growing short. It’s Thursday night as I type this and I’m leaving for home on Saturday. Tomorrow we’re visiting some other ruins around Cusco and then have some free time, so we’ll see what we end up doing.

Tonight I’m hitting the sack and relaxing. We’re meeting at 8:00 AM for breakfast and 9:00 AM for the morning’s activities. Talk to you tomorrow.