> Ollantaytambo
> Finally, the last few cities on our trip. The two new cities we visited were Ollantaytambo and Auguas Calintes, the town just below Machu Picchu. Then we backtracked to Cusco for a few nights and then to Lima for a few nights before our flight back to Panama.
> We left Cusco on a bus with about thirty other passengers. The trip took the better part of a day but if driven directly it is only a few hours from Cusco to Ollantaytambo. We stopped at several small villages selling local crafts, fruit and locals posing for llama photos. One destination, inside the Sacred Valley, was the Pisac Market. We walked for blocks and blocks and never saw the end of all the colorful local booths. Here we had a small tour of a sterling silver shop that incorporated the local stones and polished shells of Peru into the pieces of jewelry. Some of the large prices may take a month or more to complete and cost around 700 dollars.
> Next, we wound our way up the mountainside and toured the ruins that were surrounded by terracing on all of the opposing mountainsides. The Sacred Valley, Aguas Calintes and Cusco had the most intact ruins of the area we toured in Peru. It's really amazing to think of how long ago these structures were created, how large some of the stones were. Many of the formed rocks were brought up the sides of these steep mountains from miles away. Oh, and did I mention, the country has earthquakes from small daily tremors to very destructive earthquakes and these structures are still standing.
> We had lunch at a beautiful buffet restaurant on the river that runs through the center of the Sacred Valley. We finished the tour with a guide at the ruins of Ollantaytambo. These ruins were possibly my favorite. Maybe because they were an unexpected surprise. There is so much talk about the ruins of Machu Picchu that we weren't really familiar with the ruins in this beautiful, friendly little town. Thanks to our friends on Galivant we knew to allow a few days here to explore. The tour with the guide was at the end of the afternoon. The ruins were very crowded and the tour was only about an hour long, not long enough to enjoy these fantastic ruins. The large section of ruins were located at the very end of town and the Sacred Valley. On the adjacent mountain the food store houses were located. Everything was positioned at a precise location, or altitude, on the mountain for optimum storage and growth. The terracing allowed different vegetables or grains to be grown at the optimum altitude for the particular plant. The optimum growth altitude of a certain plant could be altered by slowly moving the plants location on the terrace, allowing the plant to adjust to a new altitude.
> The stones used here were massive and cut perfectly to fit together in a tongue and groove fashion. No cement or mortar was used. Just a perfect fit. The stones were mined miles away from the ruins and dragged to the site. Remember, dragged up the side of a mountain. The bottom of the rocks were cool to the touch and silky smooth. There were many fountains and running irrigation systems throughout the lower level of the ruins. There was a system of gates and ditches all through out the ruins and the town. We could hear the running water outside our hotel room which also had a great unobstructed view of the ruins. The locals said not any years ago you could drink right from the channel but now there are too many villages upstream. At the far end of the ruins there is an bird head, very clear, and the image of the body and the wings carved right in the side of the mountain with steps and offering areas cut right into the massive stone.
> A few days later we boarded the train for Aguas Calientes. The only way to arrive in the town at the foot of Machu Picchu is by train. We used Peru Rail for the hour or so trip. The trip along the river was very relaxing, with nice scenery of a few very small towns and scattered homes and a few ruins. Snacks and drinks were served on board. As we made our way closer to Machu Picchu the scenery did change to a more tropical, humid setting with orchids and air plants. We arrived at the station and were greeted by one of the hotel staff. We left our large suitcase in Cusco, a large backpack in Ollantaytambo and carried a small day pack and our camera bags. The trains website says only small packs are allowed but we did see people with much larger suitcases. We had all we needed in the small pack so it wasn't a problem. Everything was right where we left it on our return. The town of Aguas Calientes is nestled between the mountains, the river and the train tracks. It is a compact town but full restaurants, hotels and shops. We were told not to eat uncooked fresh fruit and vegetables and drink bottled water. We basically followed this advise but did eat the fresh fruit at breakfast and had no problems. At our hotel, the ice and drinks were all made with bottled water. We got to bed early for our big day tomorrow, Machu Picchu.
> I can't remember exactly but we were up very early, maybe five am, for breakfast and we needed to walk to the bus station to be on one of the first buses up the switchbacks to the ruins. The buses were full, everyone wanting to be first. We arrived, cleared through the gates and headed across the ruins to the backside where wyna Pichu was located. Wayna Picchu is the mountain located just beside the ruins of Machu Pichu. Many photos are taken from the top looking down on Machu Pichu. I will admit, I was very nervous about the hike up this mountain. It is a lot of stairs, mostly going straight up on narrow trail with only a few handrails and a few cables on the mountain side. There was nothing for protection if you went away from the mountain. Just a long fall straight down. The day was perfect, a little cloudy to hold the heat and burn factor down but a perfectly clear view of the ruins, no haze. I was partly guilted into going up because Michael, my son, said I would regret it if I didn't go and my travel agent, Maria ( let's just say, she's older than me) just made the climb a few years ago. Guilt or competitiveness, not sure which one but sure did work. The climb up was strenuous but I never felt like I was going to fall off the mountain. The views were beautiful and definitely an accomplishment. We descended Wayna Picchu (Huayna Picchu) and took in the ruins of Machu Picchu.. The sprawling ruins are surrounded by high pointed mountains and low crevices all covered in green tropical vegetation. It is very difficult to describe or take a photo that shows how awesome the view was here. It's something best seen for yourself.
> We had lunch at the resort at the ruins, returned by bus to our hotel and crashed. An early start to a long hot day of hiking at 8,000 feet makes for a good nights rest.
> We backtracked our way to Cusco for a few night and then back to Lima for a few nights. The food in Peru was really good. Reasonable prices, large quantities, good variety and lots of flavor. The cuy, or Guinea pig was not our favorite. it was very expensive and the meat was less than a chicken wing.
We have returned to North Star to finish the projects and start sailing.