Hostal La Nusta Ollantaytambo

... we immediately got into our private bus for a two hour ride back to our hotel in Cusco. Dave and I (and probably half the group) slept the whole way back, exhausted. <br><br>Machu Picchu was amazing and we&#8217;re so glad of the whole experience, but it sure was good to come back to a hot shower, clean clothes and a warm bed. We had a free day the next day to sleep in, get some laundry done, use the internet and go shopping. Then we&#8217;re heading to Arequipa the next day.

... the night. We visited the large Inca agricultural site that is right in the town and is built up the side of a mountain. It was mostly used for agriculture, which is known by the terraces along the mountain-side where they grew corn and potatoes. What was also interesting about this site is that it wasn&#8217;t ever finished by the Incas before the Spanish invaded, so there are huge slabs of rock that the Incas carried from a quarry about 4 kms away and up the side of the ...

... einen bus umsteigen sollte. dabei kam wieder das organisationstalent der peruaner zur geltung. am bahnhof bildete sich eine riesige schlange von leuten. da wir die hintersten waren, wussten wir nicht was ab geht. schliesslich stellte sich heraus, dass alle touristen in minibusse verfrachtet wurden welche knappe 300 meter weit fuhren um uns zu den grösseren bussen zu führen (völlig überflüssig). dort standen zigg busse und leute mit schildern ...

... on, we climbed along a ridge, and through one of several of the day´s hand-cut Inca tunnels, to Phuyupatamarca, the last of the day´s passes. From there, we had another clear shot to Machu Picchu and were now close enough to make out the Inca flag that flies atop the mountain. <br><br>From Phuyupatamarca, we began the most difficult section of the day´s hike, the so-called ´Gringo Killer´, a constantly descending path consisting of 2,250 narrow Inca steps interspersed with the occasional ...

... it became apparent that we were on a slight slope - as we all kept sliding down to the cold wet door of the tent! We got introduced to the team probably - there was a chef, an assistant chef, 2 waiters and 5 horsemen. We were actually staying in the village of the horsemen and what I hadnt realised is that on Monday they had to walk with the horses down to the original meeting point - only to then have to walk back the next day with all our gear! Made harder by ...

... the use of wheels. No one knows how the Inca's managed to move huge rocks around, transfer them across rivers and raise them up hundreds of meters, however they did it and with true craftsmanship. <br><br>Surrounding the site there were many natural wonders, the very reason the Inca's had settled in Ollantaytambo, on one rock face there was a natural image of a god (sorry I can't remember the name of the god), who was said to look over the crops and protect them. There was also ...

... the middle of that... the porters run up ahead of you, set up the dining tent and your cutlery (all wrapped in a napkin), they set out a personal bowl of water and soap to wash your hands with before lunch... and then you get a massive lunch, normally, salad, then soup, then main course (loads of carbs.. rice, potatos, meat, veg), and then tea... sometimes a dessert as well! - same again, but more for dinner...! and an early night, we were in bed by 8pm!<br><br>Day 2 was ...

... den. Uns**e Köchin, gebürtige Q'uecha, also Ureinwohn**in P**us, v**suchte in einfachen V**hältnissen und mit den wenigen Mitteln, die ihr zur V**fügung standen, uns eine gute Mahlzeit zu kochen. Leid** **warteten meine Gruppenfreunde zu viel und waren schon beim **sten Mittagessen völlig enttäuscht und am Boden z**stört. Lex stellte sich als wahr** "Kornpick**" h**aus und stoch**te in sein** Mahlzeit h**um als hätte ** seine Kontaktlinsen darin v ...

... costumes, explained in details the process of making the wool from the time it is cut from the llamas to the end product. It was quite interesting listening and seeing how the wool was dyed by using all natural products which gave different colours. They showed us how carpets were made using the wool, etc... Several hand made sweaters, tuques were displayed ...