Romancing the Stone

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  Ollantaytambo, Peru
Friday, August 24, 2007

Today we are traveling by bus to Ollantaytambo with our Tour Director Freddie and our local guide Jeramey to do a a little hiking at the ruins in Ollanytaytambo in the Sacred Valley of the Incas.  Tomorrow we start the big hike so today is intended as a warm up to the real thing.  We are also stopping at the Women's Weaving Project in the Ccaccaccollo Community, a GAP initiative to support local women.

In anticipation of our visit to the weaving project our guide asked us to stop at a market to buy fresh fruit as a gift for the children.  As we will be wanting to take pictures there GAP would prefer that we take them fruit rather then offering them money to take their pictures.  It is a community that is not easily accessable so they would really welcome fresh fruit.  The bus ride there was along a windy switchback, a very tiny road and I kept looking out the window at the sheer drop over the cliff and tried not to feel too queasy.  Arriving there and seeing the excitement amoungst the little children made the bus ride worthwhile.  We watched a demonstration on how they dye wool using ancient methods to color the wool, admired current weaving projects and bought a few things from their booths full of handicrafts.  But what made the visit was the little children.  It is hard to describe the excitement that these children derived from receiving an orange or a banana.  Al had brought along some pencils and when he offered one to a little boy the shout of excitement  brought tears to Al's eyes. I had brought coloring books and crayons from home to give to my family on Amantani Island, at this point I was wishing I had found a way to put more into my travel bag. It was a very humbling morning and I really hated to get back on the bus as I was not ready to leave this little community.

We travel through a lush agricultural region and we will be staying overnight in the little village of Ollantaytambo and we are all starting to feel pretty excited about the hike.  It is very hot when we arrive at our first set of ruins, which appears to be a large granite ruin.  We lather up with sun block and Jeramey tells us it will be a short easy walk and we do not need to take our hiking poles.  This ruin is a day hike for many people and he tells us we can expect lots of people.  Easy hike lasts for about 10 minutes, then suddenly we are on a narrow ledge, large stone walls on one side and a huge drop off on the other.  In front of me is the steepest set of stairs I have ever seen and we are going to go down them.  I take one step down and then panic sets in and I am unable to move and am literally hugging the stone wall thinking "Oh my God, oh my God, I am going to die on a mountaintop in Peru, what am I doing here".  Freddy quickly realizes that I am in distress and comes and takes my hand and coaxes me along the ledge.  I am shaking so hard I think I am going to topple off the cliff.  Freddy is now trying to distract me by telling me bout the great shopping I am going to be able to do at the lunch stop - the Pisac market (he already has me pegged as a shopper).  The hour hike seems like 5 to me and I am so relieved when I make it back to the bus in one piece.  I do enjoy our lunch stop and power shop after lunch, trying not to think about the afternoon hike.  Can it be worse then the morning hike? 

Our afternoon hike is at the Ollantaytambo fortress.  It has huge steep terraces, everything seems to be steep here but the stairs are more level and with Al's help I make it up and down the fortress.  From the top of the fortress we can see granaries carved into the opposite mountain as well as the famous Inca Mask.  The mask is a large carving of a head, carved out of the mountain in Mount Rushmore style.  The entire setting is very impressive.  After the fortress we get back on the bus and head to our hotel and dinner.  I have a huge steak, I need that protein for the hike ahead.  After my meltdown in the morning I am very fearful of what lies ahead and wonder if I have made the wrong decision to do this hike, my confidence is badly shaken and I have a little cry in my hotel room.  Will I get any sleep before the start of the hike or will I be too nervous?

Post your own travel photos for friends and family Pictures

Sacsayhuaman	Goods for Sale	I can't believe I am still standing	Weaving Project Market
Children with Fruit	Women with Bull	Indianajill with Bull	Unique Stove
Llamas	Here come the sheep	Hello Indianajill	Terraced to the Sky
Views at the Pisac Ruins	Starting Point	Stairs, more stairs	Tiny People
At least there is a wall	On top of the Fortress	Still Standing	Granaries
Side view of the Inca Mask	Waiting for Rooms

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