Telly Tubby Tambo

The journey out was uneventful until we reached the destination of Ollantaytambo Train Station. Everyone got out and started getting their bags thrown to them from the top of the bus. That´s everyone except for the Ozzy girl standing there. Her bag just wasn´t on top, she didn´t speak a word of Spanish, her train was about to depart and she wasn´t happy.

01 The Inka Terracing at Ollantaytambo

Luckily for her, Ron the hero stepped in. We´d stopped a few minutes previously in Ollantaytambo town itself, where a load of bags had been unloaded. I asked the driver to return there to see if her bag was there, and to hurry about it. We started racing back up the dark road to the square where we all jumped out and looked in the big pile of bags. It was there and she gave it a big hug, telling it how much she´d missed it.

02 Big Hill At Ollantaytambo

This was all a bit lucky for me as it meant that I didn´t need to walk back to town in the dark. Double bonus. I was here to mainly see the ruins and it was also on the way to my ´Alternative Route´ to Macchu Pichu.

I got up early the next morning and had a good look at them, they were fantastic. Steep climbs showing how well defended these ruins were. I managed to get right to the top, buy finding a little path out the back, I don´t think many tourists get to this section as it was hidden, yet the views from here were just fantastic. The surrounding hills were amazing, steep and dominating the entire view. I spent a number of hours here, just kicking back away from the crowds admiring the view and the work involved in the building of it.

03 Inka Terracing Up Close And Personal

So after the ruins I had an afternoon to kill in the town, not much going on but a nice place all the same. My room was directly above the family that I rented it from, and I could hear everything that was going on down there, from them having chats to having their dinner.

I was up early the next day to get a bus onwards, but my bowels had other ideas. I´d eaten something that I shouldn´t of but goodness knows what that was. As I was sitting ´There´ I pondered how I could hear everything that the family did, I´m sure it worked both ways! I felt sorry for them.

It took a couple of days before I felt well enough to travel, so I packed up and headed to the Plaza for 9am to get the bus to Santa Maria. There were a few other backpackers waiting for the bus, all of them Spanish or Argentinian. That was fine by me and I waited with them. After a couple of full buses went past one came past with some room, however I wasn´t quick enough and didn´t get on. I was then only waiting with a group of 3 friends. We waited a long time.

04 Bird´s Eye View

After 3 hours we decided to take a break and have some lunch, keeping one eye on the Plaza. Still no luck. We then headed back out again and waited until 3pm! The bus was full but had some aile space. The driver wasn´t going to let us on until Marko sweet talked him into it. So on we piled, for a long journey without seats. What Joy!

05 The Scale Of The Hills Here

06 More Terracing!

07 Can You Guess What This Is?

08 A Tranquil Corner To Myself