The Lost City of the Incas
Trip Start
Oct 01, 2011
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Trip End
Nov 03, 2011
What I did
Touring, exploring, scraping my jaw off the floor at M.P.
Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley, Peru
Sunday, October 9, 2011
We also stopped off at a look-out over the town of Pisco, where we had lunch, and the nearby remains of a Village and Temple from the 16th century. Absolutely spectacular scenery, truly breathtaking. There were also some very interesting and quirky facts from the civilisation, such as the fact that they dug holes in the side of the nearby mountain, sort of mummified (read shrink-wrapped) the bodies of the dead and stuffed them in these holes, which are still visible today. Archaeologists found over 7,000 bodies in this one hill; incredible!
Ollantaytambo was a great little village, had a very casual country town vibe. We were staying in a Home Stay rather than a hotel, which was quite alright other than the bathroom and the lack of hot water (by this stage we were well up in the Andes and this was definitely reflected in the temperature drop). We were able to explore the town itself the night we stayed there, and picked up a few more souvenirs. We had a great group dinner at a restaurant called 'Blue Puppy', very good service and food. While a few of the group stayed out and partied, I decided to give it a miss that night to be feeling tip top for Macchu Pichu the next day. As it turned out I was little worse for wear in the morning (I’m blaming the foreign alcohol in my one drink of the evening), but that was totally forgotten upon reaching Macchu Pichu, which has been at the top of my Bucket List since visiting the Pyramids in Egypt a couple of years ago.
It is AMAZING. Words really can’t describe, and the photos don’t capture half of the magic of the place. Despite being a little concerned that I would be under-whelmed by the place and trying to keep my expectations in check, I was truly blown away by the Lost City of the Incas. I honestly can’t put into words how it felt to be there, and to walk in this amazing, historic place and witness the incredible feat that construction of this settlement was. And the landscape itself... definitely the most phenomenal and awesome example of nature and wilderness that I’ve seen. See the pictures for a poor snapshot of it, but my advice to you all – get there. You will not be disappointed.
