We didn't get to complete yesterday's itinerary due to time constraints. Our WIFI was not working in the hotel room. We had been writing using the restaurant's WIFI, and when they closed we were obligated to close the blog for the day.
We also weren't able to tell you about our hotel here in the Sacred Valley. It is absolutely lovely! It is situated along the banks of the rushing Urubamba River, which right now is a muddy brown color, but still quite beautiful and heavy flowing from the rains (thus the brown color!) The town of Urubamba, where we are right now, is nestled between snow-capped mountains amidst ruins from the former Inca Empire. Everywhere you look, you can see remnants of the Empire's ingenious presence, from their complicated and elaborate systems of retaining walls and terraces which weave their way down the steep lush cliffs, to their stone carvings and fountains and their still operational irrigation techniques.
Our hotel is called the Rio Sagrado, and it could best be described as contemporary native architecture, possessing all the modern amenities yet also blending in well with the surrounding verdant fields, towering mountains, and Andean villages.
Moving on to today's happenings... this morning we had another wonderful breakfast. It had rained overnight, so it was cool with the remnants of last nights clouds hanging on the mountains as we walked down to breakfast, giving the hotel a look as in James Hilton's Shangri La. Gilmar the guide met us at 9:30 for our days wanderings. First stop - Ollantaytambo (ool yon tie TOM bo). Tambo means lodge and Ollantay was the Incan general for whom the complex was named. The Spanish invaded and conquered the Inca before this city was completed. It was intended to be a temple, a fortress, a storage depot and probably much else that still isn't known. It is massive even in its incompleteness!
There were many reasons we were told for the Inca choosing this site. One fascinating one is that it is at the juncture of two canyons. During the Summer solstice, one canyon lines up perfectly with the temple.
During the winter solstice the other canyon lines up perfectly with the temple.
One very interesting thing is how the Inca amazingly - without modern equipment - brought water down from the mountains seventeen miles away through irrigation channels. They end at the base of the valley in lovely carved fountains such as this...
All of their architecture included a three-tiered motif, which you can see at the sides of the fountain above. This signified to them the three levels of life. The highest was the upper world, where the Gods resided (and where their God-King called Inca - which is where the name originates - would eventually join the Gods). This was always symbolized by a condor. Next was the middle or present world, the earth which people occupied. This was symbolized by a cougar or jaguar, the fiercest and most powerful creature among the animals with which they dealt. The last was the lower world, where everyone but the King would go when they died. This was represented by a snake.
It is interesting that when the Spanish came to conquer the Incas, their Christian concept of the "three worlds" incorporated quite nicely into the Incan dogma, the difference being that with the Christian belief system, the common man also had a chance of reaching that upper world. The Spanish used this as a way to both encourage and oppress the Inca.
The structures at Ollantaytambo begin at ground level and continue up the massive mountains surrounding the area.
After leaving Ollantaytambo, we did some tourist shopping at a market in Cayo. The little town had narrow cobblestone streets just wide enough for a horse drawn carriage, or llamas, to pass each other. In fact the carriages would not have room to pass, just the Llamas! Yikes! It was sometimes unnerving speeding down those narrow streets!
Next came a magnificent lunch and a performance at a beautiful ranch/hotel. Lunch was cooked deep pit BBQ style, reminiscent of the way a luau is prepared. It was quite the feast! Pork, chicken, beef, trout, a variety of Peruvian potatoes, empanadas, tamales - need I go on? For dessert, there were chocolate dipped pineapple wedges, tres leches flan, and an amazing assortment of tropical fruits and cookies. Yum!
As lunch was ending, a procession of Peruvian Paso horses and their Caballeros began performing for us, along with a pair of Peruvian dancers in full costume. The dancing was like a hybrid between Flamenco and Gaucho cowboy dancing. David managed to catch a great pic just as one horse reared its legs next to the female dancer at the finale of the horse/dancer duet.
After a busy day, we got back to the hotel at dinner time and are just quietly hanging out here this evening. There is a soft, steady rain coming down, which kindly waited until our day's events were completed to start.
We hope everyone else had a great day, and we're looking forward to seeing/speaking with you all when we get back!
With love,
Karen and David
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