Cuzco, Urubamba and Ollantaytambo
The past two days have been incredible. Yesterday we took a short flight from Lima to Cuzco, and today we are river rafting down the Urubamba through the Sacred Valley. At breakfast we heard there was going to be a change in plans for our rafting trip, we will be rafting between the towns of Urumamba and Ollantaytambo because further up the river, where we normally would have rafted, the rapids were running at a class 5 and 6! YIKES!!! Disney always puts their clients safety as their number 1 priority, and in this instance that made me a happy camper...errr I mean rafter. We all had to wear life vests and helmets and your own water shoes. We were given the option of wearing wetsuits and windbreakers. They came in all sizes, which worked out well for everyone. I decided to forego the wetsuit, which turned out to be the right decision as the temperature soared to the low 80's and the sun was very strong. So strong in fact, if you did not put on sun tan lotion ( I recommend at least SPF 50 strength) any part of your body that was exposed instantly turned the color of a boiled lobster. My knuckles on my fingers were bright red as I missed slathering them with Bain de Soleil. As for the rafting itself, 6 Adventurers piled into each raft, along with a rafting guide and we were off. Fortunately we did not hit any class 5 or 6 rapids, unfortunately we barely hit a class 1, and our trip became more of a two hour float then a rafting adventure. The scenery was pleasant but not so over the top as we have seen or of what is yet to come. Everyone had a great time and I think the kids ejoyed it the most. When we were done, there was a changing room and a tent set up with snacks and of course Inca Cola and Coca tea. We were cautioned not to eat too much because lunch was up next and then we were going to the ruins at Ollantaytambo !
As we were beginning to see this trip was not only about the culture, history and sights of Peru it was also a gastronomical adventure. Lunch once again was set up under tents with linens covering the tables and in a beautiful courtyard, with the river and the Andes behind us. There was a guinea pig hutch in the corner of the courtyard, lots of little ones scampering about, hopefully they would not be someones dinner later that day. Cuy (guinea pig) is a delicacy in this area.
After that delicious lunch we got back in the vans and we were off for the 10 minute ride to Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is a town as well as an Inca archaeological site. It is located at an altitude of about 9200 feet above sea level. During the Inca reign Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Pachahuti who conquered the region, built the town and a ceremonial center ( which was not finished - this is the actual archaeological site) . At the time of the spanish Conquest of Peru it served as a stronghold for the rebellious Manco Inca until he fled for Vilcabamba. A bit further out from the town begins the Inca trail to Macchu Picchu.
We walked around the town for a bit, the streets are still the stone streets of the Incas, and the lower walls of some of the towns buildings were part of the original Incan structures. It is a hub for backpackers who are interested in the 4 and 5 day Inca trail hikes, so there are many hostels in the town, and little cafes and a tourist market. All the towns we have seen so far, other then Lima, have changed little over the years. I was facinated by not only the archaeological site but the town itself seemed a step back in time.
Well it was time to start climbing to the top of the ruins to see the unfinished temple and the famous Inca architecture - this is exactly what I came to see and Disney is delivering as we have our local guide Harvey, our country guide Ernesto ( who was going to show us his Wayri warrior sling shot skills on one of the terraces) and Chris our Adventure guide. So off we went.
This was a pretty grueling climb, even for those in the best of shape. Our wonderful guides, split the group and we climbed a few terraces then we stopped and discussed the importance of the structure and the history I previously described, and then we climbed a few more, until we reached the top. The climb, lack of oxygen, altitude, and vertigo were well worth it as we were rewarded with a magnificent view of the river, the valley and the town. We also saw where the stone quarry that they used for this temple was - it was across the river! How the Incas moved these huge boulders and shaped them with out the use of power tools is a marvel to see.
What goes up must come down, and to say it was not easy is an understatement. The rocks were very slippery,there was no hand or guard rails in places and we were about 1000 feet in the air. Again our guides to the rescue as well as our fellow adventurers, every helped one another make it down safely.
As we reached the bottom we ended up by the Princesses Pool - how did the Incas do this?
Well it was time to get back to Sol Y Luna for a rest then a delicious dinner on property. I heard the alpaca stir fry with french fries was delicious but I decided to have fresh linguine with a mushroom alfreddo sauce. If I closed my eyes I could have been eating that in Italy, it was that good.
The Junior Adventurers had a fun night watching a Disney movie under the stars with the guides. They were laying on these beautiful padded lounge chairs wrapped with woven Peruvian, blankets. heat lamps were all around them to make sure they were toasty. They even ate dinner and had snack while watching the Emperors New Groove.
A fun time was had by all, another excellent day in Peru!
As we were beginning to see this trip was not only about the culture, history and sights of Peru it was also a gastronomical adventure. Lunch once again was set up under tents with linens covering the tables and in a beautiful courtyard, with the river and the Andes behind us. There was a guinea pig hutch in the corner of the courtyard, lots of little ones scampering about, hopefully they would not be someones dinner later that day. Cuy (guinea pig) is a delicacy in this area.
After that delicious lunch we got back in the vans and we were off for the 10 minute ride to Ollantaytambo. Ollantaytambo is a town as well as an Inca archaeological site. It is located at an altitude of about 9200 feet above sea level. During the Inca reign Ollantaytambo was the royal estate of Pachahuti who conquered the region, built the town and a ceremonial center ( which was not finished - this is the actual archaeological site) . At the time of the spanish Conquest of Peru it served as a stronghold for the rebellious Manco Inca until he fled for Vilcabamba. A bit further out from the town begins the Inca trail to Macchu Picchu.
We walked around the town for a bit, the streets are still the stone streets of the Incas, and the lower walls of some of the towns buildings were part of the original Incan structures. It is a hub for backpackers who are interested in the 4 and 5 day Inca trail hikes, so there are many hostels in the town, and little cafes and a tourist market. All the towns we have seen so far, other then Lima, have changed little over the years. I was facinated by not only the archaeological site but the town itself seemed a step back in time.
Well it was time to start climbing to the top of the ruins to see the unfinished temple and the famous Inca architecture - this is exactly what I came to see and Disney is delivering as we have our local guide Harvey, our country guide Ernesto ( who was going to show us his Wayri warrior sling shot skills on one of the terraces) and Chris our Adventure guide. So off we went.
This was a pretty grueling climb, even for those in the best of shape. Our wonderful guides, split the group and we climbed a few terraces then we stopped and discussed the importance of the structure and the history I previously described, and then we climbed a few more, until we reached the top. The climb, lack of oxygen, altitude, and vertigo were well worth it as we were rewarded with a magnificent view of the river, the valley and the town. We also saw where the stone quarry that they used for this temple was - it was across the river! How the Incas moved these huge boulders and shaped them with out the use of power tools is a marvel to see.
What goes up must come down, and to say it was not easy is an understatement. The rocks were very slippery,there was no hand or guard rails in places and we were about 1000 feet in the air. Again our guides to the rescue as well as our fellow adventurers, every helped one another make it down safely.
As we reached the bottom we ended up by the Princesses Pool - how did the Incas do this?
Well it was time to get back to Sol Y Luna for a rest then a delicious dinner on property. I heard the alpaca stir fry with french fries was delicious but I decided to have fresh linguine with a mushroom alfreddo sauce. If I closed my eyes I could have been eating that in Italy, it was that good.
The Junior Adventurers had a fun night watching a Disney movie under the stars with the guides. They were laying on these beautiful padded lounge chairs wrapped with woven Peruvian, blankets. heat lamps were all around them to make sure they were toasty. They even ate dinner and had snack while watching the Emperors New Groove.
A fun time was had by all, another excellent day in Peru!
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