What a whirlwind. Many wonderful stories already and special memories. We are worlds away from you all experiencing a culture that feels as if we are going back in time. Today in Ollantaytambo we found a formidable stone structures that climbs massive terraces to the top of a very high peak. It was slow going but we made it. The return trip down was frightening for me. Steep narrow steps… I used Steven as my walking stick. Ollantayambo was the site of the Inca’s greatest victory against the Spanish during the wars of conquest. It is still inhabited with all of the original architecture. The long narrow streets with running rivers of water down the center are fascinating.

We had lunch back at our hotel at Rancho Wayra. We enjoyed local fare (the avocados are amazing) that included steamed corn kernels the size of grapes (delicious) 20 kinds of potatoes and, of course, beef heart!!!! We all ate it and were happy we tried it but don’t’ think we will order it out. Oh, by the way, the popular dish around here is guinea pig…raised in the locals homes and then selectively caught and cooked…Yum!!!!

That was followed by a horse demonstration. Gianluca and I rode horses….it was great fun!
Then we left the hotel for Chincheros at 13,000 feet. Gianluca got very sick. We quickly got him to our van and got him on oxygen. He recovered pretty quickly but took a long nap once we were home.

Tomorrow the train leave at 8:30 in the morning for Machu Picchu…..acutually we go down in elevation.,….welcomed by all.
Everyone has been a great traveler so far. We have covered a lot of territory after a very long series of flights to get here.
we love you all and just wanted to get something posted so that you know we are all well and very happy.

Much Love,
The Blogger