Ollantaytambo

We are finally in the presence of some ancient ruins!

We spent two days in Lima getting the lay of the land, eating some good food, and coughing out some serious smog. The people here are pleasant and friendly and accomodating when I make a mistake with my Spanish.

This morning we took a flight to Cusco, the gateway to the Sacred Valley, and our first step to Macchu Picchu!!!! The flight was smooth, beautiful, and full of non-Peruvians (of course, right?). After we disembarked, we had to find a taxi to take us to the "bus station" (which, in that driver´s definition, was a group of his friends waiting with cars to take us where we wanted to go). We are finding that negotiating is definitely an art, and very necessary.

Once we reached the "bus station," we took a colectivo (private car) to Ollantaytambo- riding for 90 minutes through the Sacred Valley. It was beautiful, a bit harrowing, and very dusty! It is really interesting to get out of the cities and ride through the country to see the way that the majority of people live.

The altitude has only affected us a little so far - we both slept for awhile after arriving and I feel a bit lightheaded and dizzy as I sit here writing this. The huge, formidable Inca ruins shadow the town, so we are excited to get a workout climbing them tomorrow. Exciting adventures are ahead!

The picture below is one I found on a Google search - we won´t be able to upload pictures yet.