One great weekend

November 2nd, 2009 by pierre myrand

Pisac - fruit and vegetables market

Great view of the altiplato en route to Chincero

Chincero Inca site at sunset

: another view of the unfinished Ollantaytambo site

Cute kids on the side of the road

: Pisac market vendor

At the foot of the Ollantaytambo Inca site

The mountain facing Ollantaytambo with its grain storage builings!

: Looking down at the green valley

Path down the other side of the mountain

What some of the high agricultural terraces look like

view of a distan glacier capped mountain on our saturday treck

The Urubumba valley with yours truly

Pisac market - natural vegetebal and mineral coulors

After a week of hard work and shopping to buy goods for the Maximo Nivel projects and then delivering them to the orphanages or the schools, it was time for a little R&R. Saturday morning, I went with Richard (from Colorado) and Mark (from BC) to Tambomachay to start a trek in the surrounding mountains of Cusco. Tambomachay is one of the 35 or so Inca ruins in the Cusco area. It is situated at 3,700 meters. We took of at 8h30 and reached a 4,200 meter summit overlooking the Cusco valley 1 hour later and had a welcomed snack. We then headed back down the other side. On the path we crossed two women that were most likely either going to Cusco to sell goods or maybe just going to Tambomachay to do the same. We then crossed two men with a donkey. It took us 1 hour to reach the bottom of the winding path; thus 2 hours in total. We were doing this for fun. The people we crossed were doing this to make a living. They would also have to retrace their steps at the end of the day or take one of the combis (mini van used as buses) to return home. What I forgot to add is that the end of the path landed at the end of a 6 or 7 km road that leads to the nearest village! From that point we took a bus back to Tambomachay to then take a combi back into Cusco; great outing. What was most amazing were the terraces used for agriculture. I was told that they are only used only during the rainy season which is just about to start. In some cases these terraces go all the way up to the top of a hill and can be 100 meters from bottom to top. Just imagine the work and energy required by the farmers! Cusconians are a hard working people.

Back home, a nice hot shower was awaiting me. Then it was time to go do some shopping for souvenirs for family. I topped off my day with an hour massage for 25 soles (there are 2.5 soles to the Canadian dollar!). As I exited the building onto a Plaza de Armes full of kids in Halloween costumes doing the stores for candy. It was a great to so many happy kids. But as I mentioned before, even with the harsh living conditions for some Cusconians, the people are happy; kids and adults alike.

For diner, I decided to go out and try a local favourite dish: guy or guinea pig. It was good but requires as much work as eating rabbit.

Sunday was spent on a tour of the Sacred Valley of the Incas. It was a long but great day. As we were either climbing up or down the valley, the views were breathtaking. The lush and great valley of the Urubumba river opposed and contrasted with the currently dry mountains. We visited a few animated markets before lunch. After lunch we visited the impressive Ollantaytambo site. This temple and agricultural place was never completed by the Incas as a civil war began between the ruling Incas and a rival tribe. It is nevertheless very impressive. We then visited Chincero were we saw how the alpaca wool is transformed from its raw state to beautifully coloured and weaved textiles. We also visited a church build in 1608 and which withstood all the earthquakes since that time. There is also an Inca site of staircase type terraces and the foundations of the rulers housing and temples. This city is at over 4,200 meters of altitude.

I was back home just in time for diner with 5 other guests.

This coming week, in addition to my construction work in the mornings, I will be starting work at an orphanage. I will know more about my tasks on Monday but I will work from 3h30 to 6h00.

I wish all of you a great week.