Inca Ruins

Tuesday September 18, 2012 4:00 pm

This weekend, Mariska and I went to visit three different Incan ruins.  We went to the Pisac ruins on Saturday and the Ollantaytambo and Chinchero ruins on Sunday.  The Pisac ruins were great, but hiking through them was extremely difficult.  The altitude of the Pisac ruins is higher than Cusco´s altitude.  Because of the high altitude, the steep climbs and because of my extreme fear of heights – it was the hardest hike I have ever been on.  Also, we went with a guide who kept hurrying us along, even when all I wanted to do was sit for a few minutes.  Comparatively, the Ollantaytambo ruins seemed easy, although they too were pretty steep, but the altitude was lower and there were more flat paths.  We also decided not to go with a guide and therefore took more time to sit and enjoy the views.  After visiting Ollantaytambo, we took a bus to Chinchero, which has a Spanish church built on Incan ruins.  There is also a market in Chinchero on Sundays, which was fun because there were different kinds of crafts than they sell in Pisac.  Chinchero is very different from both Ollantaytambo and Pisac.  It feels much more indigenous and less touristy.  While visiting all three of these ruins, I was constantly amazed by the Incas, they truly built on the sides of mountains.  This may seem like an obvious revelation, but I had to see it to believe it.  The sights were beautiful and I can´t comprehend how they were built.  To get to all of these ruins, we had to spend a lot of time on busses and in collectivos (large vans used like busses for local transportation).  I didn´t mind all of this traveling time though because I got to see so much of the Peruvian landscape and I also got to do a lot of people watching!

Unfortunately, I must have eaten something bad at a restaurant in Ollantaytambo because I woke up with a bad stomach bug on Monday morning.  It is no fun being sick away from home.  But, my host family has been very nice to me and I think that I will be back to normal soon.  It´s funny all of their ideas about what´s good and what´s bad for you when you´re sick.  For example, my host father poured out my bottle of cold water and told me I was only allowed to drink hot tea.  This morning, my host mother made me this weird tea with strawberry jello in it.  And at lunch I was told I was not allowed to have any lemon in my soup because it is not good for my stomach, however they made me drink caffeinated tea…who knows, at least they care about me!  Now that I am feeling better and not so upset that I am sick, I am finding it interesting to learn about being sick in a different culture.  But, I am mostly looking forward to being healthy again!