Words cannot describe how beautiful it is.....
......but they´ll have to do for now as the dial up connection can´t take our photos!
It is simply stunning here - the scenery, the history, the people - even with the high expectations we had coming they´ve all been exceeded. Following are some notes we sent to our families when we arrived......we´ll post more after the weekend when we´ll have high speed internet.....
Ollantaytambo - January 4th
Made it safe and sound! Our trip was actually quite easy - the transfer through the Lima airport was easy and we weren´t attacked (perhaps I was a little paranoid about the Lima airport in retrospect!!).....then we landed in Cusco about 11am yesterday morning - our guide David was meeting us at the airport with a sign with our names on it - alas, no David......we looked like kids at kindergarten whose parents had forgotten them. So I took out my Rogers cell phone, turned it on - didn´t it fire up and I called him on his cell (despite the fact I work in the business, I still find that amazing - I´m sure I´ll be equally amazed when I get the bill!)
David was apoplectic - his son and wife were supposed to be there - he was at the clinic with another client who had severe altitude sickness (oh great, I think, starting to breathe heavily) - he said I will be there in ten minutes.....at which point his wife and son (Isabella and Omar) came running up with our sign -
WELCOME - LIZ AND RICHARD SEIBERT
That always make me laugh!
Turns out our flight was early - we didn´t realize that. First of all it was like meeting long lost relatives - hugs and kisses all around....then we set off for David´s house for coca tea which is supposed to be good for altitude sickness (did he not have the other client over I´m wondering?)
More hugs and kisses - David was there and his daughter Sonia - and tea and then Isabella and Omar drove us to Ollantaytambo (about 90 minutes) - where we´re staying for 4 nights. It´s about halfway down (up?) the valley. Isabella and Omar don´t speak much English but we had fun trying French and Italian and Spanglish - amazing how well you can do actually. David had said he would come up to see us later in the afternoon after he had seen his other client again - he looked really relieved when we said not to bother - we would be fine - so instead he called 2 times to make sure we were OK (now that I think about it we haven´t paid him a nickel - no wonder he´s worried about us!!).
So far no altitude problems! Yeah!!!¨ and if we haven´t had them by now we should be OK (there I go tempting that bitch fate)
This little town is amazing - it´s Incan (15thC) and has been preserved as much as possible - some criticize it as too touristy but that´s all relative once you´ve been to Disneyworld! Our hotel is lovely - 8 rooms and a very nice restaurant. We have a view of the ruins out our window and of the town square - this morning there were women in traditional clothes washing their clothes in the stream and a local guy standing next to them on a cell phone................amazing! Yesterday on the drive up we saw amazing fields of potatoes and oxen ploughing them........
Yesterday afternoon we walked around town and had an omellete and fries and a beer in a bar on the square - very tasty and $8US. Beer is $1.20 in a bar - I´m never leaving. Our dinner last night was $24US - I thought the prices were higher - so that´s a real bonus.
Today David is picking us up at 10am, and after taking our temperture (!!) will take us on a 5 hour tour of several ruins in the valley. He has a nice big comfortable van and it´s just us......this morning a tour left the hotel (seems that they have the other 7 rooms) and I was so happy we weren´t doing that......and this option has somehow worked out cheaper.....although perhaps David is just going to sell us into white slavery at the end......!!
So....we´re off to a great start! Richard´s back is still a little tender but we´ll take it easy today as we can go at our own pace......
Ollantaytambo, January 5th
Had a spectacular day yesterday - David and Isabel picked us up at 10am and we went to two fascinating sites - what I´m coming to realize is we´re seeing things that are really off the beaten track - most people come to this area and rush to Machu Picchu but because we have 4 days in the valley first we´re seeing all sorts of neat things....and David is just great.
It is simply stunning here - the scenery, the history, the people - even with the high expectations we had coming they´ve all been exceeded. Following are some notes we sent to our families when we arrived......we´ll post more after the weekend when we´ll have high speed internet.....
Ollantaytambo - January 4th
Made it safe and sound! Our trip was actually quite easy - the transfer through the Lima airport was easy and we weren´t attacked (perhaps I was a little paranoid about the Lima airport in retrospect!!).....then we landed in Cusco about 11am yesterday morning - our guide David was meeting us at the airport with a sign with our names on it - alas, no David......we looked like kids at kindergarten whose parents had forgotten them. So I took out my Rogers cell phone, turned it on - didn´t it fire up and I called him on his cell (despite the fact I work in the business, I still find that amazing - I´m sure I´ll be equally amazed when I get the bill!)
David was apoplectic - his son and wife were supposed to be there - he was at the clinic with another client who had severe altitude sickness (oh great, I think, starting to breathe heavily) - he said I will be there in ten minutes.....at which point his wife and son (Isabella and Omar) came running up with our sign -
WELCOME - LIZ AND RICHARD SEIBERT
That always make me laugh!
Turns out our flight was early - we didn´t realize that. First of all it was like meeting long lost relatives - hugs and kisses all around....then we set off for David´s house for coca tea which is supposed to be good for altitude sickness (did he not have the other client over I´m wondering?)
More hugs and kisses - David was there and his daughter Sonia - and tea and then Isabella and Omar drove us to Ollantaytambo (about 90 minutes) - where we´re staying for 4 nights. It´s about halfway down (up?) the valley. Isabella and Omar don´t speak much English but we had fun trying French and Italian and Spanglish - amazing how well you can do actually. David had said he would come up to see us later in the afternoon after he had seen his other client again - he looked really relieved when we said not to bother - we would be fine - so instead he called 2 times to make sure we were OK (now that I think about it we haven´t paid him a nickel - no wonder he´s worried about us!!).
So far no altitude problems! Yeah!!!¨ and if we haven´t had them by now we should be OK (there I go tempting that bitch fate)
This little town is amazing - it´s Incan (15thC) and has been preserved as much as possible - some criticize it as too touristy but that´s all relative once you´ve been to Disneyworld! Our hotel is lovely - 8 rooms and a very nice restaurant. We have a view of the ruins out our window and of the town square - this morning there were women in traditional clothes washing their clothes in the stream and a local guy standing next to them on a cell phone................amazing! Yesterday on the drive up we saw amazing fields of potatoes and oxen ploughing them........
Yesterday afternoon we walked around town and had an omellete and fries and a beer in a bar on the square - very tasty and $8US. Beer is $1.20 in a bar - I´m never leaving. Our dinner last night was $24US - I thought the prices were higher - so that´s a real bonus.
Today David is picking us up at 10am, and after taking our temperture (!!) will take us on a 5 hour tour of several ruins in the valley. He has a nice big comfortable van and it´s just us......this morning a tour left the hotel (seems that they have the other 7 rooms) and I was so happy we weren´t doing that......and this option has somehow worked out cheaper.....although perhaps David is just going to sell us into white slavery at the end......!!
So....we´re off to a great start! Richard´s back is still a little tender but we´ll take it easy today as we can go at our own pace......
Ollantaytambo, January 5th
Had a spectacular day yesterday - David and Isabel picked us up at 10am and we went to two fascinating sites - what I´m coming to realize is we´re seeing things that are really off the beaten track - most people come to this area and rush to Machu Picchu but because we have 4 days in the valley first we´re seeing all sorts of neat things....and David is just great.
posted by Liz and Richard at 6:21 AM
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