After spending time walking around the town, exploring the local markets, and witnessing the butchers at said market cut a cow head in half, I bought myself a drink before heading down to the train station. We were still at a high altitude and the sky was without much cloud. An ancient Incan resting area it have massive terraces covering the hillside, along with more decorative ruins dotting the arid, and nearly sheer, hills.
Our first stop was in the small unpronounceable town of Ollantaytambo. They were the vanguard of the Andes, and we would soon find ourselves amidst these sheer granite guardians of South America. As we drove through the highland countryside, jagged snow capped mountains loomed in the distance. We, along with several tourists from varying nations, set out and soon left behind the smog of Cuzco. Our journey began in another one of the ever present Peruvian van buses.
One does not visit Peru for what was the first, and possibly last, time in ones life without taking the trouble to visit one of the most extraordinary ruins in all of South America! After solidifying the complex bus reservations, coordinating train tickets, and finally hostel arrangements we prepared ourselves and set forth. As such I am forced to write about my experiences from the comfort of the United States. The internet in Peru did not serve me well and in fact prohibited me making posts to this blog. To begin with I must note that this entry is being written some time after the experience.