Thursday, September 22
Our first stop today is at Planeterra Women's Weaving Project. Here we meet the ladies who spin, dye, weave and craft alpacca wool into dozens of different items. I am fascinated by the process of making dye from plants and minerals. The colours are strong and vibrant. The bright reds, yellows, pinks are the ones we see in all the traditional outfits. En route we go through the town of Pisac and stop for a tour ofsome splendid ruins and our first close up view of Inka farming terraces.
Ollentaytambo is the traditional starting point for the route to Machu Picchu; by foot or by train. Old and new blend together in the town. A grand ruin dominates the site. Climbing the steep, stone steps reminds me that tomorrow we will be starting on the long awaited Trail hike. I am a bit nervous of how my body will hold up under the stress and strain of hiking at high altitude. No point in worrying. Near the local tourist market we find a restaurant/bar with tables outside and we relax in the sun. There is still some shopping to do to stock up on essentials for the 4 day hike. We all stop at the same little shop en route to dinner and then carry our shopping bags of toilet paper, plastic ponchos and energy bars to the restaurant where the woodfired-oven pizza is delicious. Peter and I figure that 3 rolls of TP will be enough for the trip. I hope our calculations are right.
Our first stop today is at Planeterra Women's Weaving Project. Here we meet the ladies who spin, dye, weave and craft alpacca wool into dozens of different items. I am fascinated by the process of making dye from plants and minerals. The colours are strong and vibrant. The bright reds, yellows, pinks are the ones we see in all the traditional outfits. En route we go through the town of Pisac and stop for a tour ofsome splendid ruins and our first close up view of Inka farming terraces.
Ollentaytambo is the traditional starting point for the route to Machu Picchu; by foot or by train. Old and new blend together in the town. A grand ruin dominates the site. Climbing the steep, stone steps reminds me that tomorrow we will be starting on the long awaited Trail hike. I am a bit nervous of how my body will hold up under the stress and strain of hiking at high altitude. No point in worrying. Near the local tourist market we find a restaurant/bar with tables outside and we relax in the sun. There is still some shopping to do to stock up on essentials for the 4 day hike. We all stop at the same little shop en route to dinner and then carry our shopping bags of toilet paper, plastic ponchos and energy bars to the restaurant where the woodfired-oven pizza is delicious. Peter and I figure that 3 rolls of TP will be enough for the trip. I hope our calculations are right.
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