Hello Everyone,
Ollantaytambo is a delightful small city in the Andean mountains of Peru. It was our favorite of all the places we visited here. Though it is touristed a bit, it also has a large indigenous population of farmers and local workers that live here. It’s a good place to actually mix with the locals, try some real local food and see how the Peruvian people live. There was an Inca ruin, of a large temple, just above the city that beckoned us to climb it. The view of the mountains, from the top and the valley below, was gorgeous.
The textiles are made here with wonderfully bright colors, much more so than we found in southern Mexico last winter. The indigenous people are clothed in these bright colors even when they are working out in the farm fields. Their fabrics are made with Alpaca and llama fur, as well as some cotton and synthetic. The animal cloth is especially soft and fragrant. Carol was having a “hey day” buying scarves, clothing and table decorations at very reasonable prices. Now we have to carry all this stuff back home.
Peru is located just south of the Equator, half way to the Tropic of Capricorn. It’s climate is affected more by where you are in the country than the time of the year. In the mountains, there are two seasons, the dry Winter (which is more like a Seattle summer) and the Rainy season. In the Amazon jungle, it is hot, humid and wet all the time. Down in Lima, they have a nice Winter like in the mountains, but a very hot and humid Summer season with no Spring or Fall. We got here just as Winter ended and the weather has been wonderful the entire time. There are still snow capped peaks visible high above us.
The food here has been really good, for us. Our first night we went to a local place and ordered up a huge Alpaca steak. It came served on a large sizzling hot stone with the ever-present potatoes. We’ve been told numbers between 1,000 and 4,000 types of potatoes are grown here. More than five and I lose track of them. How can anyone keep track of 4,000 kinds of potatoes? But, they are really good, which ever type we are served. The steak was tender, tasty and lean. It has higher protein and lower fat than beef. Without being the same as, I would say that it was most similar to pork lion, without any “gamy” flavor at all. Quinoa is also very popular here. Many dishes are made with it from soups to candies. My favorite has been the Quinoa porridge served for breakfast at our hotel. We are going to try to make it at home if we can. The way they serve coffee here is extremely strong, like espresso, along with hot water and hot milk, so you can dilute it down to regular strength, or into a latte if you want. The corn served to us has always been white, with huge kernels the size of lima beans. It is dryer and not as sweet as ours.
The only kind of bread they serve in the mountains is a small round disc, like a flattened hamburger bun. It’s kind of dull and not very tasty, but works okay with jam. Guinea Pigs were here long before the Incas emerged. They eat them on special occasions, so we had to try it too. The skin is thick and the meat under it is thin. It has a sweet taste that is not like any other meat I can think of. I’ve included a picture of our feast in the photo gallery. We also attended a pre-Inca “Pacha Manca” Andean style BBQ. They heat up rocks over a fire to 800 degrees F and then bury meat and vegetables with them under a wet tarp and dirt for only 15 minutes. Out comes a wonderfully cooked meal. There are also some photos of this. Our new favorite drink is called “Chicha Morada.” It is a dark colored liquid that looks like red wine but has no alcohol. It is made by boiling purple corn with pineapple and spices, like cinnamon and clove. The recipes differ from place to place. It is very delicious and thirst quenching. We ordered it wherever we could get it, because we avoided alcoholic beverages at the high altitudes.
I did have time to select a few pictures for the photo gallery, if you would care to take a look. And, Carol is right beside me putting the finishing touches on her first blog entry as well.
Later…… your favorite travelers, Tom and Carol
Ollantaytambo Photos
Click to Enlarge and Read Caption
Pacha Manka BBQ Photos
