whitbob gettin´connected!

well, i survived my first solo outing to ollantaytambo and it was just plain perfect. i ended up going straight there and straight back without any stops in the valley. i stayed at the sweetest `ole b&b you ever did see in the old train station right on the train platform (so i knew when each new batch of tourists headed out for machu picchu - fanny packs, ¨sacred valley¨ sunhats and all!)
the hostel was wonderful, though. tranquil and full of charm.
without losing a minute, i dumped my bag and headed directly for the ruins before more tourists could beat me to it. the fortress, as they call the ruins there, were pretty cool, but i wasn´t as impressed as i was with the ones at pisac. they weren´t nearly as crowded, though, which is a big plus. i explored the extent of the site and then proceeded to follow a steep little trail that shot out behind one of the walls. i climbed it far far up the mountain until i reached a very high, old incan wall that afforded me a great and sincerely private view of the entire ruins and the valleys beyond. it was my little secret way up high and the kind of solitude you long for, but never tend to find in these places.

after getting my fill of ruins (and trust me, i´m juuust about done with the ruins now) i wandered back to the plaza where there was a big town meeting taking place with all of the local gov´t officials and townspeople gathered. i listened for a bit and then snuck down the small roads beyond the plaza to explore. ollantaytambo is quite unique in that it is built entirely on the original incan foundation, streets and all. so, the streets (though no cars can drive down them) and the community itself, is quite small - as the original incan settlement was. the people, also, are mostly direct descendants of the incans so, quechua is the more popular language spoken. walking the streets was fascinating, as the original drainage systems are still in use and the walls of the houses are of that distinctive incan masonry. very cool and very laid back. even the stray dogs are chill.

i returned home to my happy place after exploring and proceeded to indulge myself... i took a nap in a hammock in the most delightful back yard i´ve seen in a while. the sun was dappled just the right amount. the birds were singing. the river babbled and gurgled next door. the wind swept through the eucalyptus trees above me. and there was absolutely not one other sound to disturb me. it has been a long time since i´ve experienced quietude like that. methinks not since my last afternoon nap in montana. and after living on the loudest street in the loudest little city in peru, i was so thankful!
after hammock time came eucalyptus sauna/steam time :) i know, there are those of you who hate me right now, yes? i realize this. forgive me. and remember that you presently have the freedom not only to go to the bathroom without the fear of catching typhus, but you also get to put your toilet paper down the toilet, where i feel it is happiest.

best part of the trip, as it turned out, wasn´t the naps and the peace and quiet, it was the fancy new latin american friends i made! i ended up running into a guy from my spanish school in town that evening and we proceeded to talk with four argentinian college students who are traveling around for their vacation. my new best friends: pablo, frederico, fernando and enzo, along with michael-of-mighigan from my school, and i chatted it up for about an hour in the plaza and then had a very entertaining dinner before parting ways. we let them practice their english (which was practically perfect) on us and they coached me on the ridiculous way the argentinians speak spanish. just when i think i´m getting somewhere and then there´s argentina! it was comical trying to understand them when they spoke fast. great fun though, indeed. so i´m covered in argentina when i visit in the future. and, after my impromptu decision to take a taxi home this morning instead of the bus, i now have a new best friend, fabiano, in brazil! fabiano and his godfather were on their way back to cusco after visiting machu picchu. thankfully, he could speak spanish quite well (his godfather could only speak portuguese) so we spoke the entire 2-hr. ride back in spanish (cue the massive applause and cheering for our little spanish-speaking whitbob) he´s a high school history, sociology and philosophy teacher and is now my contact in brazil! it´s a fine little collection i´ve got going, don´t you think? and it has made travelling quite fun indeed! i thought i´d be the lame duck who could go three months without meeting people, but i see it´s impossible not to. and it´s such a treat to have these encounters, however brief. they´re like little dashes of herbs that spice up my travels and my perspective.

okay, they are kicking me out now! only 8 photos into the upload! blasted sundays...
otay, i go now and await my family. more later.
yours,
the latin-american whisperer