10 November 2009
We spent 2 nights in Ollantaytambo, a charming small village in Peru's sacred valley which boasts many Inca sites. What makes Ollantaytambo special, besides its beautiful location at the entrance of a valley, is that it has been inhabited for 600 years continously: the houses are built on Inca foundations, and many entrances still display the characteristic Inca building style. This is unusual for the region, as cities were either founded by the Spanish (ca. 450 years ago), or built much earlier but destroyed by the Spanish.
Most tourists only pass through Ollantaytambo to visit the most popular Inca site, right at the edge of town built on several terraces. As one can only enter the site by buying an expensive combi-ticket that grants access to three other sites in the valley that we do NOT want to see, we go on the alternative route. The first day we hike up the hill right across from the famous Inca site which affords beautiful views not only of the Inca ruins but also of the village and surrounding valley. 
The second day we do a beautiful two hour hike into the side valley passing some locals working on terraced fields to Pumamarka: a pre-Inca town. Many houses as well as the protecting wall are still standing. The location is amazing and we are completely alone. No tourists, no scouts, no ticket booths, only cows and sheep and the odd farmer.
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