Machu Picchu & The Galapagos Islands - continued
The garden at the Tulupa Restaurant has some colourful plants.
Near the restaurant there is an example of a ubiquitous Peruvian
form of transport - the mototaxi
Continuing through the Sacred Valley we reach the small town of Ollantaytambo. During the Inca Empire, Ollantaytambo was the royal
estate of Emperor Pachacuti, who conquered the region
We explore the narrow streets of the old town admiring the construction features of the walls etc that include some impressive Inca
doorways with large lintel stones. Many of the streets are cobbled and one features a fast-running water channel. At one point we
are serenaded by two traditionally-dressed small children who sing to us in front of a background of the ruins of a massive Inca fortress that
has large stone terracing
Our guide (Camilla) takes us to a complex of buildings that surround a courtyard - we go inside a house where a large number of guinea
pigs are running loose on the floor
Our accommodation in the Sacred Valley is the Hotel Sonesta Posada del Inca Yucay which is located back on the road to Pisac. This
is a colonial-style hotel built in a courtyard setting on the site of an 18th-Century monastery
Following our stay at the Hotel Sonesta Posada del Inca Yucay, we begin a day that will include one of the major highlights of the
trip - a visit to the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. The journey to there begins with a coach ride to Ollantaytambo where
we catch a narrow gauge train to the town of Aguas Calientes