Midweek getaway

After I found out I had an unexpected canceled class which coincided with Aiden's day off, we set off for a little getaway trip to Ollantaytambo (didn't get my fill last week). This time, we decided to stop off at the lake we had passed by earlier to see if we could take a swim. Once we got there, it became apparent the lake was pretty marshy so to enter it we'd have to wade through a bunch of gunk... opted not to take that route. Intead we enjoyed the gorgeous scenery, chatted with the locals who occasionally tutted down the road, and took in the uninterrupted sunshine.

Hi, lake!

The view from the other side... not bad.

Then we set off for the next town, Urubamba. This was going to be about a 25 minute walk to the main road and an indeterminately long wait for a bus or taxi to the town. Instead, after walking for about five minutes, we came across a huge gas truck, the driver of which was charmed by Aiden into taking us on his journey to Urubamba.


This worked out really well because a) we didn't have to walk on the dusty road b) it was free c) the big gas truck couldn't exactly fly around the corners, plus we were very high up, so the views were great and able to be taken in sloooowly, and d) Jesus, the driver, was great company.

Jesus drove us to town.

Can you find the moon?

Urubamba from above

In Urubamba we went to the market to have a bite to eat and then continued on to Ollantaytambo.

The market (which was closing up at the time)

Affectionately known as "Ollanta", as previously blogged, the town is very small and doesn't have a lot to offer apart from its stunning beauty and tranquil vibes. So we were expecting a quiet night in consisting of reading and tea... until our bus rolled in at about 4:30 pm and we noticed a massive crowd gathered by the river. After checking into our hostel, we wondered down to see what it was all about... turns out we walked into Ollanta's biggest party of the year, La Festividad del Señor de Choquekillka. Choquekillka (who I liked to refer to as ChoqueKILLA, no k, kind of like Ghostface Killa) is Ollantaytambo's much adored and celebrated saint. Every year they have a four day celebration dedicated to Choquekillka which includes a lot of music, dancing, food, and booze. Since I had no idea this was happening, I didn't bring my camera, but I found a few pics online...

There he is!

Funny costumes & masks

These are the hats many were wearing... slightly creepy.

There were a lot of funny costumes, and more public intoxication then I've seen in a while... they really love this guy! The highlight of my night was when we stopped back into the hostel after dinner and went up to the roof. Laying in the hammock and looking up at the best and brightest stars I've seen in a while, with a drink in my hand and a lovely Irishman by my side, I couldn't help but think about how wonderful my life is here. I'm so, so thankful to have this time. At that moment fireworks exploded in the night sky and life felt that much more magical!

In the morning we got up early and took a little hike, then headed back to Cusco! I'm becoming increasingly aware of how the constant visual stimulation here has a huge impact on my state of mind. My surroundings are dumbfoundingly (is that a word?) beautiful, and having them at my side constantly just does something good to me. No complaints here. A few pics from the hike: