December 10th:
Today was our first tour day and I was so excited because we were going to Ollantaytambo! This archaeological site has been on my list for YEARS!
Today did not start well, though. While I was getting ready, Josh was feeding Theo and giving him his medication. While he was being fed (through the NG tube), Theo started gagging and throwing up. This happens and it's not a huge deal. But then Josh said, "And there's the NG tube!" UGH! Theo has thrown up a lot with the NG tube in, but he has NEVER thrown up the NG tube! Of course it had to happen while we were on vacation!
So we unclipped the bridal, pulled the NG tube out through Theo's nose, washed it, added lube, and I stuffed it back up his nose. Luckily, the resort was empty (I think we saw 10 people total) and no one was in the room next to us, because Theo was SCREAMING! After we got the tube back in we taped it to his face and I used my stethoscope to make sure it was in his stomach (it was).
Theo was able to calm down after that, so we made our way down to breakfast where we had a delicious breakfast buffet.
After breakfast we headed to the lobby where we met Juan who would be our tour guide today and when we are in Cusco. He introduced himself and then started asking questions about Theo. We told him all about Theo and that he would be fine as long as he was in his stroller or carseat. Juan said that some of the areas we are going will not be safe for Theo, but we will figure out a plan when it comes to that.
We left the resort in our private van and headed to Pisac City. As we were driving Juan told us about the history of the Sacred Valley and about what is currently happening in his country. It was so interesting to hear about this from a local. He also told us about his life and how much he loves being a tour guide.
[Corn in the Sacred Valley]
During our drive we passed through a small town that had signs EVERYWHERE for Cuy (aka Guinea Pig). I asked Juan if we could get some (when in Rome, right?) and he said on our way back we could stop if we really wanted to!
After a 30 minute drive we arrived at a small shop in Pisac where we got some delicious hot chocolate! The Peruvians LOVE their chocolate!
As we were leaving the shop a lady and a small girl came up to me and tried to get me to hold their baby goat and take a picture with them for money. I said "no thanks, I'm allergic" and quickly moved away while the lady was trying to shove the baby goat into my arms. I felt a little guilty, but Juan told us that these people aren't poor and they don't treat the animals well. Good to know.
We then drove up a winding road to the Pisac archaeological site. This beautiful site was built by the Inca between the 10th and 11th centuries CE.
[View of the valley from the Pisac site]
We entered the site and pushed Theo along a nice bladed dirt path. Juan talked to a couple of the workers at the site and they said we could enter through the exit because there were no stairs that way.
[Terraces with the citadel]
[The terraces extend all the way from the site to the valley floor. Some of them are still being used today for farming.]
[View of the citadel]
When we got to the Citadel, Juan recommended that we leave Theo and one person behind because the paths were narrow and had steps. We left mom and Theo behind and Juan took us to see the tombs and the entrance to the temple complex.
[See the holes in the rocks? Those are tombs.]
[Inca door - The entrance to the temple complex]
[Juan!]
[Fountains with running water]
After we left the Pisac archaeological site, we headed back down the winding road, and stopped at the Taray viewpoint. From here we can see all the terraces. It's incredible how they built all of this without the wheel or iron tools!
[You can see in the very top right corner the citadel of Pisac]
We then made our way to the Pisac Market. We told Juan that we wanted to look at some jewelry (sliver was a speciality in Peru) and alpaca tapestries. He said he would take us to a more expensive, but reputable, place that he could vouch for because he didn't want us to get ripped off.
[Wood-fired oven]
Juan took us to the local jeweler and left us there to do some shopping. I bought a beautiful silver and turquoise ring and my mom bought a necklace.
After shopping, we were picked up by our driver and started heading back towards Urubamba. I asked Juan if we could stop in that small town and get some Cuy and he said he would call a friend and make a reservation for us!
[Look in the background, you can tell mom was THRILLED!]
We arrived at the restaurant, took some pictures, and then went inside to await our "feast!" I honestly thought they were just going to give us the Guinea Pigs that were on the skewers, but the cuy was chopped up and served with pasta and potatoes (of course!).
Apparently cuy is a luxury to some people and Juan was so excited to share this experience with us!
The Guinea Pig wasn't bad. It was like eating dark chicken meat. There isn't a lot of meat, so it was more like a snack then a meal, but overall it was pretty good!
After our cuy snack, we stopped for lunch in Urubamba where we had a tasty buffet waiting for us. I loved being able to try different local foods. Ceviche is definitely one of my favorites!
After a late lunch we headed to the Ollantaytambo village and archaeological site.
First we walked through the ruins of the old village and took pictures before Juan suggested that we leave Theo and someone behind. The climb to the fortress and temple complex is steep and not safe for babies. My dad gladly volunteered to stay with Theo.
[Terraces and steps to the fortress and temple complex]
[Walking through the ruins of the old village]
[Store houses on the adjacent mountain]
[Climbing]
**Side Note: If you haven't noticed already, Peru is VERY sunny! The sun is so intense because we are very close to the equator. It makes it hard to take pictures on the go.
[Gorgeous Inca stonework]
[Double door way indicates this area was to be used for royalty]
[Enclosure of the Ten Niches]
[Temple of the Sun - Wall of the Six Monoliths]
[As you can tell I was THRILLED to see these gorgeous monoliths!]
After exploring the site we headed back down the steep stairs and met up with dad and Theo. We then walked back through Ollantaytambo and waited for our driver in the town square. While we waited these cute kids kept coming over to see Theo. They were so sweet!
We then went back to Tambo del Inka where we had another delicious dinner!
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