Ollantaytambo

Our first impression of Ollantaytambo as we dragged our suitcases up the dusty street from the train station to our hotel, was  of slight chaos as all manner of transport tried to squeeze past each other and us. However later, once we discovered the true heart of the town beyond the busy road and main square, we were captivated by its simple rural charm.  Wanderiing through its narrow cobbled streets, we peeped through openings and cracks in the doors, which revealed courtyards where the local people were going about their daily lives. 
You have to be able to look beyond the dirt and squalor (reminiscent of Africa) to understand the beauty and spirituality of these gentle and trusting peoople, who have an amazing conneection to mother earth, or Pachamama, as they refer to it.  During our 2 days there, we explored the famous Inca ruins above the town, visited the shops and markets, climbed a peak overlooking the village, ate great food and had fun at some funky pubs.  Ollantaytambo has water channels everywhere that flow from natural springs and the town has a strong feminine energy.  The lovely thing about travelling as part of a spirituaal group, is that you get to experience things with a different level of conciousness and awareness and Coll and I feel so blessed to be able to do this together.
Yesterday we travelled by taxi (an experience in itself!) back through the Sacred Valley visiting Moray, another powerfully energetic Inca site and Madras, a salt mine.  We are now at a retreat centre for 5 days outside the townn of Pisac.  It is in a beautiful rural setting surrounded by mountains.  Today is a much needed rest day and we have just had a talk by a Shaman, in preparation for those who want to take part in an Ayahuasca ceremony, which is planned for Friday night.  More about this in our next posting.............

Coll shopping at Ollantaytambo

Viv & Coll in a street that goes back 2000 years

The village and ruins at Ollantaytambo

Machu Picchu

Wednesday was an early start to catch the train to Machu Picchu. The train snaked its way through picturesque rural farm land following the course of the fast flowing Urubanba river descending into the lush cloud forest as we approached Machu Picchu Pueblo. This booming village catering to the tourists who flock here to see ¨the lost city of the Incas¨, is vibrant, bustling and colourful with a spectacular location at the base of towering peaks.
After exploring its markets and an early dinner we headed for bed in anticipation of a 4 am start to be at the front of the queue for the bus ride up to Machu Picchu.  The peaks shrouded in swirling mist gave it a mystical feel as we entered the gates.  It is hard to describe the feeling - we were all very emotional at finally being there.  As we entered the Sun Gate at the top of a very steep climb, the sun broke through and the mist parted revealing the ¨Lost City¨ beneath us.  There are no words to describe it!!!  We spent the next 10 hours exploring and absorbing the wonder and energy of this incredible remant of our ancient history.
The next day Viv made another early start with 2 others from the group, as they had decided to go back up to Machu Picchu to attempt  the climb up Whuanya Picchu, a majestic peak above the citadel.  The climb was challenging, to say the least, with Viv´s fear of heights being seriously tested, but they made the top and took the long route back down so that they could see the ´Temple of the Moon¨"-  Coll and the rest of the group hiked to the botanical gardens an hour away from the village and picniced at a waterfall.
Between all the adventrues, we have done some work within the group intergrating some of our experiences.  This morning we travelled back by train to Ollantaytambo, a small traditional rural town, where we will spend the next 2 nights.

Village of Machu Picchu Pueblo

Urubanba river running through the sacred valley

Viv at Machu Picchu Pueblo

Viv & Coll at Machu Picchu

Cusco

Finally arrived in Cusco yesterday after a long long flight and stop over in Lima (a not very attractive city!) Flew in over the magestic snow clad Andes.  On the drive from the airport to our quaint Peruvian style hostel, Cusco looked like an uneasy mix of the old and the new, with crumbling half built mud brick abodes, sandwiched between internet cafes. But when we ventrued out to explore in the late afternoon and wandered through fascinating cobbled streets all leading to Cusco´s heart, the Plaza de Arms, with it´s imposing cathederal, you could literally feel its ancient mystique and pulsating energy. We ate out at jack´s, an excellent and vibey resturant with the rest of the group, who are all really nice.  We explored some of the market stalls and ended up at another resturant listening to some Peruvian musicians, who played with such passion and joy, you could not help getting swept up in the magic.  Our bodies are still adjusting to the time change and high alititude, but with the help of copious cups of cocoa tea, today we have been able to step up the pace a bit and do some more exploring.  This afternoon we started the retreat with a group mediatation and tomorrow we catch the train for Machu Picchu.
We wanted to down load some pcitures for you to see, but the hostel computer we are working on is so antiquated, it has no port for the flash drive!!!!!!!!!!!!!  We will have to try our luck at the next place. 
Lots of love to you all, Viv and Coll

Cobbled street in Cusco

Cusco central square

Coll and Viv with local girl and baby lama