Explore the sights and (sometimes) shrewd antics of llamas in Ollantaytambo (and beyond) through the eyes of students on our Service Peru program.
Saturday:
Hi all! We woke up quite early to get ready for our drive to Saqsaywaman, one of Peru’s many beautiful archaeological sites. Here’s a fun fact we learned once there—“Inca” means king in Quechua (one of the languages the locals speak). Once at the site, we took in the breath-taking views of the Incan architecture. We got the chance to slide down these huge boulders, it was pretty fun! After exploring Saqsayawman, we took another van ride to Maras. We visited its ancient salt mines. We got to see up close how most of the salt of Peru is collected. We also got to visit the market on site, where they sold salt products and hand-made crafts. I bought some very cute llama earrings! Afterwards, we drove to the Moray archeological site and learned how the Inca found the best uses for the land when it came to planting crops.
After that we went to Ollantaytambo, home to our beautiful hotel. We enjoyed dinner in a nearby restaurant, where most of us even tried alpaca meat for the first time. Our day ended back at the hotel, where we all enjoyed a movie night.
My word of the day was “inti,” which means “sun” in Quechua. I chose “inti” because we were looking at the sun all day from the windows of our van.
– Loremy, signing off!
Sunday:
Today, the group woke up in Ollantaytambo for an exciting day of white-water rafting in the Sacred Valley. On the river, we went through class two and three rapids. At the end of the ride, we all got the chance to jump in and float down the river, which was super fun. After rafting, we had lunch and dessert at a local restaurant. Then we headed back to the hotel for a bit of downtime before going out to explore the busy streets. The markets were packed, and the vendors kept calling us over to try some food and check out what they were selling. That night, we ate at a local pizzeria that made their dough with quinoa, which was really cool. We wrapped up the night with some ice cream and all got a good night’s sleep to rest up for the big week ahead.
– Holden C.
Monday:
Today, we said goodbye to Ollantaytambo after a cozy breakfast at the hotel and some last looks at the gardens and rooms we’d called home for a few days. Then it was off to Chinchero for a day full of fresh air and new experiences.
Our first welcome came from four llamas: Riti, Chiquitín, Chiquitina and… Pablo, who had a bit of a wild side. He kept our hour-long hike interesting with his stunts and the stunning views that surrounded us never got old.
After the hike, we arrived at a small village where we helped prepare pachamanca—a traditional Peruvian meal cooked underground with hot stones. While it cooked, we learned how to dye yarn with natural materials and practiced weaving using a back-strap method. It was harder than it looked, but also really satisfying when we finished! Our word of the day was “awana”, which means weaving in Quechua. After today’s experience we had a newfound appreciation for the difficulty of the craft!
We ended the day back in Caicay, where we were met off the bus by smiling kids with open arms and snacks to share. After such a full and joyful day, we were more than ready for some rest and ended the night early.
– Charlie M.
To learn more about our Service Peru program, click here!
