 |
| View from high over the Urubamba River Valley |
|
Our 2 hour drive from Cusco to Ollantaytambo gave us a glimpse of the
Andean countryside. The people are clearly decended from native Americans
and here one sees the Andean dress as if lifted from our school
textbooks. They don't dress like that for effect, it's a real part of
their culture, though it seems confined to women.
 |
| We got serenaded! |
Everyone seems to
be working all day in the farms, which are plentiful and largely devoid of
mechanization.
Women also work at crafts and textiles which are widely available,
beautiful, and attractively priced. Bottom line: the countryside is stunning, made all the more so by the colorful dress of the people.
As it happened, on our return trip to Cusco, we decided to stop at one farm to shop. They had some particularly nice things there and seemed to be doing much of the labor on site.
We were happy to make a few purchases, but not as happy as they were to host us. We were served tea and heard the whole story of textile manufacturing in the Andean highlands.
We were also dressed up and serenaded before we could depart. There was no pressure to keep buying, just an expression of thanks for what we did purchase. A really nice experience.
 |
Flowers amid Inca ruins
Things got out of control... |
 |
| The traditional wedding photo with llama |
 |
| This is a hostel, three rooms suspended high on a cliff. The rooms are lowered each day to accommodate the guests. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wonderful pictures and commentary! You are all looking fabulous in the colorful costumes. Love seeing those smiling faces wherever you are.
ReplyDelete