Day 8: Ollantaytambo Wonders and train travel to Aguas Calientes
(Sunday, June 30)
Today we visit the high vibrational and extraordinary ruins at Ollayntaytambo. Incredible expanse of temples and community space. We will engage in rituals / meditations at the sun temple, the Temple of the Condor and The Four Elements temple.
Following our breathtaking visit we will have a little free time for rest and lunch and then take the 2-hour comfortable and scenic train ride to Aguas Calientes. You will enjoy the gorgeous scenery from our train windows as we pass beautiful landscapes and the lovely Urabama River.
We will be greeted at the train station by Inka Shaman Kucho and take the short walk through the colorful market to his lovely hostel Intiwasi .
Orientation by Shaman Kucho about the visit to Machu Picchu tomorrow.
Then we will head over to the very lively (and delicious!) Indio Feliz restaurant for one of our favorite meals in Peru.
Overnight at Intawasi in Aguas Calientes.
Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes
Ollantaytambo, with its gridded, cobblestone streets is the product of Inca city planning dating back to the 1200s. Babbling waterways, branching from the nearby rivers, feed the still-flowing irrigation system that the Incas designed, their handiwork admired to this day.
Ollantaytambo is, from a historical and symbolic point of view, equally as significant as Yllampu (the original Inca name for Machu Picchu), but it needs a better publicist! It is an immense complex, covering 600 hectares and takes up much of a valley and sits next to and includes the Inca era village that shares its name. It’s archeo-astronomy and spiritual significance is often overlooked and we will explore it in interesting ways.
We will cleanse ourselves from the ancient water purification temple, align our frequencies with sound healing, visit breathtaking megalithic monuments at the Temple of the Sun and participate in a group meditation at the Temple of the Condor and the Four Elements.
After visiting the temple complex we have a little free time to eat lunch and shop or stroll the sweet little town, then in the late afternoon we will board our train to Machu Picchu. Inka Rail offers a comfortable and scenic 2-hour ride to Aguas Calientes – the town below Machu Picchu. Snacks are served on the train or you can bring your own refreshments.
Aguas Calientes is a small-town catering to the tourists who come to see Machu Picchu. Full of restaurants and a bustling market for gift buying.
We will have the honor of gathering with Shaman Kucho in preparation for our visit to magical Machu Picchu tomorrow! He will share with us the indigenous wisdom and everything we need to know to be in preparation to enter the extraordinary sacred site. (more about Kucho here)
We will have dinner together with a three course meal at Indio Feliz – a fun restaurant with superb food. Then we will retire early in preparation for our visit to Machu Picchu in the morning.
Depending on the weather – Kucho will either have us meet (very!) early to be there for the Sunrise or he will create an alternative itinerary for us – taking us to special places with significant meanings.
Links:
Ollantaytambo
theonlyperuguide.com/peru-guide/the-sacred-valley/highlights/ollantaytambo-ruins/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ollantaytambo
Aguas Calientes
http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/destinations/machupicchu/aguascalientes.html
https://en.intiwasihostal.com/
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