Pisaq

Well, I'm back connected to everyone via the world wide web now that Ollantaytambo has power again! We spent the last 2 days without electricity which meant that the internet was down as well.
We still don't know what exactly the problem was but it was fun to spend the evening by candlelight.

By now I should publicly admit the fact that (gulp) Phil was right. I sort of rolled my eyes at him when in typical boy-scout fashion he bought me a brand new flashlight for my trip. I thought he was being over prepared and cautious but it turns out it has been the single most helpful item on my trip. I use it nightly to make my way downstairs in the middle of the night to find the bathroom, I've used it to read/write in my journal as Peaps is trying to sleep, I used it the morning we walked in the pitch black through Ollanta to find the train station to go to Machu Picchu, and it was my best friend last night when we came home to find that we still didn't have power.

Peaps, our roommate Marjo and I spent all day yesterday in Pisaq. It's another town about an hour bus ride away from Ollanta that is known for its touristy market. Peaps had lots of gifts she wanted to buy for friends and family and Marjo and I went along for the adventure.

With my limited budget I wasn't able to buy everything I was tempted to buy. I had to keep in mind that I still have about a week and a half left of my trip before I head home to the States. It definitely took a lot of will power to resist. There were so many wonderful, colorful, handmade items as well as the typical touristy T-shirts and knick knacks. I wanted to buy things for everyone!

I somehow managed to walk away with only purchasing a T-shirt for my nephew Michael Anthony in Ecuador and some adorable little handmade animals that I plan to make a small little mobile with for Max's room. These items along with a small weaving and a couple of bracelets that I bought at the Awamaki store(back in Ollanta) conclude my shopping for this trip. The first picture proudly displays my shopping victory.

Here are the pictures from our adventure to Pisaq. Notice the lovely ladies who were kind enough to model the Peruvian hats. The mountains in this area are just as breathtaking as Ollanta, complete with more ruins of their own. Absolutely stunning.