Ollantaytambo, the Sacred Valley.

The Sacred Valley

Ollantaytambo is an ancient town, which has been continuously inhabited since 13th century. The town was named for Ollantay, the Inca general who expanded the frontiers of Tawantinsuyo as far north as Colombia and as far south as Argentina during the reign of the Inca Pachacutec. The general asked for the hand of the emperor’s daughter, a request Pachacutec refused. Accomplished thought Ollantay was, the general was still a commoner. The general rebelled against the ruler and was imprisoned.

The better preserved part of Ollantaytambo.

The fortress was the site of the greatest Inca victory over the Spanish during the war conquest. The Manco Inca fled to the fortress in 1537, but a Spanish general Pizarro took the town a little bit latter.

The ruins of the fortress

All cities in Inca’s time had a temple to the sun, and a common food storage place which was placed in inaccessible area for the protection. It says that Inca lived in homogeny society sharing food and access in between and working on common goals. Incas believed in many Gods, but the main was a God of Sun. Thus, all the temples were built as high as possible and were facing East or West to observe the sun.

The temple of the Sun

To be on the top of the fortress and ramble through the ancient quarters gave me an undesirable feeling of freedom, appreciation of life and profound happiness.

The Sacred Valley, Pisac.

The Inca named rivers by sector and called this stretch of the Urubamba Wilcamayu, “the sacred river.” A pleasant climate, fertile soil, and proximity to Cusco made the Urubamba River valley a favorite with Inca nobles, many of whom are believed to have had private country homes here. Inca remains, ruins, and agricultural terraces lie throughout the length of this so-called Sacred Valley of the Inca.


Pisac is a colorful colonial town in the Sacred valley, replete with Quechua-language masses in a simple stone church, a well-known market, and fortress ruins, comes into view as you wind your way down the highway from Cusco. An orderly grid of streets forms the center of town, most hemmed in by hodgepodge of colonial and modern stucco or adobe buildings, and just wide enough for one car at time. My heart stopped beating every time when our big buss was smashing through the narrow streets of Pisac.

One of the biggest industries in this area is a silver mining. The small main street of Pisac offers you a lot of silver stores, where you can see the processing of silver making and be witness of creation tailor-made pieces of jewelries. There are no retailer charges in these manufactory shops and in addition you can bargain on the price. Any plans to buy a beautiful jewelry for a nice price? Save it to this opportunity.

The local bakery is always popular place where you stop and buy some fresh empanadas.

Sacsayhuaman, Peru.

If the Incas designed Cusco in the shape of a puma, then Sacsayhuaman represents its ferocious head. It is thought that the construction of the site began in the 1440. It’s though that 20,000 workers were needed for the Sacsayhuaman’s construction, cutting the astonishingly massive limestone, diorite, and andesite blocks – the largest is 361 tons- rolling them to the site, and assembling them in traditional Inca style to achieve a perfect fit without mortar. From its strategic position high above Cusco, it was excellently placed to defend the city, and its zigzag walls and cross-fire parapets allowed defenders to rain destruction on attackers from two sides. Some tour guides say that the zigzag walls remind and symbolize the puma’s 21 teeth. Now we can only see the ruins. The fortress was destroyed by conquering Spanish, who knock down Sacsayhuaman and built from its stones the Catholic churches in Cusco.

Teh local people dressed into traditional clothes were hunting the group all over the sighting place offering take pictures for a couple of soles, but the people were very friendly.

Коленям не угнаться…

Иногда, даже очень хорошие компании, перебарщивают с новинками и всякими прибамбасами пытаясь улучшить уже без того хороший продукт. Это затея может сойти с рук компьютерным или техническим компаниям, когда каждое новшество, в диковинку, и воспринимается, как ещё одни шаг в будущие. Когда, более «приземлённые» компании пытаются изощряться в своих изобретениях, улучшая соей продукт, зачастую бывает, что результат ухудшает хороший продукт. Катиться ли телега лучше с пятым колесом?

Так случилось и со мной, я очень большой поклонник «ASICS», один из лучших производителей спортивной обуви. Вот уже как 14 лет, я бегаю трусцой, что очень полезно для здоровья. Я так в это втянулась, что даже плохо себя чувствую, если не пробегу хотя бы пять километров. Так как, я прооперирована в правой коленке и имела перелом той же ноги, я придаю очень большое вниманию качеству кроссовок. Лучше чем спортивных кроссовок марки «ASICS», вы навряд ли найдёте. Я испытала их много лет, и они всегда мне, верно, служили и в слякоть и в грязь. Кроссовки надо менять каждые два года, хотя это зависит от интенсивности тренировок.

Вчера, я провела два часа в магазине, выбирая новые кроссовки. Продавец умудрился всучить мне новшество из новшевст, с 100% рессорами, защитой для колен, подушками из геля, добавочными подстилками, и Бог знает ещё с чем. Сегодня, я не смогла пробежать даже 20 минуть, пронзительная боль в обоих коленях сковала моё теле. Подушки, рессоры были так высоко посажены, что я только шаркала ногами и не смогла поднимать толком ногу, и всё время спотыкалась на носок. Ну вот, подумала я, переборщили, перестарались маленько, было даже неудобно ходить. Как я мерила, и о чем я тогда думала, я не знаю, но факт остаётся фактом, завтра надо идти в магазин и менять кроссовки на более «приземлённый» вариант. Конечно же, это будут «ASICS» в любом случаи, только что-то попроще. Тогда, как, агрессивное развитие компьютерной техники оправдывается покупательской жаждой к новинкам, человеческие колени не успевают в эволюции за последними новшествами в спортивной обуви, вот и получается такой промах.

Today in school I got many questions how I spent my Valentine day. Unfortunately I have to admit that I spent with my computer, completely alone.

The gold of the Andes, Peru.

The South American camelids were an extraordinary gift from nature for these people as they represented a vital source of food and clothing. Without them man’s survival in these inhospitable, harsh environments would not have been possible.
Llamas, alpacas, guanacos and vicunas are the Gold of the Andes. The first three provided fiber for the clothing, meat for food and a means of transport. The vicuna on the other hand, was such a delicate and beautiful creature that it’s fiber was used exclusively to make clothes for the Inca and noble families, as its extraordinary soft fiber produced garments as soft and warm as the sun’s rays themselves.
                                                        
                                                                                     The vicuna

“1” Vicuna is the smallest and the most beautiful of all South American camelids, the vicuna still roams wild in the Andean highlands and is a species that is custodied by local peasant communities. The vicuna produces the finest fiber in the world which is why, in the 19 century; it was hunted down practically to the point of extinction. A sweater from vicuna’s fur costs $5,000 and you can by just in special places.

“2” Guanaco (Lama Guanicoe). This large-sized, cinnamon-colored camelid known for its enormous strength roams wild and adapts easily to both coastal and highland environments ranging from Peru to Patagonia. The species is currently protected by international law. Ancient Andean cultures used it as a source of food and clothing and in the Peruvian highlands it was actually domesticated and genetically engineered to produce the llama.

The two white long furred animals are Alpacas.

“3” The third nice and more affordable is Alpaca. This camelid roams the Peruvian Andes, its original habitat, and produces the longest fiber with the broadest color range between white and black. There are two main species: the long, silky-fibered Suri and the shorter, wavier-fibered Huacaya. The extraordinary warmth and softness of both fibers were a source of inspiration for the development of the Andean textile industry, particularly during Inca times. Today, this extraordinary fiber plays a key role in the fashion industry.

The first shaving of an Alpaca is called Baby Alpaca wool and the second is just normal Alpaca. After that the fur gets very rough and it can’t be used for the good quality wool. In a special store you can buy 100% baby Alpaca sweater for $70. I don’t recommend you to buy on the street; you can be deceived in the quality.

“4” Similar in size to the Guanaco, the Llama is a symbol of strength and was domesticated hundreds of years ago by ancient Peruvian civilizations which attributed it with magic and religious significance. They used its fiber, consumed its meat and used it to carry their products along the interminable Inca trails. Llamas are still bred by shepherds along the entire Andean range, but primarily in Bolivia and Peru.

"Aranwa" Cusco Boutique Hotel, Cusco

"Aranwa" Cusco Boutique Hotel is built in a colonial mansion of the XVI century; it displays several paintings of the Cuzco school, colonial sculptures and carvings that represent the greatness of the time. The rooms are elegant, the internal garden is cozy and the service is great.


There is no SPA in the hotel and I don’t understand why the website asserts that it is. Actually, it didn’t bother me, because we were almost never at the hotel during day time. The restaurant was a disappointment; the menu was a way overpriced and didn’t meet the expectations. In fact, if you just walk five minutes away to the plaza “Regocijo”, you could have a delicious dinner for ¼ of the price in “Aranwa”.

Cusco, Peru.

Cusco is the capital of the Inca Empire, and located on 3,500 meters (11,500 feet) above sea level. Cusco fell to Spanish conquistadors in 1533 when the empire was weakened from civil war. Peruvian independence was declared in 1821, and now Cusco is a home to the indigenous culture of today.

We stayed 5 night in Cusco, and during day time we were exploring local sighting.

Cusco at night

The cathedral is one of Cusco’s grandest buildings. Built in 1550 on the site of the palace of the Inca Wirachocha and using stones looted from the nearby Inca fortress of Sacsayhuaman. With soaring ceilings, and gold altars, the Cathedral is one of the amazing churches that I’ve seen.


The cathedral consists of three main parts, the central part, with a silver altar, is open for services for the local people. The moment of people’s pray is breathtaking. Peruvians are strong Catholics and they visit church on regularly basics with the admiring divinity.

The cathedral at night

Every evening, except one, we had dinner in a local restaurant “Chicha” which I strongly recommend. The food was amazing and not expensive.

“Chicha” is also a name for the famous local drink. It tastes like a Russian drink kvass although with sour milk.

My first “Chicha”

Today is my birthday!!!!

Good morning. Lima, February, 9^th. Today is my birthday. Actually, my birthday started the moment the plane took off in Miami  at mid night. The flight to Lima took 6 hours and now we are waiting for the transfer to Cusco. I’ve never been to Peru before. I am dying to see Machu Picchu which has been nominated as one of the seven wonders of the world.

Негативные эмоции

Я в плохом настроении, только что получила ещё одно «нет», на заявление на работу, на которую я очень надеялась. Интервью прошло хорошо, но я видимо не дотянула до «большой руководящей роли». Иногда меня посещают такие минуты отчаяния, что я просто не знаю куда деться. Иногда я, просто, теряю всякую надежду, хотя, по идеи, она должна умирать последней. А, иногда, просто хочется собрать свои манатки и укатить назад в Швецию. Променяла: шило на мыло. Вот и хорошо, что вот в такие минуты, есть бумага и перо, что бы ни скапливать негативные эмоции в себе. После такого множества отказов в квалифицированной работе, меня покидает уверенность в себе. На сегодняшний день, я работаю не по специальности, на очень низко оплачиваемой работе, но продолжаю бороться за «место под солнцем».

Я ещё не научилась себя продавать, как это принято в Америке. Американский рабочий рынок, это как арабский базар, кто кричит и привирает больше, тот и получает больше. В Швеции, совсем наоборот. Ну, ладно, я заканчиваю своё нытье.