Day 14: Bye Lima, Hello Ollantaytambo!

Today the taxi driver that dropped me off at the hotel in Lima also picked me up to go to the airport. It was a cloudy morning and there was no traffic because it was Armed Forces Day, go figure! That meant I had tons of time to hangout at the airport before my flight to Cusco.

Upon my arrival to Cusco, a driver met me and drove me a whopping 3 hours to Ollantaytambo, a small town halfway between Cusco and Machu Picchu. I arrived around 4pm and was starved. As soon as I checked in, I was in search of food. I wanted to try cuy, so I went to La Casa de los Cuyes nearby. The young man (joven) let me into the enclosure where I got to feed the guinea pigs. Once I was done admiring them, I took a seat and waited for my fried cuy.

Upon first impression, it looked like a chicharrón because it was super crunchy-looking. The cuy tasted like fried dark meat chicken and was delicious. The potato pancakes and plátanos maduros were a nice addition. I had two dogs watching me eat the whole time. They reminded me of Abby. 😭 It was way too much food. I met the owner and she was very sweet. I told her how well-seasoned and delicious it was. She said it was fresh from the morning. Her son knows what he is doing with the family business.

I walked around the small stone streets some more, exchanged some money, and bought souvenirs. The altitude sickness kicked my butt. I bought a 7 Vidas beer because Anthony, on the food tour in Lima highly recommended it. I showered and went to bed early, ready for more adventures tomorrow.Read more