Oh, how beautiful is Ollantaytambo

Wɔatintim: 07.07.2018

Oh, how beautiful is Ollantaytambo. This sentence came to my mind immediately as I entered this village by bus. I fell in love right away with its charming historic alleys, many souvenir stalls, friendly people, and the magnificent mountains surrounding it. Absolutely breathtaking! The only downside, if you consider it negative, is the large number of tourists.

Ollantaytambo is located about 2 hours away from Cusco and is close to the famous and crowded tourist destination of Machu Picchu (about 3 hours by train). Here, you can find numerous ruins from the Incas that you can visit for free. The name Cusco is probably familiar to many travelers who have been to Peru or South America before and is a must-visit.

Now to me 😃:

After our jungle trip, we returned to Lima. On that day, I already knew that I would take the next flight to Cusco after only two days. I had received an invitation to do volunteer work on a farm in Ollantaytambo. My brother's girlfriend had contacts who recommended this organic farm to me. So, I set off on my way to this interesting opportunity. I was curious about what awaited me there, as I had little background information about this farm. I only knew that the owner works according to the ancient traditions of the Incas. In Cusco, I stayed in a hostel for only one night and then took a leisurely trip to Ollantaytambo the next day.

On the following day, I took a small bus to this place.

In the afternoon of the next day, I arrived there and moved into my own small apartment. Yes, you read that right... I had a small apartment all to myself (bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen).

The small house has two floors with two separate apartments accessible through a common entrance. Normally, the owner's father lives in the lower part, but he was in Lima during my time there. In the second picture, you can see the owner's house, and in the following pictures, you can see the Inca terraces or a field.

On the farm, there were medicinal plants, various fruits (apples, cherries, etc.), all kinds of vegetables (corn, tomatoes, arugula, different salads, etc.), herbs (like lavender, rosemary, etc.), and not to forget animals. There were 8 dogs living freely on the premises, providing the alarm system 😜. There were also cats 🐈, ducks 🦆, geese, a cow 🐄, two turkeys 🦃, and many chickens 🐓. Two dogs, Rubia (=Blonde; a golden retriever) and Oso (mixed breed; Rubia's child), greeted me almost every day and often followed me everywhere. Even during work, I was never alone because of them.

In general, I noticed that 8 hours a day was a bit too much for me. I think volunteering should mean helping out a bit and supporting the operation, but it's also important to have time for oneself. You mustn't forget that you only get a place to sleep and something to eat, without getting paid for your work. You want to gain new experiences and possibly learn something, but also explore the area and meet new people. What I especially missed were more volunteers to work together, sit together in the evenings, and cook something. At times, I already felt lonely in my apartment. The contact with my host was also rather distant. I had to prepare my own breakfast and dinner. Lunch was cooked by my Workaway host and/or his employee.

My tasks varied every day and were very diverse, but often quite monotonous as well. My main task, which I did every morning, was watering. This task took almost 2 hours every day. Other tasks included pulling out certain plants and bushes by the roots, freeing trees from vine plants, removing weeds to create new planting areas, building certain "wooden structures" for plants that needed support (difficult to explain 😀, there is a picture above), and much more.

On weekends, I always did something outside the farm. This included wandering around Ollantaytambo, visiting Inca ruins/the Inca Trail, and once, visiting a small brewery outside the town. I also participated in a yoga class there, which I enjoyed a lot. On a Saturday, I also went to Urubamba, where I was very impressed by the large market.

Inca Trail: