Ollantaytambo

I got on the bus yesterday mid-day heading out to look at more towns. I decided to start in Ollantaytambo as I remembered really liking it on the way to Machu Picchu. I was right. I am falling in serious love with this town. It is so beautiful and the weather is great. It´s full moon tomorrow and it is so bright and amazing. And when the moon isn´t out, the stars are AMAZING with no light pollution and being so high up. Ollantaytambo is still pretty high at nearly 3,000 meters, but I think somehow that it wont be as cold. This may be wishful hoping.

I met some guys in the plaza yesterday and one of them offered to walk around with me this morning looking for places so we met up and walked all over town this morning. After the disappointment of a house I had my eye on having been rented two days ago! we found lots of places that were okay, but nothing I fell in love with until the last chance ditch effort. Then we saw a place that is a room in a sort of hotel house on the third floor with the most amazing views from the window and the balcony! and it´s big and the roof slants and I can make a little kitchen in it and there is a bathroom with hot showers in the hall and I love it and I hope I get to live there. We will go back this afternoon to talk to him about price and such. Man, I hope I hope I hope.

The people who run the hostel I am staying at are really nice. I stopped and had a beer last night at the bar and visited with the owner for quite some time and he is really nice. I now have this new friend who helped me today and is going to go shopping with me in Cusco for the things I need and is a guide here and we´ve already talked about so many treks we´re going to take. He is going to teach me Quechua and I am going to help with his English. This is the life I wanted. In 24 hours I know more people in Ollantaytambo that I met in Cusco in nearly two months - tourists aside.

After we went apartment hunting, we went walking out to some ruins they just found and are excavating. I am excited to have a friend that is a guide! We have many plans. I love this town.

I hope I get this place. I love it. and when you love something, especially a potential home, there is no real explaining it. I saw three other places that would be just as good theorhetically, but I didn´t love them. Probably I am too attached. But in the next hour I should know the answer. yayayayayay!

And I want to do trade with the locals who make the weavings and such. If they have kids that want English lessons I can give them in trade for some craftwork. I would love to get that working out because then I could have some of this beautiful work that I can´t afford to buy.

Gotta go see a man about a house. I will let you know how it goes.