Stomach still feels iffy so I only had coffee for breakfast. I walked to the main square in Ollantaytambo it’s a good climb up from where my hotel is. Embarrassed to find I was the only one on the weaving tour today! Besides guide Gabriella (sp?) and driver there was an American-Peruvian girl doing an 18 months work experience.

We drove up a winding dirt track to Patacancha (I think) where we were greeted with a garland of scarlet trumpet flowers. Some of the area have eucalyptus trees imported from Australia which serve to stop erosion a little. The village is very beautiful with a river running through but very rocky hillsides. The tour included a demonstration of weaving on a traditional loom, spinning the wool (they use alpaca and sheep) onto a spindle, explanation of how they produce the dyes for the great range of colours they use including cochineal, and helping weave a bracelet.

The women at the community (a lot of the men get work as porters on the Inca Trail) prepared food by putting food among heated rocks then covering it all with soil. There were many varieties of potato as well as sweet potato and a bean you had to peel twice. I was conscious of a misbehaving stomach so I didn’t have any chicken. I also got the chance to buy handicrafts (particularly at this moment I felt isolated at being the only guest on the tour!) I did buy a kind of scarf. On the way back we saw pre-Incan terraced fields and scarecrows and children leaving school. A valuable chance to see an aspect of Quechuan culture. The people still wear traditional dress.