I’m here! I landed in Cusco around 9:15 am yesterday, nearly exhausted from a day of travelling but excited to get to Ollantaytambo. Surprisingly there were no hitches along the way, both myself and my luggage arrived in Cusco without any issues. Nicki, another Awamaki volunteer, met me at the airport, and we eventually found our driver, Jaime, who took us on the nearly 2-hour trip to Ollanta (the length of the drive will vary based on what roads/bridges are open and closed, and this route was definitely the long way around). The drive was scary, since we had to first wind our way up into the mountains surrounding Cusco and then wind back down into the Sacred Valley, driving on small two-lane roads in the mud and rain. We drove north from Cusco and eventually wound our way down to the floor of the valley at the town of Pisac. The view of the valley from the road was simply stunning – the green hillsides of the andes overlooking the lush valley floor and the muddy Urubamba river flowing through it. Once we got down to the base of the valley, we drove west from Pisac through the towns of Calca, Tacay, and Urubamba, following the course of the river. I was desperately tired but somehow managed to stay awake through most of the trip. Once we got to the city limits of Ollantaytambo, the paved roads gave way to cobblestones, and we continued there through the center of town (la plaza de armas), and a few blocks over to the Awamaki office. Ollanta is a gorgeous little town, surrounded on all sides by green mountains which are dotted with numerous Inca ruins – check out my pics below!