Pinkuylluna and Ollantaytambo ruins were some wonderful ruins to see. Ollantaytambo is a small village of only around 700-1000 inhabitants in the south of Peru. Its located in the Sacred Valley not too far from Machu Picchu. The draw of this small town is that there is actually a ruin that is free to visit called Pinkuylluna. Mostly used to store grain in silo style holding bins, it’s a ruin site opposite the valley from the larger “more important” Ollantaytambo site.
We climbed the 1000 feet up rocky terrain up to the ruins and sat there in awe of the valley and village below and the ruins. It was great to simply sit and wonder what life must have been like for the Incans and reflect on the antiquity of it all. We much prefer to explore a insignificant ruin than pay to go to one that is commercialized and touristic. The Pinkuylluna were neither. Free and free of people for the most part we had them to ourselves to explore at our own pace without guides and tourists snapping pictures all over the place. It was absolutely lovely for the two days we explored them. It’s not about the places you go but, how you experience the places you go that matters. We truly loved Ollantaytambo and the quaintness of it all. From the narrow passages of the village to the ruins. It’s a place you might want to check out, before the Peruvian government ruins the ruins for everyone by charging huge amounts simply to see it.
