Sauce Hostal Ollantaytambo Sacred Valley
Sauce Hostal Ollantaytambo Sacred Valley. Sauce Hostal is located in the heart of, a quaint village of 10,000 in the Sacred Valley. Ollantaytambo is a great base to explore the valley and also a great midpoint between Machu Picchu and Cusco. In fact, I made Ollantaytambo my home base for three days to explore the area and to get acclimated to the higher elevation of the region (Ollantaytambo is at a lower elevation than Cusco). Check out how I spent my three days in the Sacred Valley. Ollantaytambo, set in a valley surrounded by mountains and Incan Ruins, is easily walkable. In fact, Sauce Hostal makes it home adjacent to Plaza Ollantaytambo and a brief walk to the Incan Ruins, whose terraces cascade down the side of the mountain. Some of the rooms at Sauce Hostal provide an eagle eye’s view of the ruins. Ollantaytambo is comprised of restaurants, bars, shops, and is full of history. It is a low- key place to relax for several days. Sauce Hostal is a family run business and during my [...]
Three Days Sacred Valley Peru
Three Days Sacred Valley Peru. It was a long overnight flight (3 segments from ORD-SAL-LIM-CUZ) with little sleep. I was excited for my trip to explore the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, and Cusco. I was starting my trip with three nights in Ollantaytambo. While I was planning on spending three nights in Cusco, I decided to begin my trip in Ollantaytambo since it is 600 meters lower than Cusco. This gave me a couple of days to acclimate before Machu Picchu and Cusco. I was to spend the next two weeks at higher altitudes, from 2,000 to 4,000 plus meters and this would take a slight toll on me. The Sacred Valley of the Incas also known as the Urubamba Valley is located in the Andes Mountains and is overflowing with historical Inca ruins.
Pachamanca Farm Lunch Ollantaytambo
Pachamanca Farm Lunch Ollantaytambo. El Albergue Hotel dates back nearly a century standing near the Ollantaytambo Train Station. The town of Ollantaytambo sits in the Sacred Valley, half-way between Machu Picchu and Cusco. Wendy Weeks, a young artist from Seattle, settled in Ollantaytambo in the 1970’s and took over and rebirthed the hotel. In 2011, the lodge started an organic farm adjacent to the hotel. Ollantaytambo has been an agricultural centers prior to even the Incas settling in the area. Today, agriculture remains a main driver in the local economy. In fact, visitors will be awed by the Incan’s ingenuity of terraced fields, granaries, and water canals dating back over 500 years that are present in the Sacred Valley. The farm is filled with vegetables, quinua, corn, and of course potatoes. Chickens and pigs also make their homes at the farm. The farm is plowed with oxen and no synthetic fertilizers are used at the farm. On the farm is also a small schoolhouse which educates children in the local community. A highlight of visiting the [...]
Ellany Lea – 104 countries … and living as a digital nomad
[Download .mp3] Ella made a drastic decision after graduating university and starting her first corporate job. She quit on her 89th day. Despite having a great opportunity in the corporate world, she realized quickly that she craved a life of independence and freedom. She ended up living in Rwanda working for a NGO for 6 months. And this started a transition to becoming a digital nomad and beginning a career as an elite success coach. This new role allowed her the flexibility to live where she wanted to live as she grew her business. As she gained more success, she began to travel and explore more often. Ella shares with us why she loves Thailand, believes Paraguay is interesting, and why she is not fond of Dubai. We also talk about her upcoming road trip to West Africa. During this conversation, Ella joined me from Spain while I was in Chicago on Skype. Please listen in and enjoy. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts today! Check out our partner and sponsor: Chasing 193, Volume II: The [...]
Jakob Øster – 178 countries … and travels with his family to Somalia and Afghanistan!
[Download .mp3] A family that travels together stays together. Jakob travels frequently with his girlfriend and two young children. Jakob travels often with his girlfriend and two young children. Family vacations include overland West African road trips, visits to Somaliland, and family excursions to Afghanistan. His children aged 10 and 8 respectively have traveled to 72 and 55 countries respectively. Jakob also hits the road solo as well. He recounts witnessing a secretive Satanic ritual in West Africa. He overviews his attempt to travel overland from Antarctica to the Arctic over 10 months. Jakob was fortunate to visit Cambodia in the early 90s when the Khmer Rouge still reigned. He visited Angkor Wat when there were virtually no tourists. Cambodia was a bit lawless, where travel sometimes required armored cars where the machine gunner's bullets cost extra and where marijuana came for free at your guest house. During this conversation, Jakob joined me from Copenhagen while I was in Chicago on Skype. Please listen in and enjoy. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts today! Check out our partner [...]
Maurizio Giuliano – 193 countries … and in 2004 was the youngest person to travel to every country in the world!
[Download .mp3] Maurizio was a travel outlier at a young age. Riding the rails in Europe independently as a 13 year old. At 17, he left Italy to travel the Trans-Siberian to visit his penpal in Mongolia. After university in the UK, be began an international career as a journalist and NGO worker. This allowed ample opportunity to travel and lives overseas. Maurizio has spent time living in Haiti, Brazil, Mali, Sudan, Afghanistan, Central African Republic amongst others. Maurizio shares with us why he loves Gabon and Cameroon. Maurizio has traveled to Tokelau, one of the remote places in the world in the Pacific, and recounts his journey. Maurizio lived in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. He met his future wife in Kabul. And he had his wedding in Kabul, but yet he and his wife were traveling with the wedding held in their honor. Maurizio spent time in Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Maurizio in 2004 held the Guinness World Record for being the youngest traveler to visit every [...]
