We arrived last night to our hostal, Kuychipunku, in Ollantaytambo, took a shower and went to bed.
Today was mellowwwwww. Our hotel is in an ancient Inca building complete with a great courtyard, pretty textile decorations and a dining room that is almost a museum itself. I'll post a picture soon. I spent the morning having breakfast, organizing laundry and wifi'ing. We headed out for lunch after stopping at the market outside our door. After lunch, it was.... Chicha Time.
This part was awesome. Places that sell Chicha, the alcoholic fermented corn drink, signify that they are open by placing a long stick outside their store with a red bag wrapped around the tip. If you see this, you know there is Chicha inside.
So... We wandered into the cobblestone historic section part of town and saw the sign. The three of us tentatively walked into a small ally when out popped a lady who was about 80 years old. We asked for Chicha and she signaled us to follow her into her house. We went through her porch and down a few steps into her dimly lit home. The room was about 11x11 feet and had a fire stove going and a table with two benches. It was smokey, cramped, modest and PERFECT! There were 3 local guys who welcomed us in. The hostess served us Chicha after "washing" our glasses and Mark and I decided that we were ok with the distinct possibility of stomach issues for the chance to drink some more homemade Chicha.
We spent about 2 hours here drinking Chicha, beer and talking to lady of the house and the other guests. The woman had lived in town for 70 years and as a widow for 12. She spends her days brewing Chicha on her stove, serving it to locals and listening to endless conversations of politics and sports. Not a bad life... We got some great pictures of the tiny chicheria and Ill post them when I can get them off my big camera.