Last week 5 of us (Paul, Sarah, Catriona, Lindsay, and Tyler) left Pisaq for Ollantaytambo for 6 days of Spanish immersion. We all had different Home Stays and different Spanish teachers. Tyler lived in a hostel and coordinated runs. Every day we had three home cooked meals with our host families, two Spanish lessons, and two opportunities to run.
The running was amazing. Like Pisaq, there were only two very good options for running, but it was refreshing to have a change of scenery. In fact, the change in scenery was the most striking difference. In Ollantaytambo ruins are always in sight, as well as several Nevados (snow covered mountains). Additionally the dirt roads and rolling hills were especially amiable.
Ollantaytambo has a bustling vibe because of the train station. Everyday hundreds of tourists come to Ollantaytambo to take the train to Machu Picchu. Because of this there is a thriving tourism based economy. The Plaza de Armas (town square) is large and filled with nice restaurants, grocery stores, coffee and chocolate shops, taxis, and busses.
Everyone’s Spanish improved a lot. Some went from knowing almost nothing to mastering many of the most common and necessary sentences and concepts. Lindsay began to master the grammar. I (paul) learned a ton of vocabulary especially the Spanish and Quechuan words associated with the Incan ruins, as well as solidifying some concepts and increasing fluency through many hours of conversation. It is clear that those six days of immersion were worth an entire semester of classes. Everyone left with plans to continue studying Spanish.
The Home Stay was amazing. My “parents” were both in their 60’s and were the patriarch/matriarch of a large family. At breakfast, lunch, and dinner, one of their children or grandchildren were always at the house. They owned a store which was connected to their living room/dining room, which was connected to their kitchen. We spent most of our time in the living room/dining room where Don Antonio could go in and out to tend to customers, and Dona Susana could go in and out to tend to the kitchen and her hungry family. She always made sure I had a hearty portion of tasty comida tipica (typical peruvian food) within 5 min of entering the house. Coffee, juice, bread, and cheese for breakfast. Soup, rice, salad, and meat for lunch. Something rich and delicious for dinner. One day I got sick and Susana said it was because I was always chilling my feet by wearing sandals, and drinking cold water after dinner instead of Tea.
Ollantaytambo is a special place to be sure. Like Pisaq the Inka presence is very strong. We were very comfortable there, and were all invited to come back.