Ollantaytambo is at heart, despite all of the tourists, a
small town of 2,000 people. Because of this small setting, everybody knows the
dogs that are around town. Many of them live solely off of the tourists’
charity and what edible trash they can find on the streets. Despite this, they
are some of the happiest dogs I have ever seen. The carefree nature of the dogs
is reminiscent of the laid back community of Ollantaytambo. The best of these
dogs is Jack.
Jack is a medium sized, black and white dog who is between
13 and 14 yeas old. Jack is not owned by any person, but is cared for by all of
the NGOs in Ollantaytambo. Jack has been poisoned twice, had a stroke, and has
even been left a two days walk from town.
When we went to the Incan ruins on the Pinkallnua Apu (Mountain) in
town, Jack followed us, sometimes leading, the hour hike up and the 15 minute
hike down.
Another much younger dog named Inti, the Quechuan word for
“the sun,” followed us up as well. When one goes into town to get something,
they will always find Inti somewhere. One of the most interesting dogs in
Ollantaytambo is a 3 legged dog I’ve named tripod. Tripod is missing his front
left paw, yet he’s one of the most energetic dogs in Ollantaytambo. The dogs in
town help create a unique Ollantaytambo experience.
by Hayden Baer
0 comments:
Post a Comment