Heading out to the ruins in the remote Incan town of Ollantaytambo, about 75 kilometers from Cuzco, Peru,"the navel of the navel" in the Incan worldview, I spotted an Internet cafe on the main square.

My wife Judi and I along with our yoga teachers decided to climb the ruins and on the way back go into the Internet cafe.

The teachers wanted to check their e-mail. But I wanted to introduce them to the wonders of Skype.

I struck up a conversation with Carlos Danz, the owner. Carlos' business may be based deep in the ancient Sacred Valley, but he is a man of modern communications.

I asked him what he thought of Skype.

"It's killing me," he semi-joked.

Here's the deal. Previously, Carlos only sold phone time for one sole per minute (2.8 soles equals an American dollar).

But when he launched his Internet business, the international set wanted to to make Skype calls. So Carlos gave them what they wanted, though it cost him dearly.

He charges a flat 2 soles per half hour of Web time, whether it's making calls on Skype or surfing.

So his customers can pay 2 soles for a half hour on Skype for Skype-to-Skype calls. Or 15 times more for a long-distance call.

So the backbackers and hikers passing the cafe going to and from the train to Machu Picchu or touring the ruins at Ollantaytambo get a bargain.

I noticed a couple different approaches to Skype elsewhere in the Sacred Valley.

One cafe on the Plaza de Armas in Cuzco, touts its Skype offering.

Other cafes in Cuzco and Urubamba specifically ban Skype, pushing customers to their more lucrative calling businesses.

We had found cellular reception iffy in the Sacred Valley. But Skype came through like a champ, allowing the newbies to reach out to loved ones back in the United States. The yoga teachers and students were thrilled.

Skype had good karma on the Inca Trail, even if it cost Carlos Danz a few soles.