Peru Part III: Aguas Calientes May 1-2

A view of the mountains from Machu Picchu to whet your appetite

Wednesday morning we rode through the Sacred Valley on our way to Aguas Calientes (and Machu Picchu). The taxi ride through the green mountains was stunning.

Our first stop was Pisac. Since most things in Peru are less than $10, we were shocked and annoyed when our entrance tickets came to about $15 each. The taxi driver said he would wait for us for an hour and a half while we walked around. It seemed like overkill for the small cluster of ruins.

We were the first ones there (early morning) and as we walked around and appreciated the beautiful views we became a little less resentful. 

Then we noticed there was a path from the ruins around the mountain to another group of ruins. Less Resentment. As we followed the path we heard running water and noticed the gorgeous gorging river behind the old buildings. Less Resentment. 

After we explored that area we noticed the mountain path keeps going to yet another set of ruins. No Resentment. To our amazement, the path traveled further through a little cave in the mountains to another cluster. Negative resentment. 

We ended up having to run back to the taxi to make it back in time and advised everyone we met on our trip afterward to make time to get to Pisac early in the morning.

Next we drove to Ollantaytambo. Another set of ruins in the mountains. This time we climbed the massive stairs up and down the ruins. The Incas made sure my vacation was a work out. But it was definitely worth it.

That done, we got on our train to Aguas Calientes. The ceiling and sides of the train were all clear glass so that the travelers could appreciate the beautiful mountain views around them.

When we got to Aguas Calientes a representative from our hotel walked us the few blocks to the fanciest hotel I’ve ever stayed in. We were right next to the Urubamba river and were greeted with a fancy mixed fruit drink and cookies. They told us the hours for tea time (free tea and more importantly, cake), happy hour (free drinks), and breakfast. Our room rendered us speechless. The view outside our window of the river and the mountains was breathtaking. When we moved the sound proof patio doors the room was filled with the strong but calming noise of the river. It almost sounded like we were in the river. People from the hotel knocked on our door several times to drop off free truffles.

The view from our room

But after we got our free cake, we decided to leave the hotel and hike up to the local hot springs (after all, aguas calientes means hot waters). Despite the crowd and the warm bath temperature of the springs, we enjoyed ourselves. We looked out over the mountains and had lovely conversation with a Welsh family we met.  

Another view of the river/mountains/town from the beginning of our hike to the hot springs

The real reason we stayed in the fancy pants hotel (besides the free truffles) was the fact that the buses to Machu Picchu stopped at the hotel. So instead of getting up at 3:30 to eat breakfast and go get in line at the bus stop, we got to sleep in until 5. The buffet breakfast at the hotel was immense with food from all over the world. I felt like I was in Harry Potter and wouldn't have been all that surprised if the food had popped up magically on the table.

We got to Machu PIcchu just in time to enjoy the foggy sunrise and walk over to hike Huayna Picchu. The hike was intense but the views made it more than worth it. 

Machu Picchu view from our hike

At the top of the mountain, there were a bunch of large rocks leaning on each other. Ben found a Chinese friend, and the two of them casually jumped from rock to rock taking pictures of each other. Meanwhile, I couldn't stand up on the rocks for fear of falling (or think too much about them jumping). People were laughing and pointing at me in all different languages.

The only thing scarier that climbing up the steep steps on the side of the mountain is climbing down. I scooted down on my butt almost the whole way. Ben wasn’t much better on the way down, nor anyone else for that matter.

Some of the stairs we climbed on our way up/down Huayna Picchu (and yes, there were some ruins  on the steep ledges of Huayna Picchu too...crazy)

We then took a tour of Machu Picchu with a guide named Kenny. His English was decent, and between the two of us, we got a pretty good Spanglish going (with Ben swooping in to save the day with translation every once in a while). We enjoyed learning about everything from Hiram Bingham and the discovery of Machu Picchu to the religious and societal practices of the Incas who lived there. It was especially nice because we had walked around the other sites guide-less and simply read what we could beforehand. It was nice to have someone else tell us about it. 

Just so you know, that tall mountain in the background, is the one we had just hiked

Compare the stonework in the following two pictures. The first one is a temple. That is why the stones are cut and fit perfectly. The second is a walkway for normal people. That is why the stones are kind of hodgepodge. They just stuck them in where they could without cutting them to fit.

We also loved seeing the llamas. There were 10 just lounging around. Kenny told us that the llamas are actually quite spry - they jump from terrace to terrace of the ruins. Hard to believe based on their looks. We also half-chased a few of them to pet them. They didn't seem to mind. They really made me want to watch The Emperor’s New Groove again.

We stayed at Machu PIcchu until it closed, rode the bus back to town, ate the best empanadas I’ve ever tried (oddly at the train station), took the train back to Ollantaytambo, and caught a taxi back to our hotel in Cusco. After an active 20-hour day, we finally got to sleep.

Our last view of Machu Picchu

Us with our guide Kenny before we took the bus down together