Ollantaytambo & Aguas Calientes

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At our highest campsite of the trip at 4250M above sea level it was by far one of the coldest nights I’ve ever experienced in my life, and spending it in a tent wasn’t really helping. One of the Charity Challenge crew woke me and Hannah up around 6AM offering us some cocoa tea, we were still freezing and as usual I woke with a cracking headache. We threw on our gear and struggled to open the tent’s zip, we actually found ice on the outside of our tent, it had frozen overnight, unbelievable. Everyone headed over to have breakfast in the food tent and when we found out it was bacon and eggs for breakfast we cheered. It was such a beautiful day outside that no sooner after breakfast came out the Charity Challenge crew removed the entire tent around us while we ate and we had a fantastic breakfast out in the sun, an awesome start to the day. It was the last time we would see our trek crew, we all contributed a tip and presented it to each of the crew with a cheer from us. I gave an envelope to the horse master who shook my hand and gave me a big hug, they were so appreciative of the tip, they deserved every cent.

After breakfast and once everyone was ready to go, we set off on what was to be a very short hike to where our bus was picking us up. We were also glad to find that despite a steep uphill section to reach the road, the walk was very gentle. It was a good thing because there were many people on oxygen last night and most of them still felt awful in the morning. Eventually we all reached the spot where our bus should have been waiting, but it wasn’t here yet, in fact it was a while off. While we waited we repacked our rucksacks to bring with us as little as possible to Aguas Calientes. And after waiting sometime more we decided to hoof it along the dirt road until we finally saw the bus coming towards us. We all jumped aboard as we were driven across the beautiful Peruvian countryside to Ollantaytambo. It was the scariest, most insanely dangerous journey I’ve even been on, driving inches from the cliff at high speed all the while passing cars, trucks and people on the wrong side of the road while almost losing control in places over the bumps and small streams. There were genuinely times I thought we were going over and by the occasional screams of “Shit!!” so did other people, but the incredibly breathtaking scenery of the Peruvian Highlands made it all worth doing.

We arrived in the stunning town of Ollantaytambo which was surrounded in huge mountains, some of which had impressive Inca ruins which could be seen from the square. Our coach dropped us off and we took with us only what we needed for a night’s stay in Aguas Calientes at the base of the Peruvian mountains where Machu Picchu is found. We took a few taxis down to the beautiful Ollantaytambo train station where we had a delicious lunch in a small restaurant by the tracks. It was like luxury having all the basics given back to us, soap in the bathroom, and more importantly, ice cold beer. Shortly after lunch our train arrived which would take us through the Peruvian Andes, passing the Inca Trail and onto Aguas Calientes. Our tickets were handed out and I was glad to know I scored myself a window seat, we boarded the train and it set off not long after. The train ride through the Andes was absolutely fantastic, it ran right along the rough Urubamba River. The scenery as usual was breathtaking, some of the largest snow topped mountains I’ve even seen in my life, stunning.

By the time the train arrived into Aguas Calientes it was dark. George rushed us past the hundreds of market stalls towards our hotel. We were all very much looking forward to having a shower, I hadn’t showered for 3 days. Once Hannah and I had our keys we headed straight upstairs to get ready to meet the group for dinner in an hours’ time. As we opened our room door we were shocked to hear a deafening roar, the noise was unbelievable. At first I thought it was the air conditioning, but as we walked in we realised it was the roar of the River Urubamba which ran right outside our room’s balcony. I was mezmorised by the sound as the river ran around the mountains, I spent most of the time we had out on the balcony. Although the hotel itself was very basic and a little run down, it was one of the places I will never forget. We met the rest of the group downstairs and followed George to the restaurant for this evening. It was unfortunate to find that the restaurant tonight was not serving any beef or chicken, extremely frustrating since I was starving. The food was delicious none-the-less and after dinner we returned to our hotel to get some rest, it was a massive day tomorrow, a life changing day as we head high into the Andes to visit Machu Picchu.


Accommodation:
Presidente Hotel

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Photos

Ollantaytambo
A train arrives at Ollantaytambo station, surrounded in mountains

Lares Valley
Breakfast outside in the beautiful weather

Lares Valley
Amazing scenery on our final hike through Lares Valley

Ollantaytambo
Beautiful Ollantaytambo main square, surrounded in huge mountains.

Aguas Caliente
Incredible views from the train to Aguas Caliente, which runs along the Urubamba River

Aguas Caliente
The amazing view from our balcony of the deafening Urubamba River