Ollantaytambo

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Well, we left Cusco behind and headed to Ollantaytambo - our stepping stone to Machu Picchu! This involved a four hour coach ride followed by a two hour taxi ride with the six of us (me, Lou, Jack and our bags) crammed in. At least it saved the four hour train journey to Machu Picchu! Lou and I headed off to the ruins at Ollantaytambo (told you I'd be making to most of my damn, over-priced ticket!) while Jack stayed at the hostal. Headed up the terraces to explore the Inca fortress - I'm definitley going to be very fit when I finally get home!

Spent a while at the fortress and probably an equal amount of time at the market below helping hopeless English men who a) have no idea what things cost here (a fact the woman was not happy we rectified!) and b) have no idea of what is appropriate to bring home to their girlfriends. They left happy, we left happy (with several acquisitions of our own) and hopefully their girlfriends will be happy - the only unhappy person in the whole thing would be the vendor who lost their gullible tourists of the day!) Then we headed back for dinner, 'Trainspotting' at the hostal and an early night in order to be up in time for our train.

Woke up very dark and very early to walk (complete with our bags) the kilometre to the train station. The train soon filled up with coach loads of German tourists who decided to keep themselves warm by running aerobics classes in the aisle. Strange people to be that energetic at five in the morning! The guards then came onto the train to turf us all out while they checked for stowaways! Hanging onto the side of a train seems a bit of an extreme way to escape paying the train fare!

Arrived at Aguas Caliente to check into a hostal and go back to bed. Didn't actually make it to the baths the whole time we were there but did make full use of the only hot shower we'd found for almost a week. In a place called Aguas Caliente it's kind of a given really!

Bought our bus tickets for the next morning as well as entrance tickets to Machu Picchu although the nasty woman still wouldn't accept my student card and I had to pay double the amount - STA will be getting an earful when I get back for sending me the wrong one! Very glad we realised we had to buy them there as apparently you can't buy them at the site entrance! That afternoon w dragged Jack round yet another market where I bought yet more jewellery (but most of it was for presents so it's allowed!)

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Photos

Peruvian countryside
On the way to Ollantaytambo