Sacred Valley Part 2

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Aquas Caliente is the small town from which you get to the mountain city of Macchu Piccu. We had no idea what to expect from it except that accommodations were either backpacker or quite fancy (we chose the first option). When the train pulled in, after the lovely ride with Peru Rail from Ollantaytambo, it was a shock to your senses. Banff in the summer - times 10. Tourists, restaurants haranguing you to eat at their place, massage ladies waiting to relieve your tired body after your grueling day - souvenirs, markets, whew! One good thing is no cars - only buses. Plus the incredible location in the mountains.



Finally found our hostel and were handed a roll of toilet paper and small soap upon check in. Small, moldy smelling room. The good thing was that it was clean and had hot water. It also was only steps away from the bus station and right beside a lovely small river that runs through the middle of town.



On the first night, we were exhausted and after supper fell asleep by 7:30 pm. We had booked a 7:30 am breakfast and leisurely bus trip, but woke up at 4:30 am, so scrap breakfast and caught the 6:00 am bus. Does anyone remember the old Sunshine ski bus? Hair pin turns, no passing, kind of scary ride... well this could almost rival that but how any time higher?? It started out foggy but as we gained elevation, it partially cleared and you could see the city of Macchu Piccu emerging from the distance - magical.



Going early in the day and it being April, we were pleasantly surprised by how few people there were. We started out with a 90 minute climb to the Sun Peak and were both pleasantly surprised at how well we felt. The rest of the time was spent touring the ruins- it seemed surreal to be there in person, to see and touch the stones of this place.



After about 5 hours we were done though, ready for a cold coke zero and the bus down, This time it was sunny and clear -we were in awe of the views. Truly God's majesty at work. Back to busy AC, supper, early bed and return train to Ollantaytambo and our driver Jose, What a treat to have him waiting for us even after the train broke down and was 3 hours late!





On to our next stop in the Sacred Valley - Urubamba. On the way, we stopped at the amazing concentric terraces at Moray, the salt ponds at Moras and the beautiful church and weavers at the town of Chinchero. All truly incredible but at the end of the day we were exhausted, and looking forward to a good place to stay,



Hmm, Flying Dog Hostel, where is he taking us, why are there no shops or restaurants in this dusty end of town. What a lovely surprise though - brand new and beautiful - lovely gardens, and a quick moto- taxi ride into (what else) the Plaza de Armas. We had Chinese food for supper and then caught another moto-taxi back. Not as successful though as he didn't know where to go and couldn't figure out the map given to us by the hostel. He did understand 'bus station' though, so we walked the rest of the way back from the bus station - down the railroad tracks at night!



Back to the bus station next morning and took collectivo for 4 days in Cusco. What a bustling place this is. Of course we are staying near the Plaza de Armas - and everything is uphill in this city so it took a couple of days to be able to get back to the hostel without 2 or 3 stops. We have felt great as far as the altitude- drugs from the doctor in QB seem to be working fine. Rick is having a harder time sleeping here, but day to day is great. We are hoping that we have acclimated well enough that Lake Titicaca at 3800 metres will be a piece of cake.



Lots of museums, historical sites here but we are getting "sited out".. Loved mass at the Cathedral on Sunday and took a collectivo to Pisac for lunch one day. We had planned on seeing the ruins there, but such a lovely lunch, slight rain and not enough time to do it justice, so we spent an extra long lunch and came back. Did a free walking tour and we have done a lot of exploring in our ever constant search for places to eat. Rick has done Alpaca a couple of times, but my bravest is quinoa soup!



We are also spending some down time at the hostel gearing up for the next part of the trip. Puno/ Lake Titicaca, then back to Arequipa / Colca Canyon- hopefully see some condors. Can you believe that the Colca tour van is picking us up at 2:30 am???? we read that this way you get there in the morning when the condors are active. If you get there mid day, then unlikely to see them. whew- better see some condors!!



love to you all-



Click on the 'photos' below for more pictures







Click on photos below to see more pictures.

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Photos

Aguas Caliente (A.C.)
Beautiful sight from the window of the hostel.

Still smiling on our way to the Sun at Macchu Piccu
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Moray terraces
One of the most amazing sights we came upon. Hard to believe how much agriculture happens on plateaus high in the mountains. We saw fields of wheat and barley (Jose stopped so we could go out and check them!) corn, potatoes, quinoa, and who knows what else - looking like the prairies at 3500 metres.

Salt ponds at Moras
An underground stream feeds these salt ponds at Moras. Flow is controlled by moving rocks to adjoining ponds and when the water has evaporated, owners of the ponds can harvest the salt. People new to the community get ponds furthest away.

Chinchero
Chinchero is known for it's beautiful church which was built over Inca ruins. More so, though for the cooperative started by the women who make and sell their products at the town rather than selling to larger centres who take their share of the profits. So hard not to buy from everyone, but our packs are small!

Weaving Ladies
This picture is out of place from Ollantaytambo - the woman on the left was who wove the table runner.

Our driver Jose at Pummamarka
Jose took us to Moray, Moras and Chinchero before taking us back to Urubamba to our hostel.

View of the valley from Pummamarka
Out of order picture showing the view of the valley from the military site that we drove/climbed to from Ollantaytambo

Flying Dog Hostel
This was a resort at hostel prices!

Plaza de Armas in Cusco
People in Cusco have deep roots with the Quechua people who were here before the Spanish. This celebration (although we never officially found out what it was) certainly showed pride in their heritage.

what to do on a rainy day??
The breakfast room at the Kuska hostel in Cusco.

View of Cusco from the Best View Pub
Went on a free walking tour of Cusco and ended up in the San Blas area in the Best View pub for a pisco sour. Delicious and a great view.