SATURDAY – GETTING TO MACHU PICCHU

Another fabulous day. We are now at Aqua Calientes, the town just a 20 minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu. This town has nothing going for it. It is simply a tourist trap which exists for the purpose of servicing what it considers to be the needs of the visitors to Machu Picchu. The view from our window perhaps explains the nature of the place. Having said that, the hotel is basic but comfortable and the shops at street level are quite modern. We are going to dinner tonight at a restaurant Reni considers to be very good.

We got here by a very comfortable scenic train which closely followed the river. As the trip progressed, the nature of the country changed such that we are now back in the jungle. It's the jungle which caused nobody to be aware of the existence of the extensive Machu Picchu Inca construction until it was discovered in 1911.

We spent this morning at the Ollantaytambo archaeological site immediately adjacent to the town. It was a considerable climb to the top but well worth it. Apart from the site itself, the area around the town is littered with Inca ruins. While all we have heard about in the past is Machu Picchu, it is really small part of a much larger picture taking in a significant portion of Peru and adjacent countries.

Tomorrow we leave here on the first bus at 5:00 am to get to Machu Picchu before the crowds. Apparently it gets very busy later in the day. We hope it is worth the effort. After our visit to Machu Picchu, we return here, get back on the train to Ollantaytambo and then return to Cusco by mini bus. Monday is then a rest day in Cusco before we head for Bolivia.
 

I think that I am now once again up to date with the photos so you may wish to revisit recent blogs.

FRIDAY – OLLANTAYTAMBO – WHERE THE HELL'S THAT

The scenery just continues to get more spectacular. The four of us plus Reni left Cusco this morning in a 20 seater bus. Our first stop was the statue of Jesus, a giant statue which overlooks Cusco, apparently not unlike the one in Rio. On the way there, we passed the various sites we visited yesterday so Trish was able to see them, at least from the road. Trish has considerably improved and we are now at Ollantaytambo, approximately 1500 feet lower in altitude than Cosco so hopefully the altitude sickness is behind us.

Shortly after leaving Cusco, we crossed into the Sacred Valley where we followed the valley floor and the river that flows through it as we progressively descended. The valley has spectacularly high mountains on both sides of it.

 

In the Sacred Valley, we visited another Inca site being Pisaq It was the first site we visited where extensive Inca terraces exist. The stonework in and around the terraces wasn't as precise as the stonework in Cusco but it was extremely extensive and in good condition. Apparently, it wasn't of interest to the Spaniards because it was a rural area with no gold to be plundered so they left it intact – very impressive and quite steep to climb but we took it easy and got to the top.

 

This afternoon was really different and really interesting. There is a tourism project under way to bring tourists into the community so we visited three houses. We were completely intrigued as to what to expect but it was excellent. Our first visit was to Celia's home. She makes and sells chicka, an alcoholic drink made from corn. People who make chicka and have it available for sale display a pole with a red flag outside their homes.

Before we got to Celia's home, we passed through a village where the industry seems to be to try and entice passing tourists to stop and try their pig on a spit. There are numerous shops side by side with barbeque cooking facilities visible to the passing public and women standing outside displaying the pigs in the hope that tourists will stop and try some and many obviously do. We declined because the pigs on offer are guinea pigs, apparently a local delicacy.

 

Our second visit was to Monika who makes chocolate. Her home has an earth floor and is in typical poor condition as village houses tend to be but she was perfectly presented and her chocolate was excellent.

The third visit was to Bernadino's house. He is a potter who demonstrated his pot making skills. His house was relatively modern and very well presented. It included a gallery from which we bought a small piece to support the project.

Apparently the tour companies are being encouraged to bring tour groups into the communities to display their skills and to give them the opportunity to make some money. It seems to be a very worthwhile project.

This evening, we arrived at the town with the unpronounceable name, without doubt the quaintest town we have visited. The hotel, although situated behind a nondescript rock wall, is very modern and comfortable. There are other similar establishments in the town but externally, most of the buildings consist at least partially of ancient Inca structures and are located in original narrow Inca roads, certainly not designed for use by cars. Tuk tuks are very much in use here. They can negotiate the narrow streets.

 

Tomorrow we spend the morning exploring the Inca structures visible on the surrounding mountains before getting the train to Aguas Calientes, the town nestled in the forest at the foot of Machu Picchu.

THURSDAY – LEARNING ABOUT THE INCAS

Unfortunately Trish has been unwell all day and has spent most of it sleeping. Hopefully she will be well enough to resume activities tomorrow when we will be moving on for more Inca exploration.

As the observant among you will have noticed, I am now up to date with the photos so those posts other than Antarctic now have photos embedded and are worth revisiting. I have dealt with Antarctic in bulk even though a number of the photos need comment to explain their significance.

 

Before I talk about today, I want to share two photos from earlier days. The Police vehicle is in Lima and perhaps says something about what they are expecting to have to deal with. The sign banning entry to English pirates is at the entry to the port at Ishuaia and is apparently a reflection of the Argentinians attitude to the British after the Falklands war.

Today we (that is, the tour group other than Trish) spent the morning exploring the Inca construction contained in the outer areas of Cusco by minivan. Of course, the outer areas of Cusco are the mountains surrounding it. We got to an altitude of approximately 1200 feet higher than Cosco in our exploration. While Macchu Picchu seems to attract the publicity, the whole area was a stronghold of the Inca civilization. We have two more days exploration before we get to Macchu Picchu. Needless to say, the construction is all incredible having regard to when it was built and the lack of technology to shape the blocks weighing many tons and precisely put them into position.

 

 

This afternoon, we visited several of the museums here in town and got to read a lot about the arrival of the Spaniards and the subsequent demise of the Incas caused by the Spaniards taking advantage of some infighting within the family of the Inca King at the time.

Tomorrow we travel through the Sacred Valley to Ollantytmbo then the following day to Aquas Calientes at the foot of Machu Picchu. We descend in altitude from here so hopefully that will assist Trish's recovery.

 

 

THIS IS A SUPPLEMENTARY POST SHOWING MORE OF THE ANTARCTIC PHOTOS I ESPECIALLY LIKE