Aguas Calientes/Mt. Putuhusi

After an expensive train ride from Ollantaytambo, we arrived in Aguas Calientes. We got there around 2pm and decided we would see Machu Picchu the next day. Lonely Planet mentioned another mountain you could hike up for free which had a great view of the ruins of Machu Picchu. Before heading out we bought our entrance ticket to Machu Picchu for the next day and inquired at a tourist info booth how to get to the free mountain, also known as Putuhusi. We were told to follow the train tracks a bit out of town and then we would see the entrance to the hike, and that it would take us about an hour to reach the top. What we found out however, was that it wasn't much of a hike, it felt more like taking the stairs up the CN Tower; uneven, sketchy stairs made out of stone. There were also some really tall wooden ladders we needed to climb straight up. One hour? HA! It took us TWO hours to reach the top! By the time we got there it was 6pm and the sun was setting. We snapped a few pictures of the view of machu picchu, and headed back down again after less than ten minutes, which sucked since we were both super exhausted by this point. But we had no time to spare since we needed to rush down before it became too dangerous on the steps/ladders in the dark.

Dave on top of Mt. Putuhusi with Machu Picchu in the background

After a quarter way down it was clear we were not going to make it and we had just enough light to grab a few twigs for a fire, and miraculously we found a dead tree to burn. It was pitch black before we had time to scout out a safe spot to camp for the night and to make matters worse it started to rain. We were stuck on a 3 foot wide pathway and couldn't go more than 10 metres in either direction, since one way led to steep steps back up and cliff drop offs, the other way to the treacherous ladders. We had to resort to falling into the brush on the side of the pathway to keep dry. After 15 minutes or so the rain stopped so we began building our fire, where we sat. Fortunately we had a lighter so getting the fire started wasnt a problem, but finding wood/kindling was quite difficult in the dark. For the first hour or so, our nerves were on edge. We could hear bats squeaking all around us and at one point some unidentified animal (lol maybe a possum?) started screaming at us. We both jumped to our feet, ready to fight it off, but it stopped and went away before we got to see it.

Our fire

Things got better after that. We discovered that the place we had fallen into was covered in super soft moss, and after a few hours of us sitting there it had formed into a comfy couch complete with armrests. Sleeping was difficult though, since the fire would die down and it would get too cold. We tried sleeping in shifts but once all the good firewood was burned it took both our efforts to keep the fire alive. One of us scavenged for more wood, the other kept stoking the fire. Finally dawn came. Around 5:30am we headed down the mountain, arrived at our hostel at around 6:30 and went to sleep.

Chillin by the fire

Leaf-Stick!!

Dawn. Finally we can get off this bloody mountain!!

Well, after the night we had we were in no shape to climb Machu Picchu that day. So instead we went to the hot springs to soothe our aching muscles. Then afterward we went out for dinner and drinks. Restaurants in Aguas Calientes are quite aggressive for your business. We were on a pedestrian street with restaurants on either side of it and at one point we were approached by three different owners who actually took hold of us and gently tried to pull us in to their respective establishments. We went with the place that offered us the best deal and had a great dinner. Then we went to bed nice and early, filled with the excitement that we would finally be getting to see the cherry on top of our trip to Peru: Machu Picchu!!

Day ?? Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo was our first (and so far only) stop in the Sacred Valley. Ollantaytambo is home to some very important Incan ruins.... one of the last strongholds of the Incan Empire (versus the Spaniards). The Spaniards first attempt to attack did not work - they were showered with arrows from above by the Incans in the ruins, and the Incans flooded the valley with water... the Spaniards retreated, chased by the victorious Incans... check out the pics and imagine how effective this fortress was! The Spaniards came back later with many more troops however and did conquer this site. The fortress is built into the side of a mountain... there was another smaller fortress on another mountain on the other side of the valley.

The view from the top of the ruins, looking down.

It was SO WINDY at the top of the mountain! Dave was holding on to his hat.

My hair was wild with the wind.

Standing on top of Ollantaytambo... you can see more ruins behind me on the other mountain.

Now these are some pictures from a hike we took around the valley... do you see the pig laying on the ground next to the horse? Those are 3 Peruvian children by the way approaching the horsey.

Dave's fake smile is due to this being the umpteenth picture!

Okay these are more pictures of the ruins... sorry the order is messed up, but it takes too long to fix!

Now these again are pictures from our hike.

Here´s Dave by a huge cactus octopus.. there are many of these of various sizes here. In the background you can see the enormousness of Ollantaytambo in comparison to the village.

This is the railway line that runs to Machu Picchu, straight through the mountains in the distance. This is the "only" way to Machu Picchu - by train. We found a cheaper way out though!!! :) More later.

Remember the pig from the start of our hike? This is what it looked like at the end of our hike, when we returned to this spot. I snuck a picture of the pig, but I didn't take a picture of the villagers for fear of offending them... I'll describe it - there was about 12 people by the water, children and adults, and they were all going through the process of preparing the pig meat. Some women were washing out the intestines by putting a hose in one side and spraying the water through it.. the men were chopping the torso of the pig.. the kids were half playing half helping. It seemed like a very natural scene - I'm sure much less disgusting than our factory farming!!