On our trip, Sarah and I met a cute family that would accompany us. Their names were Julia and Alfonso. Joining them was Julia’s nine-year-old son, Balto. Balto was Julia’s child from a first marriage that did not quite work out. I never could have figured out that this was the case since Alfonso seemed to get along so well with Balto. Perhaps it was the excessive coca tea from the morning, but I was delighted to see how their family dynamic fit so well that it was seamless. I know that the family I want to start will not be an ordinary “conventional” family. That prospect can breed some anxiety in me sometimes, and I just pray that the family I build with my partner will function as seamlessly. While I know that all couples have their own problems and worries when it comes to start families, Julia and Alfonso’s family hit home for me.
The drive between our hotel and Ollantaytambo, our train station’s location, took about two hours. I normally do not complain about travel time, but this one felt like it took forever. Our driver was fluent in the art of maniacal Peruvian driving, and fearing for your life certainly makes time go by much more slowly! As a consolation, though, the scenery was gorgeous. I was always in awe of what I saw, and I assume that all of the roads leading to the Sacred Valley of the Incas must be scenic one. Making our way through the Andes, we drove past the sights of lush green fields and rolling hills that stretched for miles, all of which were embellished with a workers who harvest fresh Peruvian crops for export.
When we finally arrived at the train station, I felt a lot less anxious. From there, we had to take the train to get to the last city of the valley, Aguas Calientes. Given Machu Picchu’s popularity, I was surprised to see that the train station was not something big and fancy. Rather, it was a simple station with a coffee shop and a few benches. Many villagers camped in front of the train station, where they sold snacks and souvenirs to travelers. We remained quite entertained as a result. We did not even have to wait very long before the train arrived.
I was slightly disappointed when I first saw the Vistadome. Since the floor is wooden and it was raining before we boarded, it quickly got dirty. The valley gets a fair amount of rain during this time of year. Sarah and I also received seats where we had to face another pair of passengers, lending us very little legroom. I still do not understand why we sat that way in the first place. Originally, the chairs we were in all faced a single direction. However, passengers could also adjust the seats so that the passengers in front of you could face you for the price of legroom, rather than have everyone be facing in one direction. For some reason, the passengers we sat with went with the less legroom option. We did not even talk to them, which made things even more awkward.
Regardless of some of its problems, the Vistadome still surprised me in some other ways. For example, we had fantastic views of the surrounding Andes. It was nice to be able to appreciate the flora around us. Since the Andes are so close to the equator, the Valley of the Incas rarely gets any snow, if ever. Therefore, the vegetation flourishes all year round. We watched the Urubamba River carve through the valley as we followed its path, which circles the perimeter of Machu Picchu Mountain and once served as protection for the Incas. In summary, what we observed made up for the slight discomfort we experienced.
After about an hour and a half, we eventually reached Aguas Calientes (recently renamed Machu Picchu Pueblo by the Peruvian government, lame, no?). Aguas Calientes reminds me of a downscaled version of Cuzco. However, in place of countless grandiose cathedrals, a large market dominates the heart of this village. Despite being the thoroughfare for Machu Picchu, thus attracting tons of tourists, Aguas Calientes still possesses an air of authenticity. Unfortunately, Frommer’s mentioned that the government is pouring extra money into this city in its efforts to modernize it for tourists in the future. I can only hope that it does not fall under the same ills as Lima, and maintains that countryside feeling that gives it its charm.
The last part of our journey to get to Machu Picchu was one bus-ride to the top of the mountain, which lasted about forty-five minutes. When Sarah and I got to the gate, we had to wait for our tour guide to arrive. We ended up joining a much larger group of English-speaking tourists. While there were many of us, the quality of the tour was still pretty good. I loved our tour guide. He was funny, and spoke with a very interesting accent. He gave every syllable he spoke an emphasis, but still managed to nuance each syllabus as well: “WEL!-COME TO MA!-CHU PI!-CCHU” Whenever we arrived to a new site, he started his presentation with a “Dear Friends.” The author of five books, the guy also clearly knew his stuff.
Machu Picchu itself was amazing. Literally breathtaking, but that was probably because exploring it also involves a lot of climbing at high altitudes. Whenever I visit ruins built by the Incans and Mayans, the mathematics and astronomy underlying the designs of their structures always amaze me. Machu Picchu has this one amazing temple for worshiping the sun god, and every summer solstice (June 21), the sun illuminates the entire temple. Our tour guide showed us a picture, beautiful.
After our tour, Sarah and I had some free time to explore the ruins and take some pictures. We found a pair of llamas on the terraces and decided to take pictures close-up with them. We also had some extra time to reflect on Machu Picchu’s exquisiteness for a while before it started raining and we had to head back down to Aguas Calientes. The drive down was scary. The road was incredibly wet, and the bus was slipping and sliding all over the place on the narrow road. A twelve-year-old dressed who was trying to earn some money dressed up as an Incan child and followed us all the way down the mountain, waving. Can you believe that? What was sad was that he only received tips for doing this, meager tips. I probably saw him receive two soles (sixty-six cents) from each person at most. This made me feel incredibly guilty, so I ended up giving him a couple of US dollars.
Sarah and I had a couple of hours to explore Aguas Calientes before having to catch our train back to Ollantaytambo. We were starving, so we first went to grab a bite to eat. The food at the restaurant tasted decent, but its service was not the best; the food took forever to get to us. I cannot really blame the owners though, since there were only two people running the restaurant. I assume that they were a couple. The wife was a server at the restaurant, and the husband worked as a chef in the kitchen. The couple was in charge of taking orders and preparing food for about fifteen customers in the restaurant, and most of us ordered very different dishes. It must be tough to work under that pressure on a daily basis because one person was responsible for cooking at least ten different dishes. Although Sarah and I grew impatient, I think we realized what they had to work with and we still spared a good amount of change for a decent tip.
After our thirty-minute-turned-two-hours meal, Sarah and I explored the market in Aguas Calientes. The rain poured everywhere and everyone was getting wet. Luckily, a gigantic blue tarp protected all of the booths from the rain. Rain or shine, the sellers were there to stay. I purchased some souvenirs for a couple of friends of mine in the booth right in front of the restaurant, but I did not find anything I liked in the market. I had also just realized that I lost my damn umbrella so I was in no mood to spend any more money, considering how I had just paid for the tour as well.
Nothing notable occurred on the ride back. I noticed that the trip home went by a lot faster since I slept most of the time. I heard that the train attendants threw a little parade, which many of the passengers enjoyed.
After the ride, I had my first Spanish-faux pas. Well, it first started on the train when the attendants were kind enough to pass out dinner to its members. I was not very hungry; it was also the same thing we had for lunch. I decided to save the food for later in case I got hungry. As soon as Sarah and I got off the train, we saw a mother and daughter begging for money for food. When I passed them, Sarah suggested that I give my untouched food to them, which was a great idea. Although, I hope it was not a terribly offensive gesture. Anyway, I originally wanted to ask them “Do you want it?” which is “Tu quieres?” in Spanish. Instead of saying that, I accidentally said “Te quiero?” which is “Do I love you?” To which they responded yes. That was a horrible thing to mess up on, but I did not realize it until it was too late. Sarah noticed too and I would not hear the end of it for the rest of the evening.
Oy!
Anyway, tomorrow I am going back to Lima. I cannot say that I am too excited, since I think I saw everything there was to see already. I think I am going to try my best to go to this Cevicheria that Frommer’s recommended. I am excited about that! Ciao!
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