Peru: A short break in Aguas Calientes before Cusco

Aguas Calientes, literally translated as "hot waters" because of its thermal baths. I can't comment on this because I didn't visit any. I arrived Aguas Calientes at night, stayed overnight, woke up and went to Mach Picchu. I had a couple of hours in Aguas Calientes before my train back to Ollantaytambo followed by colectivo to Cusco. It was a long day but interestingly I wasn't really tired, I only napped for a bit on the train and colectivo, probably endorphin at work after seeing MP.

Aguas Calientes isn't big and the shops are mostly souvenir shops or restaurants. I flipped through the menus as I walked passed and noticed that they were more expensive that Ollantaytambo. I decided to walk to the market and have my lunch there.

I had the set lunch with starter of sopa trigo to olluco (wheat and olluco soup), lomo saltodo as main mel and agua de limón y sandía (lemon and watermelon water). Olluco is some sort of Andean tuber. Lomo saltado is a popular peruvian stir fry beef dish. It is usually done with yellow pepper and onion. This lunch set kept me full till night!

Lunch meal set cost S/9 (~USD 2.70 / ~AUD 3.75 / RM 11). While I was eating, I noticed there were other people who ordered only the main or just the soup and of course it was cheaper. It was only then that I know I don't have to have the set!

Then it started raining again. I guess I was very lucky that despite it rained when I was in MP but it stopped before I started hiking HP and I had good weather the whole time I was in MP. Nothing much to be done, I checked out the shops, got a postcard and posted out. I am convinced the said postcard is written off as my friend has not received it yet.

The rain stopped and I went back to the hostel and grabbed my back and went to the train station. After awhile, it started pouring. Oh and there was free wi-fi at the station.

I got the 16:22 Expedition 504 back to Ollantaytambo. The train took about 2 hours and right after reaching Ollantaytambo, I haggled for a colectivo to Cusco. I paid S/15 (~USD 4.50 / ~AUD 6.30 / ~RM 18.40) for this part of the travel. It took about 90 mins to 2 hours or so. I think if you are good at this monetary negotiation thingy, the price would be even lower, maybe S/5 cheaper.

I don't know if it was because I took the colectivo right after the arrival of train to Ollantaytambo or the traffic was always so busy but it took very long to get out of Ollantaytambo itself. There were a lot of stopping. I'm sure the colectivo driver felt the same because once we got out of town area, he made a turn to some construction looking area with no cars. From there he made many turns to similar looking half-way built constructions with no other vehicle aside from us. Once or twice he cut areas with some earthmoving vehicles and workers around.

Most of us just rested or slept but one of my fellow passenger got really worried and made a lady next to her to ask the driver where were we. It appeared that the driver was taking a short cut. So all was good. Worried fellow passenger was also quite chatty and tried to make conversation but nobody really responded as we were are drifting in and out of sleep, or just really not friendly according to her. Haha.

I made it to Cusco and checked in to Frankenstein Hostel at about 9pm. Good thing was that the colectivo dropped us just a block away from the hostel.


Side note: Melbourne needs to cool down!

Peru: The magnificent Machu Picchu

As I mentioned in my previous post, I booked the 6:00 entrance to MP, which translated to I needed to wake up fairly early. On top of that, I was also worried that I overslept, I didn't have a very restful sleep, unfortunately. To make things slightly worse, I woke up with a mild gastric pain. I popped an antacid for prevention but it was no help. I then remembered that it had passed the expiry date so many not be very effective so I took 2 more but the dull ache lingered. At this point, I wasn't sure if it was an indication of food poisoning since I ate at a random food stall in Pisac market the day before and the food was pre-cooked. So I took a dose of imodium even though there wasn't any other symptoms. I am usually not this prompt in downing so many pills in such short span of time but I was determined to avoid battling gastric pain and gasping of air when I hike up Huayna Picchu. The ache finally went away, I wasn't sure if it was food poisoning because that was all I had, thankfully.

After a very small breakfast (didn't want to aggravate the tummy), I walked out to get the bus. (Please remember your printed out MP tickets, bus tickets and passport!) In my backpack, I also carried water, a couple of muesli bars, camera, raincoat and some random stuff like hand sanitiser and tissue (I am not so organised and don't have all this stuff on any random day).

It started raining when I was in the queue to get in to MP, it was heavy enough for me to take out my poncho, and yes, HP was still opened for hiking. After entering MP, I made my way towards Huayna Picchu entrance. There are many signs around so noob like me won't go missing.

On entering the check point to HP, I had to pen down some details which are the usual of name, country of origin, but it also includes age, date of entry, etc. The wait to get in was quite long despite the queue wasn't. The guard joked that it took so long because many people has issue penning down their age. Luckily the rain has stopped while I was in the queue to enter HP.

HP was easier than I expected, most likely because I am very good in scaring myself. There are some narrow paths where there is no way anyone can bypass anyone else, very high steps but I got to the end in about an hour. I didn't have any training prior because work got in the way (ahem: I was lazy too). It started off where I would walk up 7 floors to where my work station is but after awhile the office building locked the door to the staircase if access from ground floor so I stopped even the little training that I started.

The bit that I was worried the most was the section called "Stairs of Death". They are rock steps of about 183 metres long.

I guess going up isn't as scary but what goes up must come down, so one needs to go down this too even though there are parts that you don't go down the same way. Not this set of stairs though. Many people wrote that the hike up HP isn't hard but don't attempt it if you suffer from vertigo or fear of heights. My friend commented why do I worry since I am not acrophobia. Well, I don't have phobia towards heights but I have fear of falling, hence I always end up standing by the pool side for ages before jumping in.

As fate has it, a doggie decided to jump in in front of me as I was about to climb up. Gave me a little fright due to surprise when the dog appeared bypassed me but of course I let the dog go first.

As you can see, it could be foggy in the early morning. I stayed a little, so did the others so it could get a little crowded at the top as people lingered to wait for the fog to clear. I waited for about half an hour but the best I view I had was like this.

It got a little warm on my way down but the fog didn't clear. On reaching the ground again, I followed the arrow sign and it brought out to the exit! I don't know how to back track to the entrance and possibly I can't because of the one way direction that we are supposed to follow. However, as my ticket included HP climb, I was allowed one re-entry. Upon my first exit, I dropped by the toilet again (there is no toilet in MP grounds) before re-entering.

After re-entering, I picked the upper circuit trail to the Caretakers Hut. If you are up for another hike, you can also do the hike to the Sun Gate. At that time, my view was like this. I was quite prepared that all I could see was a foggy MP albeit a little disappointed and hopeful that the fog would lift.

For the next 20 minutes of so, it remained like this.

So you can see I stood around the Caretakers Hut for awhile despite all I could only see glimpse of this famous Inca ruins. Then this happened.

There is no words to describe the feeling of seeing Machu Picchu at its home, when the fog finally lifted, revealing the Inca ruins. Seeing this unfolding right in front of me is just magical. I might not take the best picture versus the one I can find online but seeing this in real life is simply incomparable. Definitely worth the journey.

I continue hovering around the Caretakers Hut and took 1234123 (yes, I made up the numbers) photos but many photos were taken so even though I lost all my pictures taken using my camera, I still have many on the phone... haha.

I did walk the rest of the grounds before going through the exit again. Remember to look for a little table on your left after you exited to stamp your passport! I visited on 29th October 2018 and the table was just after the exit.


Here are some timing if you are trying to gauge how long things are.
05:25 - started queuing for bus
05:44 - got on a bus
(forgot to record how long was the bus ride but I think it was about 30 minutes)
The longest wait was actually the queue to get in MP itself and to get in HP.
The washroom (SS.HH - servicios higienicos) fee outside MP is S/2. The most expensive I've paid for any public toilets in Peru that I've been.
06:45 - walked to Huayna Picchu from entrance
06:54 - queued to enter HP
07:26 - entered HP
08:28 - reached the top of HP
08:54 - started to hike down
09:38 - reached the bottom of HP
12:28 - started queue for bus to get back to Aguas Calientes
12:40 - got on a bus because the bus that was departing was short of 1 person so I got on the bus but I wasn't at the front of the queue yet.


Side note: The luxury train to MP is named Hiram Bingham, after the explorer who made public the existence of Inca citadel of MP in 1911 with guidance of local indigenous farmers. 

Peru: Getting on Expedition 75 to Machu Picchu

Even if you are a very relaxed traveller or want to just play it spontaneously and go as you want, if going to Machu Picchu is on the card, this is the one thing you need to pre-plan. Maybe not exactly one thing, they come in a "bundle" - entrance tickets to Machu Picchu and how to get there. Tickets are not sold at Machu Picchu itself. I didn't feel like joining a trekking company to do Inca Trail by myself. It wasn't purely due to my limited stamina but more so I wasn't sure I was up for social talks throughout the whole Inca Trail journey by myself.

Regardless train or Inca Trail - both need to be pre-arranged. I read that booking for Inca Trail can be fully booked out a few months before hand. Tickets to Huayna Picchu may run out as well. There are a few other things to be considered if you want to get to Machu Picchu, if you have decided to take the train.

What time do you want to go in?
Which train do you want to take to get there?
Which train do you want to take for return?
Do you want to visit the main ground only or do you also want to visit the mountains?
If you want to visit the mountains, do you want to visit Huayna (Wayna) Picchu and/or Machu Picchu Mountain?
Do you have enough time there? 

I bought my tickets online on Perurail. I find that many Peruvian websites only take visa card, as well as in Peru itself.

I took Expedition 75 at 19:04 from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. Journey time is about 1 hour 50 minutes. The issued ticket is tagged to passport number, ticket was checked against passport prior to boarding.

I carried all my luggage with me, which consisted of a 30 litres backpack and a smaller backpack. Despite the train ticket mentioned of luggage restriction, I saw people lugging a medium size trolley bag and got on the train. I don't know how strict they are with the luggage but there was no check at all when I was there.

Upon arriving at Aguas Calientes, I checked in to El Tambo Machupicchu. The reception staff was very informative which make sense as Aguas Calientes is the gateway to Machupicchu. I guess every traveller who make their way to Aguas Calientes are making their way to Machu Picchu.

Right after dropping my bag, I went out to get my bus ticket to Machu Picchu. There is a queue to get on the bus to Machu Picchu the next morning and ticket office is at another location. So to save time, it is advisable to get the tickets before hand. Do bring along your passport when you buy the bus tickets too.

I paid in soles - S/81 for return ticket

I bought my tickets online and got the one with admissions to Huayna Picchu (HP). This website provides a step by step screenshot on how to buy the tickets. I got the group 1 entrance to Huayna Picchu - admission to MP at 06:00 and entrance to HP at 07:00-08:00. Thereafter I read though that the second group admission (10:00-11:00) may be better because usually by then the fog would've be lifted.

For return to Ollantaytambo, I took Expedition 504 the next day, at 16:22 to return to Ollantaytambo.


Side note: Hooray for long weekend!

Peru: A day trip to Pisac

I was a lazy tourist who woke up and leisurely had breakfast at 8ish morning. I suspect the rest have already departed and went on their way as I was the only one at the dining area and travelling activities in Peru mostly had early start, like hiking. I was served some cereal with fruits and yoghurt first, I wasn't sure what else was included in the breakfast provided so I started on my food. The omelette came later after I have finished my cereal, a bit like breakfast starter and main course.

As it was a Sunday, I decided to make my way to Pisac as there is a big Sunday market. Otherwise one could also travel to Pisac from Cusco, in fact the distance is slightly shorter. There are contradicting opinions on the market if you read the reviews but I've not been to any market, there really is nothing to compare or judged. Sure, there were many souvenir stalls but there were also stalls selling Alpaca goods, cooked food.

Getting to Pisac town
There is no direct public transport to Pisac from Ollantaytambo (excluding taxi). So to get to Pisac, a transfer of colectivo at Urumbamba is required.

Ollantaytambo to Urubamba takes about 30 minutes, S/2 (~USD 0.20 / ~AUD 0.83 / ~RM 2.46). Urubamba to Pisac, about an hour, S/5 (~USD 1.50 / ~AUD 2.10 / ~RM 6.16).
However on the way back I was told to pay S/4 for the colectivo from Pisac to Urumbamba.

I think the colectivo fare could be higher on Sunday compared to other days because I heard the driver said domingo (Sunday) when a local passenger asked him.

I got on the colectivo to Urubamba from outside the market in Ollantaytambo and continued till Urubamba's main station. What I didn't realise was that the connecting colectivo wasn't at the station. I was told that to it was about 10-15 minutes walk from the station. The direction I was given was - walk out of the station, turn left and walked about 10-15 minutes (i.e backtrack to the direction where the colectivo came from).

Unfortunately there wasn't a very clear indication of how the colectivo stop looked like as there is no sign to indicate that it is a stop or station. It would be on your left and when you see many colectivos (white colour vans), just go in and ask.

Getting to / fro Pisac ruins
This is the pricey bit, unless you walk about uphill to the ruins from Pisac town (probably 2 hours). Alternative is to take a taxi there. It was hot and my lungs capacity were still poor, I didn't really need any other motivation and paid for the taxi. It did feel ridiculous that I paid S/25 (~USD 7.50 / ~AUD 10.55 / ~RM 31) for the 20 minutes ride as compared to my commute from Ollantaytambo. Yes, I paid the same amount on the way down. I could've walk down and was contemplating that but it was getting really hot then (read: lazy tourist started the day late) and I wanted to save some time as I travelled out of Ollantaytambo later in the evening.

The view getting to Pisac is amazing right?

Pisac ruins

This Inca citadel sits on a hilltop above the village. It boast an impressive agricultural terracing. Above them are narrow-ish footpath and steep stairs to the the top, where the ceremonial center is located. There are some simple signs telling you are looking at so you won't be completely lost.

After spending some time exploring the ruins, I found a taxi to take me back to the town. Remember, otherwise there's the walking option. Downhill isn't as taxing as going uphill. Majority of the vehicles there were waiting for other people though but there are random ones who had just send someone there, like me.

Pisac market
Pisac market is one of the famous markets in Cusco, especially the Sunday market. A large section of the market is dedicated for souvenirs and handicrafts if you want to buy Inca related goods like alpaca clothing, sweaters, scarves, backpacks, etc. As the market is really quite big, it wasn't crowded at all. At the main square, the local communities dressed up in their colourful clothing and set up shop selling their wares. I had opted to have lunch at one of the stalls. I was shown what ready cooked food they have and I get picked what I wanted. Initially I thought she was just going to grab a bit of everything so I ended up with quite a big plate. I was stuffed! I paid S/10 (~USD 3 / ~AUD 4.20 / ~RM 12.50) for my very, very big plate of rice with dishes. Despite very full, I can't pass on chicha morada, S/1 (~USD 0.30 / ~AUD 0.42 / ~RM 1.25) and not tried it. It is deep purple colour and made from dried corn. It was refreshing and I actually quite like the taste of it.

Getting to Ollantaytambo from Pisac
It works the same way as getting to Pisac, just the other way around. Colectivos leaving Pisac to Urubamba stop at the bridge that crosses river to town. Colectivos to other places also stop at the same place, but once you get there, just ask where to wait for colectivo to Urubamba and the locals will point you to the right direction. I've included the fare I paid above.

On my return to Ollantaytambo, Ollantaytambo was celebrating the town's anniversary, that was at the end of October. There were dances performances at the middle of the square and circling outside were food stalls. I tried to watch a little, it was not easy as everybody seems to tower over me but I managed a little. I returned to the hostel thereafter, chatted with the hostel staffs a bit before I make my way to the train station to Aguas Calientes!


Side note: I was told by the staff at Ollantaytambo hostel where I stayed that one needs to have Peruvian identification document to buy a mobile sim card. I asked him because initially I thought it would be handy to get one though I usually don't. He was willing to help me to get one but in the end, I didn't because I was getting along ok without connection, thanks to maps.me. That said, for some reason maps.me kept on telling me that it takes 50 minutes to walk to Ollantaytambo train station even though it was only about 15 minutes walk away. 

Peru: Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo is a small town connected by cobblestones streets and brown buildings on Inca stonework. There are many steps going up and down, much to my lungs' despair. I had a misstep and almost fall and tumbled down a flight of steps upon arriving at Ollantaytambo, along with my backpacks, no thanks to my clumsiness and lungs that was trying to catch up with my oxygen intake.

Julio dropped me at Ollantaytampu Hostel Patacalle. I initially booked a room with shared bath but was upgraded to one with attached bath. The reception was so cute, he asked me, "do you mind if I give you a room with bathroom attached?" Of course not! The room was clean, come with a double bed and small table. Imagine it with an energy saving light bulb with very low wattage, one with a somewhat reddish hue too. One thing missing from most of the bathrooms in hostels that I stayed in was exhaust fan. So it took awhile for the bathroom to be dry, especially after a hot shower.

After checked in, I went out for lunch! After I asked the hostel for recommendation, I headed to Apu Veronica. I ordered the set lunch menu at S/17 (~USD 5 / ~AUD 7 / ~MYR20),  which came with a starter of pumpkin soup and main of grilled fish plus a drink. I wanted to try chicha morada because I am not familiar with it at the time, unfortunately they didn't have it at the time. So I asked for a bottle of water instead. Peruvian set lunch menu is my absolute favourite thing to order when I was in Peru - local food, yummy, affordable.

After lunch, I walkabout the town. It didn't take long to finish walking the town because it wasn't big. The reception guy said it takes 10 minutes to walkabout Aguas Calientes and 30 minutes to walkabout Ollantaytambo. Haha.

After that I make myself to the biggest attraction in Ollantaytambo - Ollantaytambo ruins.

It is believed that the Ollantaytambo ruins date back to the 15th century, built by Inca Pachacutec. From afar, one can see huge terraces which were build for farming and irrigation system. At the top of the fortress is the military area. Years later, it was also a site of a major battle against Spanish during a rebellion led by Inca Manco. I was still panting and puffing with the slightest elevation and almost talked myself out of climbing those terraces. The rain that started drizzling wasn't any help in motivating me but I am glad I made my way up those steps.

I had an early night but not before I picked up some yummy picarones which are Peruvian doughnuts with local squash and sweet potatoes. I found them outside Ollantaytambo market. They were sold in four for s/1.50 (~USD 0.45/ ~AUD 0.62 / ~RM 1.84).They were made fresh, so still hot with almost crispy exteror and doughy interior with drizzled of syrup, served in a disposable plate. They were good and not too sweet!

I, unfortunately lost the photo but it was a bad photo anyway, because I was determined to bring them back to the room and and enjoyed them. Imagine me carrying a plate of 4 picarones trying to navigate the cobblestones street back to the hostel and accidentally took one or two wrong turns, despite it being a small town! Haha.. it was already getting dark anyway (not because I took the wrong turns) and remember I mentioned the room was lit by low wattage reddish light? That's my long winded story as to why I had a poor photo of the picarones.

The other site to visit in Ollantaytambo is free. I visited this the next day - Pinkuylluna.

The entrance to Pinkuylluna isn't big, it is just like an opened door with a staircase leading up to uneven walkway. I didn't hike all the way up but only until a good height to take some photos. Haha. The best thing is Ollantaytambo ruines can be viewed from Pinkuylluna.

Side note: I am running out of shows to watch... :/

Peru: Chinchero, Maras and Moray

After 3 flights, 2 transits and total flying time of about 18 hours I decided that getting a taxi from Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (Cusco) to Ollantaytambo will be good for my sanity. I landed in Cusco at about 6 in the morning and it seemed a waste if I disregard Chinchero, Maras and Moray on my way to Ollantaytambo. It is only logical that I make a stop on the way to Ollantaytambo as they are exactly that, on the way. Of course, I could get myself to Ollantaytambo first before getting a colectivo and visit them but despite expensive, it was definitely worth the money spent when I landed in a cold, rainy Cusco.

The main reason why I proceeded to Ollantaytambo right after I reached Cusco was because of the altitude. At 11,152 feet above sea level, Cusco is higher than the rest of the Sacred Valley.

There are two recommended companies to consider if one is to pre-book a taxi - Taxidatum and Cusco Local Friend. Both have very good ratings in Tripadvisor but I went with the former because of cost. Not a big variation but it is still cheaper. The driver, Julio (?sp) was already waiting at the exit of the arrival terminal with a board with my name but really, there probably wasn't a need for it. I was the only Asian who walked out of the airport at that time. First stop was Chinchero.

Chinchero

Firstly the driver dropped me off a 'house' in Chinchero village for demonstration of traditional textile dyeing. Despite beautiful scenery along the way, I fell asleep along with the moving car motion. I remembered my first thought was - I hope there is more to Chinchero as I was obviously not in a shopping mode first thing in the morning after getting off a flight.

Anyway, I got off the car and saw alpacas and guinea pigs. There were so many guinea pigs and for some reason the squeaky noises they made felt like sounds from video games. I was first served a cup of hot tea, which was brilliant as it was colder than I anticipated as it was autumn in the southern hemisphere. In front of me were some plants, flowers and wool in different colours. I was shown how to wash sheared alpaca wool and how washed and dried wool made into thread for textiles. The lady who did the demonstration also showed how they extract the different colours for dyeing process. The demonstration ended with her weaving the threads into shawls. I was then ushered to where they sell shawls, beanie, etc. I had a browse but wasn't in any shopping mood, I said thank you and left.

Fortunately, there is more to Chinchero. My next stop was Chinchero ruins. Entrance fee applies and this is where you'll need to decide which type of tickets that you want. A full ticket "Boleto General" covers 16 archeological and cultural sites in both Cusco and Sacred Valley. It isn't cheap and costs S/130 (~USD 39 / ~AUD 54 / ~MYR 163) but valid for 10 days. There are also 3 different partial tickets at S/70 each. I initially wanted to take Circuit III which valid for 2 days and covers Pisaq, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero and Moray but ended up getting the general tickets as I also wanted to visit Saqsayhuaman and these will take more than 2 days.

I walked up the steps leading to the ruins at Chinchero. They consist of a series of nested terraces and a church which was built in the early 1600's. Photography is not allowed inside the church. It wasn't a big ruin but the surrounding scenery was beautiful.

On my way down back to the car, I bought a beef empanada (S/3) for breakfast.

Salt Pans of Maras / Salinas de Maras

As we cruised towards these salt pans, Julio told me we have reached the town of Maras. We didn't stop but just passed through. However, Julio stopped by the road side for me to take some photos as we approached the salt pans.

These salt pans command a spectacular view as it cascade down a hillside valley like uneven steps. They were said to be first created sometime pre-Incas. Whilst it looks quite big but the area can be accessed isn't large. There is a separate ticket to go in to the salt pans and it cost S/10 (~USD 3 / ~AUD 4 / ~MYR 13). I met a fellow visitor from Columbia who was limping a little due to muscle soreness as she hiked up Huayna Picchu the day before. Ahem, that worried me a little. Haha. On the other hand, she also told me that it was the first day she was such glorious sunshine, despite the rain earlier.

Moray

These circular terraces are archaeological site about 50km away from Cusco. The full purpose of these concentric terraces are not fully known but it is believed that it could be related to agriculture. By this state I was already gasping for air when I walked a little faster or when there were very insignificant uphill patch. This was when I suspected I could've experience a mild case of seroche (altitude sickness).

The 3 stops probably took about half a day or so. By the time I reached Ollantaytambo, it was a good time for lunch.


Side note: I started writing this post in November! It got stalled because unfortunately I lost all my photos that was taken with my camera. All the ones left are the ones taken with my phone. The majority of my photos were taken by camera though... so... there... sigh.