Day 369: Ollantaytambo + Aguas Calientes

We are Machu Picchu bound! First stop: Ollantaytambo, where we would catch a train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the bottom of Machu Picchu. I think we were all a little bit excited, nervous, and maybe a little scared of our climb up Huayna Picchu the next day and apprehensive of Aguas Calientes. The small tourist town does not have the best reputation. Prices for everything are super inflated, yet most visitors are forced to pay them if wanting to stay close to Machu Picchu. Andrew had looked up places to avoid, questions to ask before sitting down for dinner, and we generally psyched ourselves up to be on guard for any and all scams upon our arrival. This is when travel wears me down. However, what we didn’t prepare ourselves for were all of the Incan archeological sites en route, surrounding Ollantaytambo, and along the train tracks to Aguas Calientes. It turned my frown upside down and really helped to boost the excitement, outweighing the other negative feelings about the town and apprehension of our climb!

We caught a shared mini-van to Ollantaytambo early in the morning. It was a pretty beautiful ride through the mountains only lasting about an hour and a half. I believe Ollantaytambo is a fairly recent name for the town, in other words, not the name that the Incan Emporer Pachacuti gave to the royal estate that he had built in the center. During the Spanish conquest, Manco Inca Yupanqui, the resistance leader (after the Spanish Incan puppet leader) resided here. It’s all a bit confusing. If you’re interested in learning more about the Incans and the discovery of Machu Picchu, check out Turn Right at Machu Picchu. (Great recommendation, Michelle!) It helped put some of the pieces of the puzzle together for me and also made me realize I probably need to read some more books to understand it all…

Ollantaytambo is also one of the starting points for the Inca Trail. We would have loved to do the Inca Trail, but as it turns out, you need to book your tour six months to a year ahead of time and it’s ‘spensive! We’ll just have to squeeze it into our next year around the world. 

Ollantaytambo is small. One central square surrounded by a couple of cafes and tourist shops and that’s about it. We snuck up to the square to have a look around before it was time to get on the train, had a snack, some coca tea, and then hustled it back down to the train station where complete madness broke out. On our way onto the tracks, we passed the employees timecards. I was surprised they were just out in the open like this! They reminded me of a few old jobs I had where I had to punch in.

Ok, so maybe it wasn’t madness, but it certainly wasn’t anywhere near orderly. Once we got onto the tracks, we waited in line. Then had to move to the other side of the tracks for a train to pass through. Then our train (or so we thought what was our train) left. Then we got in line again only to be told to get in a different line by another Peru Rail employee. Madness. But once we got on the train, the ride was pretty gorgeous. The skylights totally helped aid in the experience. What a perfect way to see the countryside and roll into Aguas Calientes.

I didn’t realize until Momma joined us in Peru that I always sit by the window and Andrew always sits in the aisle. This is mostly so he has more legroom and works with me wanting to take pictures or video along the way. I’ve had to share the window seat with Momma throughout Peru, and I’d be lying if I wasn’t starting to get a little pouty about it. I finally opened up about it and she laughed at me, and then shared the window. I probably made everyone on the train nervous holding my DSLR out the window for half of the ride.

Aguas Calientes is as obnoxious as everyone says it is. It’s named for the hot water springs located around the city center, but we were told to avoid them as they have become dirty and overpopulated with tourists. Technically these days the city has been renamed Machu Picchu Pueblo, but no one uses this name. We dropped off our things at our hotel, run by someone who could have cared less that we were there, except when we handed over our money.

When we went out to walk around and eventually find something to eat, we had to constantly consult Andrew’s cheat sheet to see if we sat down at a particular restaurant, would we get ripped off or not. This is such an annoying way to try to enjoy a city in a foreign country and it angers me. If the city weren’t set up this way (to rip every visitor off) it would be more likely visitors would stay longer and enjoy the escape in the middle of the mountains, but noooo everyone gets in. sees Machu Picchu. and gets out. 

In case you find yourself in Aguas Calientes, copy Andrew’s cheat sheet before you go out for a bite to eat:

Always ask: No tax, no servicio, no nada mas? Otherwise, you might be lured into a restaurant with reasonable prices listed and then when you get the bill it’s suddenly triple the price because of additional fees they have added on without informing you.

Don’t go to:

-El Tunqui

-Pizzeria Amaru

-Apuss

-Chayna

-Apu Qoyllur Rit’i

-Qhawarina

-Hatun Runa

Maybe (a ripoff):

-Mapi

-Keros

-Rustica Fabrizzio’s

-Chez Maggy

Ok:

-Chullpi Machupicchu

-Inti House

-Canton Chifa

-Inka Wasi

-Pachamama Pizzeria

-Mama Angelica

-Kintu

-La Espiga

We ended up at a lovely Indian restaurant, Govinda, up the hill towards the hot springs entrance. The owner looked at Andrew like he was crazy when he asked “No tax, no servicio, no nada mas?” We figured it was a good sign and sat down. The food was good, the atmosphere was super calm- especially compared to the other restaurants lining the same street, and I can only hope other restaurants follow suit offering a straightforward menu, good service, and good food! On our way back to our hotel, we encountered these little ones who obviously spent the day climbing Machu Picchu and couldn’t walk any more. Probably not, but it was fun watching them sprawl out on this pedestrian bridge like they owned it. A few minutes later, their mom was reprimanding them and dragging them to one side- taking all of the fun out of it!

Day 367: Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca is the largest lake in South America. According to our guide for the afternoon, 60% of it is Peruvian and 40% of it is Bolivian. However, he assured us if we were to find ourselves on the Bolivian side of the lake, we would be told that 60% is Bolivian. While the lake itself provides some beautiful scenery, its popularity stems more from the people who live on the lake. Tours go daily out to man-made islands, known as the Uros Islands, and the natural islands, Taquile and Amanatani (if you have time). We opted for a day tour to see one of the Uros Islands and Taquile. It was interesting – a little Disneyland-esque at times, but beautiful and I was finally able to have some fun with my Polaroid camera again! Which may have been my favorite part!

Per usual, we were picked up early in the morning only to drive around the city for an hour picking up others at their respective hotel before we even made it to the boats. I’m all for a hotel pick-up, but after a year of driving around in circles to pick up everyone else, I don’t see what’s so bad about telling everyone to be at a specific place by a certain time. It would guarantee an extra hour of sleep (at least) for all! Once we got on our boat, we waited for about fifteen minutes before the tour operator boarded the boat explaining that we could get upgraded to a faster boat if we joined a more expensive tour. The only catch was that we weren’t able to discuss this upgrade with the other boat members. Great! Except, why weren’t we told upon booking that our boat was going to take three hours to get to the Uros islands in the first place? It was all a little strange and I couldn’t help but wonder what was really going on. But we got on the “faster boat” that looked remarkably similar to our first boat and we were soon cruising across the lake towards the Uros Islands.

A close friend had warned me about the islands, saying they were a little on the touristy side. Trip Advisor forums went one step further, equating the experience to Disneyland and even suggesting the islands aren’t really inhabited these days, and they are more or less set up for tourists. Especially those who are in the market for some “one of a kind” souvenirs to take home (cough cough… Mom. cough).

When our boat landed, we were immediately greeted by the women of the island and told to sit in the center of the island for a brief presentation. It was here we met the president of the island and we were told how the island was built (layers and layers of reeds), how the island doesn’t have any electricity (but does have some solar panels), and how if you need to go to the bathroom, you have to climb into a boat and go to another island 20 minutes away. It was then I realized that I probably couldn’t live on the Uros. I’d spend more time paddling to and from the bathroom than anything else! We were told that the 40+ islands rotate daily to receive tours. This is so they can go about their daily life during the days they don’t have visitors and to give every island an opportunity to make some money (to be blunt about it). This is completely understandable, but halfway through our presentation, two other boats pulled up and suddenly the little man-made island, smaller than a basketball court was inundated with tourists.

We were already part of a group of about 30-40 people. Once other boats pulled up and people were walking around us shopping, while we were trying to learn about the island completely transformed this “Oh, what a cool little island” into “Ohmigod I hate being a tourist.” We were then shuffled to the back of the island, presumably so the next group could have a meet and greet with the president. A giant reed gondola awaited to take everyone for a spin (for an additional fee). Think Venice, only instead of just you and your significant other on the boat, it was you and forty other strangers crammed together. It was something I didn’t need to do, and instead hung back to take some Polaroids and hand them out to the women (and children) of the island.

Once one of the mothers figured out what I was up to, she motioned for me to hold on and disappeared into one of the houses, returning a second later with different clothes for the baby. She changed her outfit, pulled all of her children together and then we took another picture. Then she set the baby down and asked for a picture just of the baby. It was a lot of fun (much more so than sitting on top of another tourist on the full gondola) and it makes taking pictures a much more interactive activity! I have to admit, I feel better about taking pictures when I’m able to give a physical print to the subject right away.

Afterwards we hung around waiting for everyone to finish shopping. Had it just been one boat full of people, it would have been great. But maybe because the island was still overwhelmed with tourists and I could easily hear an older American couple haggle- rudely- for a cheaper price when they could obviously afford the extra $0.50 equivalent made me ready to leave.

Of course, we all seemed to board our respective boats at the same time… I quickly climbed up to the roof of the boat to get a few shots of the island as we sped towards Taquile. Like clockwork, the women lined up to greet the next boat. I wonder how many boats land each day. In the hour or so that we were there, four to five boats had landed!

Taquile is one of the natural islands in the middle of Lake Titicaca. It was used as a prison during the Spanish reign and didn’t become the property of the Taquileños (people of Taquile) until 1970! There aren’t any cars, and no electricity on the island. It’s quiet and has some beautiful scenery- not only on the island itself, but surrounding it as well. We learned immediately that handmade yarn and weaving is a pretty big deal here. Nearly every woman we saw was spinning yarn, and nearly every man was knitting. The men wear special knitted hats to communicate if they are single or married.

While the textile industry is still huge, they make most of their money from tourism these days. 40,000 tourists visit each year! Our guide also informed us that the population is shrinking as many of the younger generations are leaving the island to go to school or get a job on the mainland where they can make more money than if they were to stay on Taquile. When we arrived to the main plaza, a photo shoot was in the making. I wanted to ask what it was for, but after hearing the photographers speak Spanish, I got a little shy about my shoddy Spanish skills and simply watched instead, jealous of their reflector. 

We ducked into the textile market full of colorful knitwear and woven goods.

Back out on the plaza, we took turns taking pictures in front of a sign reminding us of just how far away from home we are. Although, Andrew and I just might be closer than we’ve ever been on this trip!

These two little guys had trouble getting their drinks opened and asked Andrew for some help. When I looked over they were just sitting together enjoying the view. I had to take a picture… and then handed my camera off to Mom while I pulled out the Polaroid. At first they were a little confused- needing to reload the paper didn’t help matters. It’s also a rather slow camera. It’s not like a traditional Polaroid that spits out a photo immediately. It uses different paper, and while technologically impressive, it often requires a lot of “wait for it…” gestures and holding the camera up to a child’s ear so they can hear that something magical is about to happen. These two were pretty patient about it all.

After they asked for a second photo (one for each) they said something in Spanish that I didn’t understand. I looked at Andrew, and he didn’t get it either. We asked them to repeat what they said and another tourist passing by told us “They want a tip.”

“A TIP?” I looked at everyone surprised, even though this certainly isn’t the first time I’ve been asked for a tip for something or other on this trip. “But I gave you two photos! A gift! Why should I give you a tip?” I responded, in English, laughing. The other tourist rolled his eyes understanding my sentiments exactly.

We walked around the island, following a mostly stone path down the hill we had climbed up to the plaza. A few locals passed us by, or sat off to the side knitting, and asking for tips if you wanted a picture or two. We stopped at a small house with a large picnic table set up outside where we all sat down for lunch while we saw another presentation of how a plant was crushed into soap and then used to clean a dirty piece of wool. After lunch, their style of dress was explained to us and then we watched a small dance that was made adorable by the participation of an adorable little girl who was not afraid of asking tourists to dance.

After the dance, she was sent around with a tip basket. Everyone acknowledged and laughed about their most excellent business model, using her to collect tips that wouldn’t otherwise be given. When all of the festivities were over, we walked down to our boat and made our way back to Puno. I would have really liked to see Amanatani, the other, further island- but it requires an overnight stay because it’s so far to get to. It’s supposedly the least touristy island of the three- which made me want to see it all the more. I think the three (including the overnight) and Sillustani could have been crammed into two very full days, but we were already on a tight schedule and I’ll just have to save Amanatani for next time- with a side trip to and possibly through Bolivia!

Day 356: Stonehenge!

It would have been smart to look up opening times before we woke up at 5:30 in the morning, to arrive at 6:00 to watch the sun rise over Stonehenge. But, we’re not always the smartest… and we rolled up to Stonehenge just after 6 to discover that we couldn’t get in. As it turns out, you have to book a special sunrise “inner circle” tour (like this one) if you want to do what we were planning on doing for the regular admission fee on our own. James tried to coerce a car full of German tourists to partake in distracting the guards and running for Stonehenge, but they weren’t buying it. Instead, we crawled back in the car, the boys dropped me off to go back to sleep and went in search for breakfast for all. We returned about four hours later and had a more successful visit, even if it wasn’t as successful as we had planned.

Have these stones been modified? Is that a concrete patch above? It seems like a few of the stones had patches on them… If so, I’m not sure how I feel about that! Either way, I couldn’t resist taking one last photo from the expressway as we drove away from Stonehenge and back towards London!