Just back from a wonderful Peru adventure
 

Hello everyone,

I just returned last week from a wonderful visit to Peru and wanted to share with the forum. I didn't post tons of questions before my trip, but I did do some extensive reading to help me plan. There have been a lot of great trip reports posted here. In particular I'd like to thank emd3, eenusa, luv2globetrot, Karen and Julie, and Elizabeth S for providing really interesting and useful information.

My trip lasted just a week and covered the typical Cusco/Sacred Valley/Machu Picchu itinerary. There were 3 of us, all women in our mid-40's traveling together. This was also a reunion of sorts because we were all college roommates back in the day and haven't all been together in over a decade. We had a terrific time and really enjoyed Peru.

I'll break the report up into segments because I tend to be way too wordy to keep it to a single post. :-)

May 6, 2009

I had an uneventful flight from Orlando, Fl to Panama City, and then from Panama City to Lima. I flew on Copa Airlines for the first time and was pleased with them. All my flights were on time, and they were very helpful when I needed to juggle my flights back home due to an unexpected schedule change of my domestic flight from Cusco to Lima. They also provided free meals and snacks on each flight leg which I haven't experienced for a while!

The most notable thing about the flights was the number of people who were wearing masks due to the Swine Flu

waiting.........................:)

Aaaargh! I didn't mean to post that yet. I'm using a laptop I'm not used to and inadvertently hit the wrong button...

May 6, 2009 cont'd

In Panama, we were met by airport workers wearing masks, handing out pamphlets on Swine Flu symptoms. In Lima, we were met by pamphlet-bearing personnel in full surgical regalia; gowns, gloves and masks. It was a bit surreal.

My flight arrived at midnight. My friends had managed to meet up in Houston and flew to Lima together. They had arrived about an hour earlier than I did. Of course once we were all reunited, we had to gab for a while. Our flight to Cusco was scheduled to leave at 8:30 the next morning so we had wisely chosen to stay at the Ramada Costa del Sol which is right across the street from the airport. You can use an elevated pedestrian walkway that literally connects the airport to the hotel. It couldn't be more convenient and the price which seems a bit high, (we paid ~200$ USD for the night) is worth it's weight in gold when you're tired and just need a clean bed to grab a few hours of sleep before beginning your vacation in earnest.

We eventually drifted off around 2:00 a.m. full of anticipation for the adventures ahead...

We are also full of anticipation!

Very interesting about the flu response.

Welcome back ... waiting to read the rest of your report ... no pressure :-)

Thanks for reading guys! I'll try to make it entertaining. :-)

May 7, 2009

The sound of the 5:00 a.m. alarm was jarring to say the least after so little sleep. We had set 2 different cell phone alarms just to be certain we would wake up on time, so it was quite the jangling symphony that assaulted our ears. I will add that it was so nice that our cell phones worked in Peru! My friend AB and I both have tri-band phones with AT&T. There were only a few times that we couldn't get a decent signal. My phone even rang unexpectedly at Machu Picchu of all places, which drew a gasp of awe from several of the people in close proximity to me!

We checked out of the trusty Ramada and crossed the street to the airport right at 6:30 a.m. We had to go to the Star Peru information counter and pay a change fee before we could check in for our flight to Cusco. We had originally planned to visit Peru back in November, but a last minute illness for one of my travel buddies forced us to postpone the trip until May.

The Star Peru airfare was good for one year from the date of purchase, but we had to pay a fee to change the travel dates. In earlier correspondence with Star Peru, I had been told that the change fee would be ~30$ USD, and I should pay at the airport before our flight to Cusco. I think we managed to totally confuse the poor lady at the counter. I had the email regarding the travel date changes, but she kept calculating a dollar amount closer to the full price of a ticket. Even though a couple of us speak a little bit of Spanish, the language barrier didn't help and the minutes were ticking away on the clock, making me worry that we might end up missing our flight.

She kept insisting that we each owed about 100$ more than we should have, and I eventually just paid her because I wasn't going to ruin our day over the mis-understanding. I ran down to the main check-in counter to see how long the line was while my friends were still paying their change fees. The line was blessedly short so I ran back to the info counter to see how things were progressing. When I walked up, the Star Peru lady was busy adding something up on her calculator and hadn't even taken my friend's payments yet. We had eaten up an entire hour dealing with the change fees and I was getting a bit stressed out! Then, much to my delight, the lady looked up and said "I've made a mistake and overcharged you for your change fee. I need to refund your money." A short time later, we were all squared away and on our way to check in for our domestic flight.

We breezed through check-in and there was luckily no line for the airport tax (which incidentally, despite all my pre-trip research, I somehow missed the fact that you had to pay a separate departure tax for each flight you take in Peru. Most places lump this into the airfare price but in Peru you have to make an extra stop on your way to your departure gate. Thanks to eenusa for mentioning this in her travel blog so that I was forewarned! We were able to pay our tax in either US or Peruvian currency and the lines moved quite quickly).

Despite our lengthy change fee extravaganza, we arrived at our gate with about 15-20 minutes to spare before our flight started boarding.

The flight was a quick hour and Star Peru rather surprisingly served a complimentary breakfast sandwich and some cookies. This worked out well for us since we had not had time for breakfast at the Ramada.

The plane descended and we got our first look at the tiled rooftops and mountainous terrain surrounding Cusco. The mountains here are somewhat barren looking, but striking in their starkness. I was chomping at the bit to get out of the airport and on our way!

Based on the very excellent trip report by luv2globetrot last year, we decided to be brave and rent a car for our days in the Sacred Valley. We thought “We’ve got experience driving in Europe, Costa Rica, the Caribbean (and the U.S.!) between us, how hard can it be?” Perhaps a better question would have been “How confusing will it be to find our way out of Cusco?”

We had arranged to pick up our car at the airport, thinking that it would be easier to get out on the open road since most airports are on the outskirts of urban areas and not right in the city center. Little did we know that Hertz doesn’t keep cars at the actual airport. You’re met by a Hertz representative and then taken to their downtown office to fill out your paperwork and pick up the car.

We told our Hertz rep that we’d need to pick up our Perurail tickets for MP before we left Cusco and she assured us that the train station was very close to the Hertz office. She would give us a map and good directions to the train station and Sacred Valley beyond. There was parking available at the train station so it would be no problem to take care of this in our rental car on our way out of town. Cue the ominous foreshadowing music… ;-)

ooooo, cmerrell, so glad to see you posting your report! Can't wait for more, I am reading every word. Good for you renting the car, can't wait to hear hwo that went. It is amazing how inspiring other people's trip reports can be isn't it. I feel for ya on the change fees...as you know I had a similar experience w/LAN and changing my flights.

Keep up the report!
emdrus

Thanks for reading, emd3! I hope you and your son are now fully past any lingering illness from your trip and that the all the wonderful experiences you had in Peru have made the less pleasant ones fade from memory a bit.

I fear this will be quite a long trip report. Try as I may, I just have a hard time glossing over the details, so I hope a few people will see the whole lengthy saga through. I'll try to be a bit less long winded from here on out...


May 7, 2009 cont'd

We jumped in our car and entered the bustling Avenida del Sol armed with our Hertz map on which the rep had carefully drawn the route we were to follow. Make a left at the first intersection….Check. Follow the road as it curves sharply around to the left….Check. Within 5 minutes, you’ll see the train station on your right….What? We’ve reached the end of the street and have to turn left or right. That’s not on the map. Where the heck are we?? We turned to the right and tried to double back to where we’d been before, but the maze of one-way streets and bustling traffic got the better of us.

We weren’t bumbling for too awfully long before we happened upon a friendly police officer. He genially approached the car and in our less-than-perfect Spanish, we managed to ask him where the train station was. He proceeded to rapidly fire off a series of directions, most of which we could not understand.

We must have looked pretty woebegone, because after a few minutes he jumped in the car with us to better show us the way! Now under normal circumstances, I would be very alarmed if a strange man, carrying a gun and billy club climbed into my car! But there were 3 of us, and nothing about this man’s demeanor set off any alarm bells. As it turned out, he really was just trying to help us. He navigated us through the streets, and pointed out the train station. We dropped him off, thanking him profusely and turned up the nearest side street to park. As we were getting out of the car, he came up behind us and managed to convey that we were parked facing the wrong way on the street and needed to move the car so we wouldn’t get ticketed. We must have looked really confused again, because he motioned us back into the car and climbed into the driver seat himself!

He navigated around a few more blocks and drove us right into the Wanchaq Station parking lot. The policeman accompanied us into the station and made sure we were able to get our tickets purchased okay and then attempted to painstakingly show us a route out of town using our little Hertz map. He went over it with us several times to make sure we understood (his route was completely different than the one the Hertz rep had mapped out for us). We offered him a small tip for his assistance which he accepted warmly; humorously saying something about his wife spending it. His last act of kindness was to stop traffic on the busy street so that we could pull out of the train station parking lot. As soon as we drove away, I wished I had thought to ask for his name.

His instructions for heading out of town turned out to be pretty good. We were able to find the cross streets he had pointed out on our map and we soon left Cusco behind. We made a quick stop at the Cristo Blanco (White Christ) statue that presides over the city from the mountainside and then continued on towards the Sacred Valley...

I'll have to resume my tale tomorrow. I'm still being horribly long winded, but I'm too tired to edit further tonight. Bear with me...

Details are good -- don't worry about the length (you've seen my blog :-))) Really enjoying your report.

Welcome back, enjoying the report too! How was it compared to AR? Would love to go, but my DH has a major altitude problem.

Keep it coming!

owlwoman, I read your sentence as...

"my DH has a major ATTITUDE problem"

TR is very entertaining and looking forward to ALL of the details.

He sometimes has that too :)

Wonderful report, loving the details. Thank you for sharing.

Your report is wonderful. I'm looking forward to all of the details.

You guys are awesome! Thanks for the kind encouragement. :-)

Nice to see you here, owlwoman. You asked how Peru compared to AR. I assuming you meant <i>C</i>R. ;-)

I'm thinking the Amazon basin area of Peru would have some definite similarities to Costa Rica with the flora and fauna, but unfortunately we didn't have time to visit that part of the country. If I ever get back to Peru, the Amazon would be on my 'to visit' list. The part of Peru that I saw was very different than CR; much less humid with huge, rugged (at times almost stark) mountains and long valleys with multi-colored crop fields and small villages that seemed more simple and humble than the small towns of Costa Rica. It was really beautiful like CR, but in a very different way! I hope you get to go someday. We were very fortunate with the altitude. We certainly felt it, but none of us got sick because of it.

I'm going to grab a quick bite to eat and resume the report. Back in a jiffy...

Cam, I have been so looking for your report. Boy Peru !! then you are off to BdC soon. Getting some traveling in this year! :)
So far it's a great report, keep it coming, we leave Fri for CR, I will probably have to finish reading it when we get back. I'll be looking for the puma of course at BdC.

Did you make all of the plans for MP/Peru yourselves? Did you use an agency? I want to go next yr, but planning it alone is a little daunting.


Can't wait for the pictures, I am sure they are stunning. Toni

Hey parrmt! Glad to have you reading along.

We did do all the planning and set up ourselves. Making our arrangements was a bit convoluted because we had a trip all booked for November and then had to cancel at the last minute and rebook everything for May due to an unexpected illness of one of my travelling companions, but picking the hotels and activities was pretty easy thanks to this forum and a couple of guide books. There were some really great trip reports here that helped us out a lot.

Happy puma hunting! Get him all warmed up for us. I hope you have a really wonderful CR visit! :-)

May 7, 2009 cont'd

Within a few minutes of leaving Cusco, you find yourself on a fairly straightforward route that winds through dramatic mountain and valley landscapes. The Andes are a young mountain range geologically which accounts for their rugged appearance. They are also the tallest range outside of Asia. A number of different microclimates and ecosystems exist within the area. The hills around Cusco were sort of brown and barren, but once we were out in the Sacred Valley, they constantly changed; sometimes covered in scrubby, sparse vegetation, sometimes fairly heavily tree'd. Some of the highest peaks were snow-capped with clear evidence of glacial activity. The valleys were dotted with small villages and lots of colorful agricultural fields.

I think the scenery really leaves an impact on you; at least it did on us. We stopped several times for photo ops as we drove along, which was precisely why we had decided to rent the car. We had no issues with traffic outside of Cusco. We didn't really encounter a lot of other cars outside of the larger towns or villages and whenever anyone came up on our tail, we would move over to toward the side of the road and let them pass. We never really got lost either (outside of Cusco) except for one notable adventure in the tiny village of Maras, but I'll get that later.

Our plan for the day was to visit Pisac and check out the Thursday market, and then continue on to Ollantaytambo where we were to spend the next 3 nights.

The drive to Pisac was thoroughly enjoyable. I know it doesn't take all that long to get there from Cusco, but we probably doubled that time due the number of times we stopped to ooh and ahh at the scenery. I think it took us a couple of hours to make the drive.

We crossed the river and found a parking spot on the main drag. Pisac is a cute, hustly-bustly little town. There were lots of cars, trucks and tourist minivans and even a few full size buses navigating the street. There were also lots of pedestrians about and we were a little wary of leaving our stuff in the car, but no one bothered it. We had our suitcases in the trunk and a few odds and ends in sight on the seats. Our car even had Avis stickers on the back bumper, clearly marking it as a rental. Btw, notice I said 'Avis stickers'. We rented from Hertz. Not sure what Avis had to do with it. One of life's little mysteries! :-)

It was easy to find our way to the market which was located in the main square. All the side streets sort of led in that direction. The big market takes place on Sundays, but there is a smaller market held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There was plenty to see (and buy if you were so inclined). One section was devoted to food with brightly colored fruits and vegetables on display. Then there was the maze of covered stalls containing all the Alpaca sweaters, leather goods, blankets, hats, t-shirts, jewelry, figurines, dolls, etc etc... We happily meandered for a couple of hours and each bought a few items. The merchants would willingly barter if you showed interest in their wares, but I don't tend to get into that much and am generally happy to pay the original asking price if I really want something and feel the cost is fair. I thought it was interesting how you would ask if they could make change for you larger bills and they would say yes, take your money and then run off through maze to return a few minutes later with your change. Where did they get it from?

We ran into a nice Canadian lady at the market and compared a few notes with her on the things she had already done in the Sacred Valley. She was there with a tour group and seemed to be having a great time.

It was a bit of an overcast day, and once the clouds started to darken and look like rain, we decided we'd better hit the road. By this time, our practically sleepless night was starting to set in too. We didn't stop for photos every 5 minutes, like we had earlier! We drove through the sizeable town of Urubamba which I'm sure has it's selling points, but I was really happy that we decided to stay in Ollantaytambo ( especially when I saw how charming it was).

Ollanta is interesting to drive in though! All those narrow, steepish, cobblestone streets...

After asking a few people for directions, we fumbled our way to Hotel Pakaritampu. The nice man who opens the gate and helps guests with their luggage looked a bit bemused to see three gringas pull up in a rental car. Everyone in Peru was quite surprised when we said we were driving ourselves around. Even though there is more than one car rental agency in Cusco, most tourists must not drive themselves.

We LOVED Pakaritampu. The grounds are lovely, the rooms are well appointed and cozy, the staff is nice. The setting is fantastic with striking mountain views from every angle and you could see part of the Incan ruins that nestle into the hillside above the village.

We were pretty beat by the time we got settled into our room. We decided to just eat dinner at the hotel's restaurant, which turned out to be quite good. We shared a yummy stuffed avocado appetizer and I selected a tasty chicken dish for my entree. We lingered at our table for a while and then went back to our room to get ready for bed. I think we might have managed to stay awake until 9:00 p.m., but just barely!

Oops, right, I meant CR, thanks for the comments!

Enjoying reading your report -- brings back memories of our trip to Peru. We had a wonderful guide, but wish we had thought to drive ourselves.

I was there 18 months ago so I am enjoying all this.

I did not drive myself around , but rather had a private guide, and I took the Perurail to Machu Picchu.

I'm following you though the Sacred Valley :) so keep it coming!

ROFL, the cop jumped in the car and then got in the driver's seat!! Those Peruvians are pretty darned helpful, aren't they?

Looking forward to hearing more about your time in Ollantaytambo, as we only took the train in and out of there to get to MP. We were supposed to stay in Ollay. overnight but that didn't happen.

(BTW, my son is still not fully recovered from his respiratory illness he got in Peru in early April. He just finished 2 wks of steroids and is on an inhaler. He's never had asthma or wheezing but he is battling that now. He is graduating from high school soon and I am hoping he is better when that time comes in a few wks.)

Love the policeman story cam; little things like that make such good memories. Looking forward to the rest!

emd 3 -
what kind of respiratory illness did your son have? Was it related to altitutde sickness. I'm leaving for Peru on Monday. Also, I'm amazed that there is so much preparation r. swine flu. I hadn't found any reports of cases in Peru. Should I bring masks?

My son was hospitalized on our 4th day in Cuzco. He was in the hospital for 4 days. He had some pulmonary edema and bronchitis/pneumonia, and it was related to the altitude. His illness happened very suddenly. I did a trip report on our trip and detailed his time in the hospital. Search for "David Choque" here and the report is the first post that comes up. I also got sick w/a respiratory illness, but not as bad as my son.

Thanks for continuing to read everyone (a special welcome to tully and Percy who also frequent the Costa Rica forum where I spend altogether too much time)! I should be able to get a new installment posted later today and hope to have a link to photos posted by the end of the weekend.

Don't be too concerned about your trip, norvill. There may very well be people wearing masks on your flights, but whether you take one along is really up to your own comfort zone. I think a lot of it was precautionary. Aside from the people at the airport, we really didn't hear much about swine flu at all while we were there.

Emd3's experience was very unfortunate, and I was a bit worried for my own trip because I started to develop a sniffly nose and scratchy throat 2 days before I was scheduled to fly down there. I got a good antibiotic prescription from my doctor (which I never needed to use) and went armed with vitamin C, echinacea, and some of those Cold-Eze zinc lozenges that really do seem to help with cold symptoms. I also drank a lot of water, both to flush out my system and to keep myself hydrated for the altitude change. I felt a little off with the mild cold symptoms for the first day or so of my trip, and then I was completely fine. I did also write down the hospital info emd had provided in her trip report so I would know of a good place to go if anyone in my travel party did happen to get sick.

We adhered to the recommendations for the altitude change:

-Drink lots of water; stay hydrated
-Avoid alcohol for the first few days
-Avoid caffeine for the first few days
-Avoid heavy meals for the first few days
-Take things easy for the first few days

All three of us did fine. We would huff and puff walking up any hill or climbing any stairs, but we just took it nice and slow and rested whenever we needed to. I've basically lived at sea level for the past 12 years and was pretty pleased with how little the altitude affected me overall. :-)

I'm sorry to hear that your son is continuing to have some issues, emd3! Let's hope that he gets it definitively knocked out of his system soon!

May 8, 2009

When we woke up in the morning and looked out the window, the sky was a bright, clear blue with barely a cloud to be seen anywhere. There were 3 llamas grazing on the lawn outside our room. The flowers were blooming, the birds were singing; it was fantastic!

We went over to the hotel restaurant for breakfast (included in the room rate). Pakaritampu puts on a nice breakfast spread that includes eggs, sausage, fried plantains, bread, cheese, cereal, yogurt, fresh fruit, and juice. I got into the habit of having coca tea each morning with breakfast. I don't know if it helped with the altitude, but it was tasty and seemed to provide a little extra boost to start the day.

After breakfast we set out to explore the Ollantaytambo ruins. They were a short, picturesque 10-15 minute walk from the hotel. We bought some inexpensive walking sticks along the way and they came in handy for making our way up the steep, rocky steps at the site.

The Ollantaytambo ruins climb up the hillside in a series of stone terraces. They date back to the mid-15th century and played an important role as an Incan stronghold against the Spanish conquistadors. We took our sweet time making it to the top, taking frequent rest stops and drinking lots of water. We definitely felt the altitude during the climb, but it wasn't a deal breaker; we just had to take things slowly.

The exertion was completely worth the effort for the views of the village and valley below. We eventually made our way back down to ground level and returned to the hotel to pick up the car. Our plan was to drive out to the ruins at Moray and also visit the Salt Pans of Salineras that have been in use since Incan times.

We drove back to the large-ish town of Urubamba and fumbled around a bit looking for the road that would branch off towards Chinchero. We took a chance on one road that steeply wound up the mountainside but after a few minutes it didn't seem to be going anywhere in particular. We decided it couldn't be the right way and retraced our steps. We drove to the far end of Urubamba and found a man to ask directions of. Turned out the side road we had picked earlier was the right way. So back we went... From there, we actually stayed on track and easily found the turn off for the village of Maras.

Maras is a small, sleepy village nestled in rolling hills. Even though there are 2 notable Incan sites nearby, it is not a place that caters much to tourists. We made our way to the main square and spied a handpainted arrow on the side of a building pointing the way to Moray. Excellent, we're still on track...

We drove up the narrow lane for several short blocks and then the cobblestone road suddenly ended. Directly ahead of us was a rocky, steep, dirt track. This doesn't seem like it can be right. LB and I got out of the car and went on a little scouting mission up the hill. There were little brick houses along the way, but it quickly became clear that our economy rental car was not going to make it up that path. We went back to the car to report our findings to AB and decided we needed to go back to the main square and ask for directions.

How to get back to the square was the next issue. The roadway was very narrow and there was no good place to turn around. AB was willing to put the car in reverse and back her way down to the nearest cross street. LB and I thought we could probably manage to negotiate a 3-point turn if we proceeded up the dirt track a little ways and pulled into the little grassy yard in front of one of the brick houses. AB was pretty skeptical but agreed to let us give it a try. I took the wheel as I had the most experience driving a manual transmission.

I inched forward and angled the car into the tight little grassy space in front of the house. Then the front wheels hit a rut and I was stuck! I evnetually managed to get unstuck, but in doing so, had angled the car so that there was a rock wall directly behind me, and the corner of a brick wall just inches from my left front bumper. I was on an uneven incline with little room for error, but we had to try something. I gunned the engine and felt the resistance as my front bumper scraped against the brick wall to the side of me. I slammed on the brakes and the car settled into the wall.

A farmer came down the dirt track leading a couple of mules laden with some sort of crop. He gaped at us in atonishment. I told him we needed help, but I'm not sure if he understood me. About this same time, a group of children had caught sight of the spectacle and gathered eagerly around the car. We asked if one of them could go get help, but they didn't seem inclined to leave us.

We were all quite frazzled and stressed by this point. The car bumper was clearly scratched and we had no idea how we were going to get it off that dirt track. We were just about to send LB on foot to look for help when a woman approached from the village. She was also quite taken aback to see us there.

We asked if she knew anyone who could help us, preferably several men who could push the car. She looked a little doubtful but headed back down the hill. She was gone for a little while and we thought we'd still have to send LB for reinforcements, but then we saw the lady leading 2 men up the lane. They also gaped in astonishment for a moment and then admirably took charge of the situation. One of them slipped into the driver seat, and the other, along with the woman, LB, and several children (despite our admonishments for them to be careful) gathered at the front of the car. AB and I positioned ourselves to direct the driver and keep him from slamming into the rock wall behind us. With a mighty gunning of the engine and a forceful push from our volunteers, the car had lurched backwards into the lane. "Alto! Alto!", I yelled as the rear bumper approached the rock wall. The driver put on the brakes and straightened out the wheel. The car was miraculously clear of all obstacles and pointed back towards the village. AB and I offered a standing ovation as the man driving stepped out of the car. Of course, we offered a monetary reward to our adult helpers. We were so flustered that we gave the lady twice as much as the two men and didn't figure out until later why she had sort of protested the amount. We probably should have given the kids something also, but once again, were too flustered.

I made AB take the wheel and felt awful that I had been driving when the car got stuck. My companions reassured me that it was okay and we all agreed that if AB's American Express rental insurance didn't come through, we would all split the cost of the repair bill. The bumper had sustained a visible scratch and small dent, and we figured that Hertz would be all over that.

After a brief regrouping, we decided to give up on Moray since we still had no idea where it was. We headed instead to Salineras, as we had seen the turn off for that site before entering Maras.

To be continued...

OH..MY...Goodness!

oh dear, rental car mishap, but sounds like you got out of it ok, no one injured! Waiting now to hear about Salineras. Thanks for all your work on this report.

Yes, it was quite the crazy little mis-adventure! But as emd says, no one was hurt, and it does make for a good story now. :-)


May 8, 2009 cont’d

The way to Salineras was blessedly easy and straightforward. You turn off the main road onto a gravelly side road and follow it for about 8 km. It’s pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. You eventually pass the entry gate and start winding down through a little canyon. The road here is on the narrow side and steep-ish with no guardrails, so it’s advisable to take it nice and slow! If you meet oncoming traffic, someone has to find a wider spot to pull over so that the other vehicle can pass. It’s a relatively short drive and at the bottom, you’re rewarded with the sight of the salt pans stretching down the side of the mountain like some strange landscape from an alien planet.

Salineras has been in use since Incan times. According to the Lonely Planet guide: a hot spring at the top of the valley discharges a small stream of heavily salt-laden water, which is diverted into the salt pans and evaporated to produce a salt used for cattle licks. The people of Maras continue to harvest the salt today for their own use.

It’s definitely a site that’s off the beaten track, but is pretty fascinating to see. There were a few other visitors there that afternoon, and a handful of people actually working in the salt pans. At one point, we were joined by a small group of cyclists who had ridden down the steep, rocky slope from above. We marveled at their ability to have that much energy in the thin air at that altitude.

The setting at Salineras was peaceful and went a long way towards soothing our frazzled nerves from the “rental car incident”. We started to appreciate how ridiculous the whole event had been, and realized that it would make a good story for the folks back home. We began affectionately referring to ourselves as "Las Tres Idiotas", a moniker that stuck for the remainder of the trip (and beyond).

Our good spirits were restored and the afternoon was still young, so we decided we wanted to give Moray another try. We stalwartly drove back to Maras, but this time stopped in the main square to ask for directions. It turns out that we had started out in the right direction last time, but were supposed to turn down a side street by a small corner store (about half way up the lane that dead-ended in the dirt track where our earlier mishap had occured). This time around, we found our way with no difficulty.

Not much is known about Moray, but researchers believe it was used as some sort of agricultural laboratory to cultivate different crops that could weather the harsh growing conditions of the Andes. The site is made up of 3 sets of large circular terraces carved into natural depressions in the ground.

It was also very peaceful at Moray that afternoon. The sun was just starting to lower in the sky and there were relatively few tourists at the site. We wandered around for a little while, but decided we weren’t up to descending all the way to the bottom of the terraces.

Our drive back to Ollantaytambo was uneventful. Once we got back to Pakaritampu, AB called Amercan Express about our little fender bender. She had contacted them before our trip to ensure they would cover CDW for Peru, but you always worry just a little bit that there will be some loophole that comes into play. She got hold of a very nice customer service rep who took down all the information and gave us a claim number. She assured AB that everything would be covered and that there was no need to worry. We should just relax and enjoy the rest of our vacation. Whew!

With that important matter of business out of the way, we went in search of dinner. I had written down some restaurant recs from the great trip reports here, and we settled on Mayupata for this evening. We all ended up ordering pizzas, and I tried the Inca Kola (which tastes sort of like liquid bubble gum). We liked Mayupata. Nice setting and pleasant ambiance. Finding good food was not really a problem in Peru.

We turned in relatively early again (probably ~10:30-ish). We wanted to get a good night’s sleep, because tomorrow we had to be at the train station by 7:00 a.m. Anyone care to guess where we were headed?

"Las Tres Idiotas"-- LOL,LOL

I am glad Am Ex was soothing about the car and CDW coverage.

I am still reading your report closely...very nice report!

cam - Great trip report. Can't wait to talk more about it in person. Of course it's on my list too! I almost forgot it was a trip you had to delay last year, so I'm so glad you were able to make it happen! Did you post pics somewhere or are you still working on that?

Glad to see you continuing along, emd3! Your trip report was a great help to me, and I hope mine will offer some inspiration for others as well.

Working on the photos even as I type this, Hip. Of course I ended up with about a billion Machu Picchu pics and am going through the painful process of whittling them down and trying to pick my favorites. I'm hoping to get them online in the next few days... It was a wonderful trip. You should definitely keep Peru on your "to visit" list. :-)

May 9, 2009

We got up bright and early this morning for the excursion that serves as the centerpiece to most visits to Peru: Machu Picchu!!

Hotel Pakaritampu is conveniently located just a 5-10 minute walk from the train station, so we had time to partake of the breakfast buffet before setting out. The morning was a little bit more overcast than the previous day had been, but there were still large patches of blue sky to be seen, so we were hopeful that it would be a decent day at MP.

We got to the train station plenty early and had to wait for about 10 minutes before they would open the entry gate. We had decided on the Vistadome train rather than the cheaper Backpacker option and were glad of that choice when we saw one of the Backpacker cars, crammed full of passengers facing each other, knee to knee.

We were the first to board our car and thought we might be the only passengers as it got closer to departure time, but then a largish contingent of Japanese tourists joined us at the last minute. We were sitting near the door of the car and as each Japanese passenger boarded, they would look at us and make a little bow or nod of the head, acknowledging our presence. It was sort of humorous, but also kind of nice. Most of us wouldn‘t feel obliged to acknowledge our fellow passengers in the U.S.

The train ride to Aguas Calientes takes about 1.5 hours from Ollantaytambo. It’s a really beautiful ride with sweeping views of the dramatic mountains and rushing river. The best views are from the left side of the train, and we were lucky to have enough vacant seats in our car that we could spread out and each have a window to ourselves.

The foliage gradually changes as you approach Aquas Calientes from more arid, scrubby vegetation to full-fledged cloud forest. I thought the mountains around AC and MP were incredibly beautiful. The town of Aguas Calientes itself, seems to have quite a few detractors. It’s true that it isn’t quaint and peaceful like Ollantaytambo. It very much exists to cater to the MP tourists and brims over with shops, restaurants and hotels. It’s a colorful place and I thought it was sort of fascinating. Many people spend a night or two here, but we were just passing through on a daytrip to MP.

A very nice man at the train station showed us where to get our entry tickets and bus tickets. He actually escorted us part way into town to show us exactly where to go. We lingered long enough to snap a few photos of AC’s main square and then we were ready to board the bus for Machu Picchu!

The ride up to the ruins takes about 15-20 minutes and curves up a steep series of tight switchbacks. This is a ride that might bother people who tend to get carsick. Guardrails are infrequent and there are sheer drop-offs from this road! The scenery is truly spectacular however; jagged, imposing, heavily forested mountain peaks and a meandering river in the valley far below. We were in luck with the weather. There was a light haze hovering in the atmosphere, but the sun was shining and there was no danger of rain moving in to “dampen” our spirits that day.

At one point as we neared the top of the mountain, we caught a quick glimpse of MP, framed against the famous Wayna Picchu peak. Those on the bus who saw it let out an audible gasp. A few minutes later, we were deposited at the entrance to the site. You can’t see MP from there. You have to go through the entry booth and walk along a path that overlooks the amazing river valley below. Then you see a series of 3 thatched-roof huts in front of you which mark part of the outer boundary of the ruins. If you walk the short path that leads to the closest hut, you’ll get your first overview of the site. It’s breathtaking! Just like all the pictures you’ve seen, but better because it’s real. Its tangible. You can reach out and touch the actual stones. It pretty much defies adequate description! I think all I could say initially was, “Wow!”.

YAY! A good weather day at MP!!!

I'm enjoying your excellent trip report - thanks for sharing! Can't wait to see your pictures.

Thanks Leslie! The picture organization is taking longer than anticipated, but I'm getting there...

emd3, I wish you had felt better for your day at MP, because it really blew me away. I was really interested in your review of Tipon and wished we had had the time to get out there. Maybe I'll get back to Peru someday...

I'll try to get another installment posted tonight. Life has been too hectic since I got back from the trip. Ugh! :-)

May 9, 2009 cont'd

In order to get the famous postcard view of the ruins with Wayna Picchu in the background, you have to hike up the hill to the Hut of the Caretaker of the Funerary Rock (try saying that 3 times fast!). It’s a nice little jaunt up a steep zig-zagging path, and at that elevation (~7800 ft above sea level) we still had to make several little rest stops (we weren’t the only ones…).

We clambered all over the upper terraces at MP for the first hour or so, gaping at the sight of the ruins, the mountains, and the deeply carved river valleys that practically encircle the site. LB and I decided to check out the Bridge of the Incas, which is about a 20 minute hike past the upper MP terraces. The trail is pretty impressive. It’s quite narrow in places with steep, plunging drop-offs to the valley below. The views along the way are gorgeous, but it may not be for those with a serious fear of heights. In fact, LB let her nerves get the best of her and turned back before we got all the way to the bridge. I bravely went on alone, but not without some trepidation. I finally reached the bridge, which clings precariously to the side of the sheer mountain wall. It’s a drawbridge with a 20 ft gap in the center that can be spanned by wooden planks. The planks could be removed to prevent unauthorized persons from entering Machu Picchu.

I’m glad I made it all the way out there, but was also glad when I made it back to the area where the trail widened out a bit!

We had all agreed to meet up by the Caretaker’s hut at a pre-designated time to go grab some lunch. As I was walking back towards the hut my cell phone rang loud and clear, much to the astonishment of myself and several other people nearby. Who knew you could get a signal at Machu Picchu of all places! I guess there must have been a tower in the vicinity that services Aguas Calientes. It was AB calling to see where I was.

The three of us reunited and decided to splurge on the Santuary Lodge lunch buffet. At 33$ USD per person, this was by far the most expensive meal we ate while in Peru. We beat the main lunch rush and were able to find a nice window-side table. The buffet is actually quite good with a decent selection of salads, breads, veggies, and meats. Several choices of fruit and pastries are available for dessert. It’s all-you-can-eat, so we tried a little of everything and went back for second helpings of our favorites. I’m not sure that I could ever justify the price of the rooms at the lodge, but it did look like a nice place. The location is certainly ideal if you want to be near MP.

After fortifying ourselves with a hearty meal, we headed back into the ruins to explore the main part of the city itself. We climbed up to the Main Temple and Intihuatana Stone (used for charting the solstice and equinox), and then meandered through the lower terraces, Main Square, and Industrial Sector. We ended up doing the whole site without a guide, but that was not by design. We’d heard you could usually hire one right at the entry gate, but didn’t happen to see anyone when we initially arrived. We eavesdropped on a couple of tour groups here and there during the day. Although not a necessity, I think it would have been nice to have had a guide take us around before just wandering at will on our own.

Eventually, the sun started to lower in the sky and the shadows began to lengthen. It was hard to tear ourselves away. The place is just so magical and mysterious. We had truly lucked out with the weather, and the crowds were manageable as well. We stayed past the peak visiting hours and the site was quite peaceful in the later afternoon.

We allowed ourselves one last, long gaze and then headed down the path to the exit. Back to a waiting bus for the steep, curvy ride to town. We were sufficiently tired from our exertions that day and happily boarded the train back to Ollantaytambo. I could have easily dozed off had it not been for the evening's entertainment on the Vistadome. What a spastic, but fun spectacle! It started out with one of the porters doing some sort of traditional dance all dressed up in mask and colorful garb; a stuffed toy llama attached to his belt. This was followed by an actual fashion show in which 2 attractive train attendants strutted down the aisle to ABBA’s 'Dancing Queen' in a variety of fine alpaca shawls and sweaters. We all whistled and applauded. A few passengers bought sweaters. It was somehow a fitting end to the day!

It was around 9:00 p.m. by the time we got ‘home’ so we just grabbed a bite at the hotel restaurant before turning in. I tried the quinoa soup, which was just right after the large lunch I had consumed earlier.

I think we got gypped on our train - it was supposed to be the Vistadome but it had no dome, only normal windows. And no entertainment. I've read other people talking about fashion shows and dancing - we missed out!!

Sounds like your day at MP was perfect.