Machu Picchu

From Cuzco we took a colectivo (mini bus) to Ollantaytambo, then from there a train to Aguas Calientes. Ollantaytambo is a tiny town with some ruins of its own. We were only there for a couple of hours until the train came. The train ride was almost 2 hours to Aguas Calientes. It was dark when we got on the train so we couldn't see much on the way. We arrived around 9pm and found a hostel and made our plan for the next day. All day Friday was Machu Picchu. We got up really early and were ready to go by 4:30am. There is a hike at Machu Picchu that you can take up a mountain called Waynapicchu, but only 400 people are allowed to take it per day. So in order to be in the first 400 people we had to be there early. The first bus to Machu Picchu leaves at 5:15 or so but there is always a line that starts much earlier. To save time, Seth waited in the line for the bus tickets and I stood in another line a few blocks away to buy the park entry tickets. When I finally got the park tickets I found Seth in the bus line. There were already hundreds of people in front of him(and this is the off-season... I can't imagine what its like during the busy months). We made it on the sixth or seventh bus and started on our way. It was still dark outside but we could already see how huge the mountains were around us. From the bottom of the valley where Aguas Calientes is the mountains go straight up. There are no gradual ascents- they are sheer cliffs to the top. Our bus barrelled around the switchbacks up the side of the mountain and we made it to the park before the sun came over the mountains. We were in the first 400 people so we got our ticket stamped for Waynapicchu. We were assigned the time of 7-8am to start up. Since the trail up Waynapicchu is so steep and narrow, they assign times to stagger the hikers. We watched the sun rise and then headed over to start our hike. Waynapicchu is the mountain in the background of the famous view of Machu Picchu and there are more ruins on top. It took a little over an hour to reach the top and from there we had an incredible view looking down on Machu Picchu. The trail was pretty tough, probably 90% stairs. Some of the stairs were so steep that we had to use our hands to crawl up like a ladder.

 Ollantaytambo

 our first glimpse before the sun came up - Waynapicchu is the tallest peak right behind the ruins



 the water system- the city used water from a spring on a neighboring mountain and used these carved channels to direct it throughout the city



farming terraces 

 Incan stairmaster. This is what most of the way up Waynapicchu looked like.

Here you can see some of the ruins that were on top of Waynapicchu (on the right) and in the distance toward the left is Machu Picchu

Another view of Machu Picchu from the top. Here you can also see the switchbacks on the road we came in on. 

On top of Waynapicchu!



 Look how steep it is from the top!

After we came back down from Waynapicchu we took another trail even farther down the same mountain to see some caves. This trail was even more stairs, but at least they were going down for the moment. Coming back up was another story. When we finally reached the caves we were well below Machu Picchu.

Templo de la Luna (Temple of the Moon) There were seats and altars carved from stone inside the cave.

 La Gran Caverna (Great Cavern)- another cave with ruins inside and on top

After 5 hours of hiking lots and lots of stairs we finally made it back to Machu Picchu. We ate lunch then walked around for the rest of the afternoon. There was so much to see! We hired a guide for about 2 hours so we would know more about what we were looking at. We stayed until the sun set that evening and the park closed. We took one of the last buses back to Aguas Calientes.

Lots of the doorways had a locking system carved into the stones. On both sides of the door and above it there are places for rope to be tied on holding some type of bar that was used to lock it.

 the city center- this plaza was used for ceremonies and celebrations

 just before sunset!

llamas were grazing around the ruins

the grand overview

in the town of Aguas Calientes- there wasn´t much here, just lots of touristy places and restaurants

more Aguas Calientes

From Aguas Calientes we took the train back to Ollantaytambo the next day. Our train had windows in the ceiling so we could see the tops of the steep mountains the whole way back. From Ollantaytambo we took another colectivo back to Cuzco and immediately got on a 20-hour bus to Lima. More about Lima in the next post!

Cuzco

Cuzco is the oldest continuously inhabited city in all of South America. It was also the capital of the Incan Empire. Around the main plaza, the Plaza de Armas, there are churches and cathedrals that were built anywhere from the 1500s to the 1700s. Cuzco is much cleaner than most of the other cities we´ve been to (at least the downtown touristy part) and it had a much better feel. The tourist crowd was not just hippie backpackers, but lots of families and wealthier travelers.

We arrived in Cuzco Tuesday evening and spent all of Wednesday exploring the city. We left this morning to head closer to Machu Picchu.

 Plaza de Armas

 Cathedral on the plaza

Iglesia de la Compañia de Jesús, also right on the plaza



 This is the oldest Inca wall in Cuzco. Notice how modern buildings have been built right on top of the existing Inca walls.

 Another great example... Inca stones on bottom, Colonial stones in the middle and modern bricks on top.

 This is the famous 12-sided stone. See it? This stone was part of the palace of the sixth Inca ruler, Roca. It was amazing to see how perfectly the Inca stones fit together. I guess that´s why they´ve lasted 700 years.

Cuzco came at a great time for us. Just as we were getting extremely tired of Bolivian/Peruvian cuisine (chicken with rice, rice with chicken), we found Jack´s Cafe. Because Cuzco sees so many international tourists, you can find just about any type of food you´re in the mood for. Jack´s had all kinds of food that reminded us of home. I had nachos and Seth had incredible french toast from the breakfast-all-day menu. Yummmm. It was just what we needed. I am also ashamed to say that we went to the McDonald´s... twice! Don´t judge us.



 Nachos!

Seth in McDonald´s looking over ever-changing itinerary. This last part of the trip has been more difficult to plan since we are getting close to the end. Only 25 days to fit three more countries in!

Next up, Machu Picchu!

Puno, Peru

Yesterday we crossed into Peru. From Copacabana it was only about 15 minutes to the border, then two more hours to the town of Puno, where we are now. We are still on the shores of Lake Titicaca, just on the Peru side now. So far, Peru looks just like Bolivia. The food is pretty much the same and people dress about the same. Things aren´t quite as cheap as they were in Bolivia, but this part of Peru is by no means expensive. We took yesterday afternoon to walk around a bit and find the market to buy groceries. We also booked a tour to Las Islas Flotantes (floating islands).

 the arch that separates Bolivia from Peru

The streets of Puno are packed with little taxis like these. Its basically a motorcycle with a cover on it.

This is another kind of taxi in Puno. We took one from the bus station to our hostel when we first got here. It was a little scary because the driver kept jumping in front of cars.

This morning we took the tour of the floating islands. There is a whole group of people that live on a series of islands that have been made from reeds. They are only about four miles off the shore, and they are truly floating. When we walked on the islands, we could see water coming up through the reeds. The people that live on the islands use the reeds for almost everything. They live in houses built from reeds, use boats made from reeds, and even eat the reeds. It was pretty amazing to see the way that these people choose to live, even in 2011.

Most of the women´s income comes from making crafts to sell to tourists. The men fish and are constantly maintaining the islands to keep them afloat.

We each tasted a reed! It was kind of like a softer version of celery, but with no flavor.

We took a ride on this boat made of reeds to get from one island to another.

That about sums up Puno. We only had one day here and tomorrow we are headed to Cuzco. 

At the Copa, Copacabana...

We left La Paz Friday after lunch and arrived in Copacabana around 4pm. During the ride, we found out from the lady sitting next to us that this weekend would be the biggest fiestas that Copacabana has all year. Hmmm. Kinda good and kinda bad. That would mean there would be lots of extra people in town. We didn´t have any kind of reservations and since its such a small town we weren´t sure if there would be any rooms left. When our bus dropped us off at the main plaza we went straight for a hostel. We were able to find one easily, the only problem was that the fiestas mean double the price. Oh well, we were happy to have a room. That first afternoon we walked around town a little bit. There´s not much there, just touristy shops. The main attraction is Lake Titicaca which is right on the edge of town and Isla del Sol, an island not too far from Copacabana.

When we heard about the fiestas, we knew that would mean a lot of noise and  little sleep. We went to bed early on Friday night only to be woken up in the middle of the night by a marching band practicing outside our window! It was so ridiculous we just laughed and Seth took a picture. That morning we woke up to the sound of a car wreck right outside of our hostel. We heard a car horn, breaking glass, then lots of yelling. No one was hurt, it just added to the craziness of our Copacabana experience.

this was our view out the window at midnight!

On Saturday we took a day trip to Isla del Sol. Its the biggest island on Lake Titicaca and its where the Incas believed that creation happened. The boat trip was about 2 hours to get there. We were dropped off at the northern part of the island and hiked about an hour farther north to some Incan ruins.

hiking to the ruins

Incan ruins

From the ruins we hiked the entire length of the island to the southern port. There is a trail that follows the ridgeline of the island with views all around. All in all it was a little over seven miles that we walked. Between the sun and the altitude (we are still at 12,000 feet) we were exhausted at the end of the day.

part of the trail that spans the length of the island

 the locals on the island still farm using terraces

 the southern port where we caught our boat back to Copacabana

When we got back to Copacabana Saturday afternoon the party had already started. There were parades all through town with loud marching bands and lots of dancers in elaborate costumes. And the party went on all night. Crazy!

here you can see how crowded it was around the plaza

As it got dark, people started getting drunk and more rowdy. Little fights were breaking out and all of the streets had turned into public restrooms. Pretty disgusting. It was only 7pm when we decided to go back to our room. Before we could get out of the plaza, a drunk guy fell over on Seth and almost knocked him over. Yikes! When we got back to the hostel there were so many people in town without rooms that there were people having to sleep on matresses in the hallway. We were SO thankful to have arrived on Friday instead of Saturday. As crazy as it was, at least we had a place to sleep. The next morning we were ready to leave Copacabana and cross into Peru. More about Peru in the next post!