Monday – May 25, 2015
The weather was cool, drizzly and overcast this morning. We had the option to get up before dawn and catch the bus back up to Machu Picchu to see the sun rise over the mountains. However, we both felt we had been fortunate to have a bright sunny day yesterday when we visited the historic site. Seeing it in the rain would not be much fun and we were tired and needed a rest!
At 7,000 feet above sea level, walking up the hills was an effort for me. So we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, explored the beautiful grounds of the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Hotel and walked slowly around the town of Aguas Calientes.
There are no automobiles in Aquas Calientes because of the narrow steep streets with many steps. The town was built on the slopes of the mountains along the Rio Vilcanota and is purely a tourist stop on the way to Macchu Picchu.
The only vehicles are the green buses which take people to Machu Picchu and the trains which transport tourists in and out of the village.
After lunch, we boarded the Peru Rail train to take us back to Ollantaytambo to get a motor coach for the three-hour ride to the city of Cusco. We were treated to music and a fashion show on the train.
Below are my last views of the Sacred Valley and the Andes Mountains which surround and protect the incredibly beautiful and fertile high plains.
We stopped at a rest area which overlook the valley. There were families of local people selling handicrafts and some children in costume who charged one nuevo sol for photographs. They were really cute and they enjoyed practicing their English skills.
We arrived in Cusco and changed buses from the large motor coach to two smaller buses which could navigate the narrow streets of the historic neighborhood of the city. It was a short drive to the Belmond Hotel Monasterio on Calle Palacios. Two wide doors were opened and we were greeted by monks serving hot coca tea. We stepped over the threshold and into a gold filled chapel. I didn’t know whether to pray or whip out my camera and take pictures. (I did the latter!)
