Travel Day to Valparaíso

This morning I woke up earlier than I wanted to since all the other girls had to be at orientation for their school exchange program early. I was up until 2AM watching the Oscars, so an 8AM wake up was definitely not in the plan. I was able to get a tiny bit more sleep before eventually getting up and showering and having breakfast. This morning I requested a lactose free breakfast, aka the fruit without the yogurt. Much better! I had to be out of the hostel by 11AM so I pack up my things, stored my backpack downstairs, hung my towel up to dry on the line in the garden, and headed it to kill time. The owner of the hostel also helped me set up a shared shuttle to the airport for 1:10PM.

I wandered around Valdivia and decided to look for something warm to wear since it was a bit chilly, but I didn't see anything I wanted, so I just dealt with it. It wasn't too bad at least. I wandered down to the fish market, and saw the sea lions right up behind the fish mongers waiting for the scraps from the filleting process. Up close they looked even bigger! I'm still in shock at the size of these sea lions. The pictures don't do their size justice. The market was pretty cool, but since I was leaving I couldn't buy any of the fresh food. Too bad. I then wandered along the shore and enjoyed being outside in the fresh air. Eventually I went to Cafe Moro for lunch since it was in my guide book that I bought. I had a sandwich with I think pork and melted cheese. Pretty good. The cafe also had free wifi which is always a treat when I can't use my phone very often. I hung out there until it was time to head back to the hostel to get my things and catch my shuttle.

So freaking huge!

Waiting for more fish pieces 

Fish mongers and the waiting sea lions

I got back with little time to spare, used the restroom, grabbed my things, and the shuttle driver was about 5 minutes early. I was definitely a bit rushed but got out just fine. We picked up a few more people and then took a windy road to the airport to avoid the construction that was there when I can into Valdivia. Not so fun for motion sickness, but not too bad and it was pretty. I arrived at the airport with a ton of time to spare, checked in, and sat around since they wouldn't even open security until an hour or so before boarding. Valdivia is a very, very small airport. I should have gotten a picture of it. I could have gotten the whole front and the whole gate area in one shot each. I eventually boarded my flight and had a lovely nap all the way to Santiago. 

When I arrived in Santiago I went to pick up my bag and realized I threw away the tag on Valdivia. Stupid mistake. I was able to get my bag anyways and headed to catch the bus to the main station to catch the bus to Valparaíso. The first bus ride was easy and I sat in the front row on the top floor so I had nice views. The traffic by the main terminal was pretty heavy, but we made it. When I got to the station I went to buy a ticket for the bus to Valpo and then hopped on to leave 10 minutes later. While en route I noticed that we stopped at a station my bus from the airport had stopped at, so I probably could have changed there and saved a bunch of time, but oh well. The bus ride was uneventful. Some of the scenery was boring and some was pretty, especially the wine regions. We ended at the main station in Valpo and I took a taxi to my bed and breakfast. 

Vineyard on the route to Valparaíso

The bed and breakfast I'm staying at is cute. It's definitely an older place, but I have my own room and it's in a nice area. There's also good wifi which is great for figuring out what I want to do! When I got here I got a short tour of where the bathroom is and when breakfast is, then put my stuff down and headed out to meet my friend Julia that Caitlin and I met in Lima. We went to dinner at a lovely place overlooking Valparaíso and the food was delicious! I had a quinoa risotto with vegetable and shrimp and a chocolate lava cake with ginger lemon sorbet. Super delicious and nice to see her again and hear about her travels since I saw her a month ago (also, definitely does not feel that long!). We then walked back towards where we are staying and encountered some really wound up dogs, but everything was okay and they weren't interested in us. Now I'm back in he bed and breakfast and getting ready for bed!

View from dinner

Julia and I after dinner

Niebla and Jette's Birthday

This morning I slept in and had a nice lazy morning since I haven't had too many of those lately. I went down to breakfast and had some rolls and butter. The other part of breakfast was yogurt which I'm not a fan of, so I skipped on it. After breakfast I hung out in my room and watched a few episodes of Fuller House since Netflix works here and my internet connection is decent. It was so good and there was so much nostalgia.  Everyone needs to see it. Let me know if you need some Netflix info! I cried of course, because that's what nostalgia and old characters returning to a show together does to me. I also chatted with my roommates who are from Finland, Montana, and Spain.

Around 2PM Jette and Johanna came to meet me and we walked to the bus station to head to Niebla. There was a very long line, so we had to get on the third bus, but it didn't take long. I was also able to get the student rate, which was around 30 cents somehow, so that was awesome. It took longer than usual because there was a ton of traffic, but I took a nice nap and it wasn't so bad. When we arrived in Niebla we went down a bunch of stairs to a place near the water where it was the last day of their summer festival (I think it was something like that). There was a ton of food and music and traditional dancing, and all in a beautiful location. I got a papa rellena con carne y queso (mashed potatoes stuff with beef and cheese and deep fried) which was so delicious, and then some empanadas de queso (cheese) which we also so good. We had a lovely time! 

Niebla

With Jette in Niebla

Making papas rellenas

Making empanadas

Part of the festivals food area. It was huge!

After eating, which took quite a while since the lines were a bit nuts, we walked to the old fort to get a bracelet for Johannas mother that she wanted to get since the last time she came to Niebla (she is living in Valdivia). We then caught the bus back and this time I got to enjoy the scenery. We got off the bus a little early due to traffic, but it was worth it because I got to see the sea lions. Holy crap the sea lions here are ENORMOUS! They make the sea lions in SF look puny. It was cool. We then walked around and looked at the stuff people were selling for a bit before going to a cafe to get some cake for Jette's birthday. I had maracuya cake (passion fruit) and Jette had raspberry cake. We then walked towards my hostel, I got a subway sandwich for dinner since it was easy, and then we stopped at the grocery store. Always fun to see grocery stores in other countries. I then soda goodbye to Jette and Johanna and came back to the hostel. I'm not sitting in the common area watching the Oscars! Fun times! 

The largest sea lions I have ever seen

Valdivia

With Jette and Johanna

SO BIG I can't even get over it

Sea lions in Valdivia

Noche de Valdivia

This morning I was up from about 4:30-6:30AM after a girl in my room woke me up, so I subsequently slept until 10:15AM. I also forgot that the two hour time change from Perú likely contributed to my need to sleep in longer! I missed breakfast again, so instead got ready to head to Valdivia. Unfortunately I realized I was missing my favorite things I bought in Cusco. They weren't expensive but it was some of my favorite and most useful stuff that I bought on this trip. Hopefully the hostel has it, but if not it's a sad loss.

My taxi driver showed up a little before 11AM, we checked out, and Caitlin and I said goodbye to each other as she headed to Valparaíso and I headed to Valdivia. I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare and found the baggage check to get rid of my big bag while I traveled to Valdivia. After leaving my bag I checked in and went through the long security line. I'm so not used to standing in line anymore with TSA precheck, but seeing as that doesn't exist here ok back to the back of the long line. It's amazing how fast you get used to something! After security I went to my gate and tried to get my internet to work, but I was unsuccessful, so instead I played Tetris and solitaire. After a bit it was getting close to boarding and there was a delayed flight at my gate. I suspected my gate may have been changed, so I went to check and I was right. I went to the new gate which looked like it was in the US since there was Victoria's Secret, Starbucks, and a few other American shops. So random. I boarded my flight and it was smooth to Valdivia. 

When we landed in Valdivia I quickly regretted leaving my jacket and raincoat in my bag in Santiago as it was raining and a bit chilly. I called Jette to let her know I had arrived and then took a shared can to the hostel, which was about $5 and pretty easy. I arrived to the hostel and checked in and got a tour of the hostel. Jette and her friends then came to meet me at the hostel, but she had just had her money and bus ticket stolen, so our first order of business in Valdivia together was a trip to the police station to get a letter so she can hopefully get her bus on Monday without having to buy a new ticket. After the police station we went to a cafe, where I had a Sprite, and then made a stop at the bank. By that time it was time for dinner at La Última Frontera. I got sopa de miso con pollo and we all shared papas bravas and papas curry, all of which was delicious. 

After dinner we walked to the river to get ready to watch the Noche de Valdivia regatta. Jette and I got seats on the edge of the bank (cement banks make for nice seating), and we shared a cotton candy while waiting. The regatta was like a huge parade with floats that were totally random with everything from Peppa Pig to Sponge Bob to bugs and German dancing. All were adorned with lots of lights and there were a ton of people watching. After the boats/floats were done (this lasted almost an hour!) we had  some sausages and a small Chilean cookie and waited for the fireworks. The fireworks were fairly standard expect for raining fireworks from the bridge, which was beautiful! Id never seen that done before. After the fireworks we waited for midnight to say happy birthday to Jette and then they walked me back to my hostel since I was tired and ready for bed. The walk back was nuts and the whole town was absolutely teaming with people despite it being after midnight. People were also throwing confetti and spraying some white stuff at each other, which looked really messy, but everyone seemed to be having lots of fun. Now I'm back and it's time to sleep! 

Sharing some cotton candy by the river

One of my favorite floats with changing colored lights

SpongeBob made an appearance

Beer and German dancing

They really love Peppa Pig in South America

Hip-Hopping sea lions, pelicans, and a crab...

Cool fish

Santiago

Today was our one and only day set out to explore Santiago. After we woke up from our nap we set our for the day. We started by walking to the funicular at the end our the street our hostel is on to go up to the statue of the Virgin of the Immacualte Conception. It's a huge statue reminiscent of Christ the Redeemer on the top of a large hill in the city. The views from the area are also spectacular. You can basically see the entirety of Santiago (except for what was behind us since the plateau was large). The area was also where Pope John Paul spoke in the 1980s when he visited Chile. We walked around the area for a bit and took in the sites before taking the funicular back down again.

View of Santiago

More views of Santiago

Statue of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception

On the funicular

Riding down the funicular

We next decided to go and see Pablo Nerudas home in Santiago, which was right near where we already were. We tried to get the student rate, but we were unsuccessful without international student ID cards, which I'm no longer eligible for anyways being over 25. The ticket came with an audio tour so we dos the audio tour and walked through the house. It was a really interesting place, with prices from all over the world including the china, cups, paintings, wood, etc. He was also really into ships and the sea, so the nautical theme was very present. There was overall a though of thought put into the decor. This house of his was originally built for his mistress to live in, however, he ultimately separated from his second wife and moved in with the mistress who became his third and last wife. They had houses in Valparaíso and Isla de Negra as well, but his widow lived in the Santiago house after his death and she restored much of it after it was vandalized shortly after his death as well. The coolest thing there was his Nobel prize for literature, since I had never seen and actual Nobel prize. It was quite beautiful and made of gold. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take any photos while touring the house. 

After Pablo Nerudas home we decided we needed lunch, but it took a while to find somewhere. We ventured out towards the Plaza de Armas (yep, they have those in Chile too) hoping to find somewhere to eat along the way. We stopped at the bank since Caitlin still needed cash and then settled on a place about a block off the Plaza. I had a sandwich with avocado and chicken, but the avocado tasted like it was mixed with vinegar, which was bizzare. Overall it was fine. After lunch I went into the Claro shop to get a Chilean SIM card so I can meet up with Jette tomorrow and have the ability to call her. I'm supposed to be able to whatsapp for free without using data time as well, but I haven't been able to connect to the app yet, which is a bit annoying. At least the data works and I can make and receive phone calls.

After the phone shop we went the the Plaza de Armas and toured the cathedral there. It was really pretty, and best of all free. We then went to the Precolombian Art Museum, which was really cool. There we did get the student rate, so it was the equivalent of about $3; totally worth it. There were a ton of art pieces and artifact from cultures dating back thousands of years in Central and South America. It was really amazing, especially the weaving, which was more advanced than European weaving of the same time period. There was also a children's interactive room, which of course we played in, mostly doing rub art. 

Plaza de Armas

The main cathedral

Cool statues in the Pre-Columbian art museum

My favorite stone piece at the museum

After the museum we walked around and saw the old congress building, the stock exchange, and the opera house. We also had a quick stop at Lush because why not. We then grabbed some delicious gelato at the Opera Cafe (I had French vanilla with loads of vanilla beans) and then walked back to our hostel area. In our quest to find water we found a really cool area with tons of restaurants and shops, so we walked around a bit. We eventually found water at the pharmacy and then went to shower and relax for a bit, as well as book places to stay in Valpo. Cailtin will go while I'm in Valdivia with Jette and I will go the day she leaves, so tonight is our last night together. It's been fun though. 

The Santiago stock exchange

After getting everything set up we ventured out to dinner. The guy at the front desk recommended a good prices Chilean place nearby, so we went there. It was kitty-corner from TGI Fridays, haha. There's also McDs, Dominos, Taco Bell, Starbucks, and Ruby Tuesdays nearby, but luckily those are the minority and there's a ton of other great stuff around. I ordered a mango sour, which tasted more like limoncello (not super delish) and had Pastel de Choclo, a traditional Chilean dish with mashed corn, ground beef, chicken, hard boiled eggs, olives, and raisins. It was really good, but so much food! After dinner we came back to the hostel and packed up for tomorrow and now I'm going to bed. The Asian lady in our room just turned off the fan and I'm not happy about that at all cause it's already hot in here, and the fan drowns out the super loud noise outside (tons of loud music and people partying on a Friday night). Ugh, that's one thing I hate about hostels. (I turned it back on, we'll see how that goes). 

Pastel de Choclo (half devoured)

Last Day in Perú

After a little more than three weeks, my time in Perú has officially come to an end. The day was an emotional roller coaster for me from beginning to end. It started when I woke up having had a dream about living in my second choice city on my rank list, making me realize that I think I may have made a mistake and location was much more important to me than I had previously thought. It's amazing what making something final can do to you since I've never had such an unclear initial impression of what I want before. It has definitely permeated through every part of my day and I have often felt myself of the verge of tears, which is not how I want to feel, but there is literally nothing I can do at this point other than wait. Unfortunately that does absolutely nothing to ease my stress and it only grew throughout the day.

Anyways, after waking up I packed all my stuff so we could check out of the hostel. There was really no breakfast left when I got there, so I had a peice of bread. Not super great, but I lived. After breakfast we stored our luggage and I downloaded a Chile guide book so I can figure out what to do once I'm there. Probably would have been better to have found the book in print since it's a little hard to flip through on the iPad, but it's what I've got now. When it was downloaded we headed out to walk around Cusco for the last time. 

We first headed to the bungy jumping office, because my camera wouldn't read the files on the memory card they gave us. They told me I could get them transferred to a computer, so I said I'd come back later. We next went to a little shop where the people were very nice and I had seen some jewelry I liked that was very well priced. I bought six necklace pendants, and bracelet, and a small bag/purse there all for about $23. Not so bad. After the jewelry store we went to see the Museum with the Inca artifact that were moved there from the Museo Larco in Lima, but the ticket was more than $20 and it wasn't that large. Because Caitlin was a student under 25 she was able to buy a ticket that included Saqsaywaman, Ollantaytambo, the museum, as well as nine other site for the same price as my entrance to Saqsaywaman, so she went and we decided to meet an hour later at the chocolate museum. 

While Caitlin saw the museum I went to look at the cheap alpaca sweaters. I tried on a bunch but non of them looked very good on me at all, and I tried on a bunch, so I didn't end up getting one. I was a little sad, but I didn't want to buy it just to have it. I got enough baskets in the jungle to fulfill that. After trying on a bunch of sweaters I walked back to the hostel and grabbed my flash drive for later and went to meet at the chocolate museum. We made our way to the cafe and I ordered a ham and cheese crepe, a mixed fruit juice, and a brownie. The food was good and the juice was super yummy. The brownie was just as good as in Lima, but was topped with chocolate instead of dulce de leche as it was last time, which I missed a bit. Lunch was when my emotions about rank lists really hit hard. It sucked, but once again nothing I could do, which made it worse. 

After lunch we walked around a bit and I got an alpaca blanket (definitely the cheapest ones they had, I probably could have gone down lower at a different place, but I was tired), and some silver earrings. Turns out that four stamps cost as much as silver earrings in Perú, who would have guess. We also sent a few postcards, which is why we knew about stamp prices. 

After sending the postcards we went back to the bungy place and I finally got my pictures transferred. We then got our bags and got ready for the airport, had our hostel call a cab, and got on our way. Getting to the airport in Cusco was simply and check in and security were a breeze with literally no lines at all. We had some time to kill so we shopped around a bit and I got a cute magnet with a llama and Waynapicchu and the word Cusco on it. We then read until our flight and continued to read through the whole one hour flight to Lima. 

Ready for our last flight with Star Peru

On arrival in Lima we got our bags and exited the claim area. We had to go outside to get to the Sky Airlines area, but couldn't find it. Turns out we were flying LAN, not Sky. Thank goodness I noticed and we didn't sit around waiting for a Sky desk to open! We went to the LAN line which was super long. We quickly learned that we were in the line for domestic flights and the international flight line was much shorter. We got in that line and it went quickly. I started checking in and Josue, the man at the counter, asked if I was traveling alone and had me bring up Cailtin to check in together. He checked us in and told us that he was giving us access to the VIP lounge and gave us a coupon to get in. We were pretty excited, but more on that to come. 

We went through security and both got in trouble for having full water bottles (we had previously gotten through many check points with them, but maybe they just don't care on the domestic flights), but otherwise everything was smooth. We then went through customs and turned in our departure cards we had been carrying since February 3rd when we arrived. Thank goodness we hadn't lost them! 

After security we looked in the shop a bit and I found a few things I wanted to buy, but I decided I'd get them on my way back to the states because I don't want to carry extra things. It's just a sauce for food and some books. We then decided to get some dinner, so we to a place that looked nice at the end of the terminal. I was trying to decide between a pasta dish and a causa with shrimp, and decided on the causa. Big mistake. The lobster layer was covered in a mayonnaise sauce, so I could only eat the avocado layer. I was pretty sad and that's the third major time the rank list emotions hit me. Apparently meals aren't good for me, but nor is sitting in the airport with my thoughts great either. Anyways, I had my most expensive meal of the entire trip and could barely eat half of it, so I was feeling a little down. The waiter was really nice though and I felt insanely guilty for wasting good food that he had recommended to me. He thought I had had the causa there before and thought I knew there was mayonnaise in it, but every causa I had seen didn't have any, so how was I supposed to know? I still feel bad. 

After dinner we went to try to get into the lounge and the first one they said was at capacity and directed us to the other one next door. The lady there was not very friendly and told us that the coupon was only good for Caitlin and basically said we wrote my name on it ourselves. We told her we hadn't and the LAN desk had given it to us that way, but she wouldn't let me in anyways. I told Caitlin she should go alone since she's never been in a lounge, but she didn't go. Instead we went to a random gate to read and write this blog since our gate number wasn't announced yet. We sat around for a little less than two hours, and then boarded the flight to Santiago. 

The flight was fine, though I couldn't sleep. I read some of the guidebook o bought and had a sandwich, crackers with spreadable cheese, and a slice of lemon merengue that they gave out. After eating I finally fell asleep for a little less than an hour until it was time to land. 

When we landed we got through immigration quite quickly, then waited for our bags. Two dogs came out on the baggage carrousel within the first five bags, which was different. One was a little Maltese who yipped a ton once she saw the people waiting at the claim. Our bags came with the second set of bags and we went through customs really easily before finding a taxi into the city. 

We had no money so the taxi driver stopped at door 5 at the airport where there was an ATM and I got some cash. We then got to our hostel just before 6AM. The hostel had two beads ready, but wanted us to pay and extra night, so we said fine and headed upstairs. I was so tired I just basically took off my pants and went to sleep. Only problem was I was so hot! I miss the chill of Cusco since hostels so rarely have A/C! Now I've just woken up from my nap and I'm ready to see Santiago

And don't worry, I'm doing better today. Still a bit bummed but I'll live. 

Machu Picchu

Today was the day we had been waiting for for most of the trip: our visit to the world famous Machu Picchu! We woke up around 5:15AM and got ready for the day before heading down to our included breakfast of rolls, eggs, and tea. Our guide met us right on time, we stored our backpacks for the day (I brought a smaller one with me and only carried what I needed for the day), and we were off! 

We caught the bus from right near our hostel and headed up the mountain. The switch backs have steep cliffs and there were lots of clouds along the drive, so we could see sometimes and other times there was only white. The ride overall was about 30 minutes and then we were at the entrance to Machu Picchu!

When we arrived there were clouds everywhere, and we were basically in them. The mists keep changing and revealing different sections of the ruins, making it incredibly interesting as it morphed. Our tour was two hours long and was really great. It would be impossible to write everything about the tour, so I'll have to tell you about it when we do a slideshow later. We saw all of the main grounds, including the resident llamas. Sadly we did not see any chinchillas, but we were assured they existed there. The coolest things was the difference between the stones used. More important places had more perfect and uniform stones for the walls. The president equivalent had the next best, and servants had more imperfect stones used for the walls. The greatest care was taken for the temples. They also used the mountain in their construction, which was pretty cool. The whole place is just overall incredibly impressive and spectacular. 

After the tour we exited the site to say goodbye to our guide and use the restrooms. We then re-entered to explore more on our own before climbing Waynapicchu. We climbed to the caretakers hut, which had the stereotypical view of Machu Picchu. It was so amazing. The clouds initially blocked some of the view, but moved while we were up there so we got some amazing pictures. We also rested a bit, had a snack, and reapplied sunscreen. I have so many pictures from up there it's ridiculous. Really I just have a ridiculous number of photos all together -- over 300!

When it was about 9:40AM we started walking towards Waynapicchu. We got in line and waited to pass the entrance point. The line took a little while since everyone needs to show their ticket and passport, as well as sign in and say what time you entered. It's boring while you're waiting, but it spaces people out a bit, which is nice. Overall the hike was pretty hard. It wasn't technically difficult or really scary, but it was a TON of stairs, and steep ones at that. My apple health app said that by the end of the day (Machu Picchu and Waynapicchu together) I had climbed roughly 245 flights of stairs!! No wonder I was so exhausted. I am definitely not in good enough shape right now, which was proven by my max heart rate of 170! Yikes. Luckily we made it to the top and had spectacular views down on Machu Picchu. It was really awesome. The site looks very different when you view it from the peak instead of with the peak in the background. The hike down was much easier on my heart rate, but not much easier on my quads or knees, since we had to go down the steep stairs, often holding onto cables on the mountain. They weren't necessary to not fall off, but I definitely appreciated them. I did cut myself on the edge of one, so thank goodness I've had a tetanus shot in the last five years. Through all this I was super thankful that we had amazing weather as well! Not a drop of rain the entire time we were at Machu Picchu or hiking Waynapicchu. That hike would have been slippery and a little scary had it been rainy. Also just overall would have been a bit miserable. 

When we finally finished the hike we walked through Machu Picchu back to the entrance to head out. I of course took  more pictures and had to walk a few more flights of stairs. Exhausting, but so worth it. When we left the site we grabbed the bus back to Aguas Calientes (better known to the locals as Machu Picchu Pueblo) and decided it was time for lunch! We dropped off the stuff we didn't want to carry anymore and made the trek uphill (ugh) to Chez Maggy for pizza! Apparently Chez Maggy is a chain, because I've seen one in every city I've been to in Peru. The pizza was delicious and it was nice to relax. It also started raining while we were on the bus down so we were thankful to be inside. 

After lunch we wandered the artisenia markets near the train station and I bought a little llama or alpaca made of alpaca wool that was soft and cute. Caitlin got some jewelry and another sweater, but I decided to get my sweater in Cusco where things were actually cheaper. Eventually it was time to catch the train, so we grabbed our bags and headed to the station. 

The artesenia in Aguas Calientes near the train station

More views of the town

The train ride was nice, but we were split up. I ended up sitting with and ID doctor from UAB whose cousin did anesthesia residency at Michigan and now works in Dad's group in San Ramon. Very small world. We chatted for most of the ride and it passed by quickly. 

When we arrived in Ollantaytambo we used the restrooms and then tried to figure out how we were supposed to get back to Cusco. We couldn't find anyone from the tour company so we got in a collectivo (mini bus/large van) to get back. While we were waiting for the bus to fill we found a guy yelling my name and it turned out he was form the tour company. He said the bus we were on was fine and he paid our fare, which was what I thought was supposed to happen in the first place. We probably could have gotten in a taxi instead, but honestly the bus was more comfortable because no one was squished in the middle in the back. The only issue with the bus was that I got really nauseous during almost the whole ride. No fun! We got back safely though and walked back to the hostel without and issues.

When we checked into the hostel we were in a different room than before, but the other six beds in our room are empty, which is nice. We showered and said goodbye to Paige, since she leave early in the morning, and then went downstairs to get some food. The taqueños we ordered ended up taking forever, but we had a nice chat with our English friend Polly and it was alright despite my being very hangry. We scarfed down the food and immediately were ready for bed, so now I'm going to pass out! Night! Pics take too long so will do later. 

Made it to Aguas Calientes!

After lunch I walked to the entrance to the ruins to meet Caitlin and looked around the tourist craft booths. I found Cailtin pretty easily and after she stopped by the bathroom we caught a motocarro down to the train station. There were less than ten minutes before the train began to board, but once on board we waited at least twenty minutes before leaving.

The Ollantaytambo ruins

The train ride was absolutely beautiful! There are amazing mountains and the terrain becomes progressively more jungle like as you go on. They had a little snack and beverage service akin to one you would find on an airplane, and I had a water and a cookie thing shaped like a pop tart. Sadly I was so tired I accidentally fell asleep for part of the journey, but I still think I saw enough. The river Rio Urubamba is crazy, with Rapids the entire length of the trip! And we were right next to the river the whole time, so I really mean the entire length! Zero calm. Looks like it would be both fun and exhausting to raft, but probably not the safest. Maybe that's where the rafting trip go, I'm not sure. Anyways, the rest of the trip was nice, but it started to rain. We also heard it rained all day at Machu Picchu, so I hope it's not completely like that tomorrow!

View from the train

On the train to Aguas Clients/Machu Picchu Pueblo

More views from the train

When we got off the train someone was there to meet us and walk us to the hotel/hostel called Hostal Viajeros. The reviews on trip advisor weren't awesome, so I was a little skeptical, but that where the tour put us and it's fine, especially since it's just one night. They had lunch ready for us when we arrived, so I had to eat another lunch. Thank goodness it had been three hours at that point! Lunch ended with a banana covered in dulce de leche, so that was superb. 

Banana with dulce de leech... yum!

After lunch we went out to explore the town. There isn't much here other than hotels/hostels, restaurants, and tourists shops. We basically walked the whole town in a very short amount of time. Caitlin decided she wanted to try out a hike, but since it was raining and I was pretty exhausted I decided to head back and rest so I'm not too beat for Machu Picchu tomorrow. So I came back and vegged on the couch a bit until she got back. 

Aguas Calientes

The main plaza in Aguas Calientes

Interesting statue in town

Aguas Calientes

We were both still zonked when she got back so we went upstairs and took a much needed nap. We also realized that this was really the first time since February 3rd that we have taken a second to rest; no wonder we're tired! I rested and slept for about an hour and then read until dinner. We met our guide downstairs at the beginning of dinner and talked about tomorrow. Since we are the only one on the tour we got to decide with him what we wanted to do. Breakfast starts at 5:30 AM so we decided to meet at 6AM to take the bus to Machu Picchu. We will have a guided tour for two hours, then has a little bit of time to rest before hiking Huaynapicchu at 10AM. After that we will have free time to explore as we please, we just have to catch our train just before 4PM. Anyways, dinner was good and was a mild mushroom soup, pasta with a cute potato rose, and finished with tea (I had cinnamon and clove). 

My potato rose

After dinner we went to meet up with Paige who did Machu Picchu today and heads back to Cusco in the morning.  We chatted for a bit and then headed back since everyone was tired. We grabbed some water for the morning on the way back and said goodbye, but she decided to stay tomorrow night in Cusco before heading to Puno, so we will see her tomorrow. Now we are back in the room and getting ready for bed! Early day tomorrow, but should be amazing. Pray for no rain!