Category: South America

Today we head out from Ollaytantambo to Santa Teresa. We were not sure how long the drive would actually take, but wanted to make the trip in daylight as the last road we must drive has a reputation as being very dangerous. Multiple people have warned us about driving on this road. Before we left, I took a few minutes in daylight to check out the area where we stayed.

The Ollantaytambo Ruins are on the edge of town and we were hoping to visit them when we came back through this way a few days later. There is also a statue of Cura Ocllo.  She was the sister and wife to one of the last rulers of the Inca empire, Manco Inca Yupanqui.  He started out as a puppet for the Spanish, but later rebelled and spent the rest of his life trying to defeat them.  At one point, Manco was forced to turn Cura Ocllo over to the Spaniards, where she was shot with arrows for resisting rape.

Continue reading “21: Onward to Santa Teresa”

Today we hiked from Santa Teresa to Aguas Calientes. To make this work we made arrangements with the manager of the hostel to leave our luggage in storage and we packed enough clothing and supplies in our small backpacks to make the round trip.

The same set of train tracks that run from Ollaytantambo to Aquas Calientes continue on to a hydroelectric plant on the other side of Machu Picchu. We hiked the 15km on a path next to the train tracks. I was genuinely surprised at the number of people we saw along the trail. This appears to be a popular option for backpackers and families alike.

We grabbed a quick breakfast at the same restaurant and took a taxi to the dam. The hike is reported to take 2.5 – 3 hours. I think we actually took 4+ hours because of the many stops we made to take pictures and enjoy the scenery. It was a beautiful day, the views were incredible, and I for one was exhausted by the time we finished the hike.

Continue reading “22: Hike to Aguas Calientes”

Today is the day…Machu Picchu. Our guide met us at the hostel and we made our way across town to the buses that take people to the entry gates. There was very little wait before we were on a bus and on our way. The narrow road winds back and forth up the mountain and the bus drivers wasted no time getting us to our destination. I haven’t yet decided if having bus drivers with enough experience to drive fast on that road is comforting or terrifying.

The hostel provided a bag lunch for us to take with so we had food when the time arrived. Food purchased onsite at Machu Picchu is very expensive. We hadn’t had breakfast that morning, so we ate half of the lunch on the bus ride and saved the other half for actual lunch time. Entry into the site was smooth and we were off to see what we could see.

Continue reading “23: Machu Picchu”

Today was mostly a driving day. We hit the road late morning after tracking down some breakfast and checking out of the hostel. The goal was to make it to the city of Urubamba. Two of the sites we wanted to visit are not far from there.

We went back out the same way we came into Santa Teresa. The views from the mountainside roads were as amazing today as when we first saw them.  Absolutely stunning!

Continue reading “24: Back Through The Sacred Valley”

The first stop of the day was the Maras Salt Mines (or salt evaporation ponds}.

The ponds were first put in place by pre-Inca civilizations. They are fed with water from an underground stream of mineral rich water that some describe as a ancient ocean that was trapped underground. The water travels through a network of small channels to the ponds and flow is controlled by blocking off sections of the channel with rocks.

Once the ponds are filled, they are left for a period of time so the sun can evaporate the water, leaving the salt behind. Families in the area own, tend, and ultimately harvest the pools. The salt is sold locally in the Sacred Valley as well as internationally.  If you ever purchase Peruvian pink salt it may very well have come from these ponds. 

Continue reading “25: Salt and Agriculture”