So, we were up bright and early, 5:00 to be exact, to walk the trail up the mountain to Machu Picchu! Aguas Calientes, known by the locals as Machu Picchu Pueblo (the village of...) is beautiful in the early morning, and also very busy with buses shuttling people up the mountain to the ruins as early as 5:30.
We started out down the trail towards the bridge and the first check point before the climb... some beautiful flowers and plants along the way in the tropical climate.
We hit the first check point about a half hour into the 2 hour hike, and were stopped, dead! The man at the check point wanted to see our tickets, but we got in so late the night before and didn't have a chance to pick them up. Our guide book indicates you can purchase them at the top entrance, however apparently this is not the case! :( so, off we went, back down the same trail we came on, and back to the village, disappointed as ever. Within minutes, we had a new walking partner playing around us and trekking with us back into town. He was such a cute and fun little guy, we couldn't be disappointed for long!
Back in town we decided to wonder around the village for the day instead of heading up the mountain later in the morning, which actually worked out quite well as it was a pretty rainy and crummy day. We headed to the coffee shop in need of some fuel and a wifi connection... we have a whole new appreciation for real coffee, as many of the hostals, hotels and restaurants serve instant or distilled coffee, which doesn't quite cut it! And, as it turns out, coffee in this very touristy town is rather expensive - at least in comparison with other costs. We had two americano's, one small crepe with creme de leche and one espresso and it cost 45 soles, that's more than we paid for our room for the night! Now, to put this into perspective compared with Canadian dollars, our breakfast cost about $18 - and that sounds about right for a cafe at home!
In the main square, they had a Christmas Tree set up, but not your typical tree... it was made entirely out of green plastic bottles! Being the greenie I am, I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread - we might just have to have one of these at our place next year!! Underneath it was a small nativity scene.
Still along the green lines, I was excited to see that the village Composts and Recycles! That's better than we can say for many of the towns and cities in Canada! Also, since the village is in the rainforest, and only accessible by train, the only vehicles are the buses that run people up the mountain, and vehicles for the police. All waste is picked up by people with carts.
In the main square is a statue of a great Inca leader, as well as two colourful statues of Inca people.
After touring through the markets and making some great deals, we headed out for a walk around the outer parts of the village. This stunner of a hotel is down the train tracks a bit, but is absolutely gorgeous!
And they even have a great sports field - artificial turf and all!!
We treated ourselves to a fancy dinner at Indio Feliz. This multi-award winning french chef whips up amazing meals, which have made this restaurant very popular, and 'world famous' in Aguas Calientes. The very eclectic interior of the restaurant had a nautical theme, but wasn't tacky! What a delicious evening it was!
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