A Day for Viewing Incan Ruins

March 28: Day 5. Jane is sick. And Capt. Larry isn’t feeling so great either.

Coca leaves

Even though we had kept ourselves well hydrated and tried to pace ourselves so we wouldn’t overdo it, it looks like we’re showing signs of altitude sickness. Our physician had prescribed medication to treat altitude sickness, but we decided to hold off pretreating ourselves to see if it would really be needed. We started the medication and Jane got another drug to help her with nausea. At breakfast, our tour directors suggested that Jane try some coca tea which is “what the natives drink.”

Ollantaytambo terrace ruins

Sure enough, at the coffee bar we found a jar with coca leaves in it and she made a tea with some hot water. By the time we had finished breakfast, Jane was feeling a whole lot better!

We left our hotel to travel to the Incan ruins at Ollantaytambo. The main feature of the ruins are terraces on which the Incans raised their crops. During the Spanish conquest of Peru, Ollantaytambo was fortified and served as a stronghold to resist the advancement of Spanish troops.

Ready to roll!

The Spanish were defeated here by the Incans in 1536 and our guide recounted the highlights of that battle. We toured the ruins and climbed the terraces before heading back to our bus. We took a short ride to Perurail’s Ollantaytambo train station where we will take a train to Aguas Calientes, a short distance from Machu Picchu. We are gathered at the depot when a group of colorfully dressed Indians appear. Beating drums, dancing wildly, and singing they start to escort us to our train.

A pisco sour

 Jane, never missing a chance to dance in the street, started second lining, when one of the dancing Indians grabbed her arm and started swinging her through the street. He danced and gyrated with her all the way to the train, never letting her go. It was a fair distance to the train and at that altitude she was starting to struggle.

We boarded our train and were awed by how sumptuous the privately chartered, domed cars were.

The Urubamba River

We hadn’t been on a car like that since our domed car experience in Alaska. No sooner were we in our seats when a waiter came around and took drink orders. Capt. Larry and David disregarded the warnings about alcohol exacerbating altitude sickness and ordered Pisco sours. Drinks were followed by an excellent Peruvian lunch. The 90-minute train ride slowly coursed along the Urubamba River for approximately 27 miles.

The King and Princess

After lunch we were entertained by two Indian entertainers who reenacted a historical love story about an Incan king and princess. During our ride we saw a lot of farm fields and 3 Andean condors— generally considered to be the world’s largest bird of prey. Our train ride ended in the small town of Aguas Calientes which apparently has been recently renamed Machu Picchu Pueblo. Here we would board a bus that would take us on a 25-minute, winding mountainous ride to Machu Picchu. Our bus ride ended directly in front of the steps of our hotel, Sanctuary Lodge, which is a stone’s throw from the park’s ticket gate entrance.

Machu Picchu ruins

 We would have the rest of the afternoon and a few hours tomorrow morning to explore Machu Picchu before our train would take us back to Ollantaytambo. We found our room and luggage and quickly got ready to go into the park. Our group gathered at the visitor’s entrance where we were divided into two groups. David and Linda’s group would take a more rigorous hike through the park, while our group would have a more sedate exploration of the ruins.

Terraces and Machu Picchu Peak

Our guide, Eddy, provided a very knowledgeable and excellent background and discussion of what Machu Picchu was all about to the Incas. The Incas built the citadel around 1450, but abandoned it about a century later with the arrival of the Spanish conquest. The site is on a narrow saddle between two mountain peaks: Machu Picchu and the smaller peak, Huayna Picchu. We explored the Guard’s Quarters and probed the ruins of the Royal Tomb, Temple of the Sun, and the Royal Palace.

Rainbow at Machu Picchu

While we were looking out over the ruins, a rainbow formed and our guide commented how lucky we were to come to the park when the weather provided excellent viewing conditions and visitor attendance was unusually low.

We returned to our hotel where we had a couple of hours to collect ourselves before gathering for dinner.

Ruining ourselves at the ruins

The hotel had an open bar so Capt. Larry moseyed down for a happy-hour drink. The bartender produced his drink along with strips of llama and alpaca jerky which tasted pretty much like any other jerky. As 1800 hrs. approached, people started filtering into the bar to participate in the scheduled Pisco sour demonstration. The bartender started by telling us about the many different kinds of Pisco that were made and the differences in taste between them.

Ready for pisco sour class!

He passed around samples of the Piscos and then demonstrated each step in the making of a Pisco sour. It was time for dinner so we made our way to a table in the dining area. Jane and Linda were once again rolling their eyes as the Peruvian dishes started coming out of the kitchen! As we ate, we were entertained by a folk band playing music on traditional instruments. After the band finished, one of the band members coaxed Capt. Larry into forking over $20 for a CD of their music. Gotta support the local economy! We finished our meal and went to our room to crash for the night. It was a brutal day.

A mountain bunny!