Through the Sacred Valley

The last two days have been of the whirlwind variety. They've also been of the unforgettable variety. This is going to be another two-part series.

We needed to make our way from Cusco to Aguas Calientes, which is the town that hosts Machu Picchu. This trip took us into what is known as the Sacred Valley, a stretch of land that features dozens of ruins of Inca temples, cities, and fortresses aside from those at Machu Picchu. Our actual time at Machu Picchu has earned its own entry, but the journey there was most definitely worth sharing.

It started with a taxi ride that took us from downtown Cusco through a series of small towns until we reached another small town called Ollantaytambo, or Ollanta for short. This town, inside the Sacred Valley, seems to exist for three reasons. First, they grow a small amount of crops here that provides an obviously necessary supplement to their tourism income. Which leads to reasons numbers two and three.

Reason Number Two is that it is home to the ruins of an Inca town and fortress. While there are many prominent sites, the one closest to the modern city center is a remarkable set of well-preserved terraces. These were used for agricultural purposes, though nearby terraces were also constructed as defensive structures. The story of Ollanta is an interesting one. Originally constructed by the Inca Emperor Pachacuti as an estate of sorts, it later had a much more dramatic role. During the Spanish Conquest, a rebel Inca leader named Manco Inca Yupanqui withdrew to Ollanta and fortified the town. When attacked by a Spanish cavalry force, his army successfully defended the position courtesy of showers of boulders, arrows, and likely whatever else was at hand, combined with a pre-orchestrated plan to flood the plain from which the Spanish had attacked, nearly causing an all-out rout. Unfortunately for Manco Inca, the Spanish returned shortly thereafter with four times the cavalry and infantry, which necessitated the beginning of the final Inca retreat into the jungle.

We climbed the terraces and walked along the mountain path to some additional structures, and were fairly impressed to say the least. Pictures will suffice for further explanation (no pictures yet, obviously, since posting pictures on here takes a lot of work and I'm tired).

Reason Number Three, and in all honesty this is probably the most important reason, is that Ollanta is a gateway to Machu Picchu. It is a stop on the railroad between Cusco and Aguas Calientes, though in fact many travelers begin their train journey to Aguas Calientes from Ollanta itself, as we did. Perhaps most significantly, Ollanta is the nearest town to the beginning of the world-famous Inca Trail, which begins along the train tracks a few kilometers outside of town. Having scheduled limited time in Peru, we long ago decided not to try to do the Inca Trail, but instead take the train to Aguas Calientes.

This is no ordinary train. There are actually three levels of train service: the Backpacker, which is barebones; the VistaDome, which features large windows on the sides and top of the cars so as to permit riders a chance to see the incredible scenery that goes by; and the Hiram Bingham, named after the "discoverer" of Machu Picchu, and offering premium service at premium prices. We went with the VistaDome. The single track follows the curves of the Rio Urubamba as it snakes through the increasingly lush valley. It takes sharp corners, plays soft "Incan" music, and offers some of the best views you can get from a train. Plus, at the end you get to Machu Picchu! In short, well worth the $50 fare.

The train makes its way to Aguas Calientes in about an hour, depositing you in a town that has an oddly Epcot-esque feel to it. Or perhaps Humphrey Bogart's Casablanca. Getting out of the train station takes some work, as the town has conveniently placed a three-block long handicraft market with narrow aisles and dim lighting and no signage whatsoever in between the station and the street. The only establishments in the entire town are places to sleep and places to eat. Nobody is ever in Aguas Calientes for any other reason than to get to Machu Picchu, so most visitors are either just there passing through from Cusco or are one-nighters, and there's a corresponding transient ambience to the place. The prices are higher and people are all business, peddling everything under the sun, including alpaca kebobs (pretty tasty, actually) and crappy CDs in restaurants. Seeing someone loitering in the streets is not a cause for alarm, because it's just understood that everyone's either on their way to or from Machu Picchu and there are lots of things to get done going in either direction, many of which involve loitering in the streets.

It was so over-the-top tacky that Dylan and I both kind of liked it. We got in at around 5pm, got to our hostel (which was kind of dirty, so I slept in my sleeping bag and showered in sandals), and picked up our Machu Picchu entry tickets at the municipal office. We picked up some bread and juice for the next morning's breakfast, grabbed a quick bite for dinner, and were in bed by 9.

TO BE CONTINUED...