Quick facts: UNESCO site, New 7 wonder of the world; GPS: -13.164224, -72.544759; GMT-5; Altitude: 8051′
Today’s start was much earlier than most in order to catch the first bus up to the site. I got to the line a little after 04:30 which already had more people in it than I would have liked. Even so, the busses ran much better than they did yesterday and they got all of us to the park pretty close to 06:00 when it opens.
Luckily my plan worked and my hope of getting at least one day of good weather panned out. The weather is noticeably clearer today and while the sun wasn’t up yet I could tell we were in for an actual sunrise. With my morning ticket I wanted to get some kind of shot of the sun rising over the mountains and the light hitting the ruins. While I tried to read up on the best place for this I didn’t get any clear answer. Since there were only a couple places I didn’t see yesterday, I headed for the Inca Bridge. What I encountered was that they don’t open the gate to this trail until 07:00 and it is on the backside of Machu Picchu Mountain. While I waited for the gate to open the sun did peak over the mountains but was slightly obscured by some clouds so it wasn’t really the scene I had been hoping for. A few minutes later the gate opened and I was off to see the Inca Bridge.
It’s a short hike to the bridge but it’s pretty cool so well worth it. You can’t actually get to the bridge as it’s been closed off but you can see that it’s sketchy and was a good decision to do so. I spent a few minutes taking some pics as I was the first one there and took advantage of having no one around to get in my photos. From there I walked back to the main site to check out more of what I missed yesterday.
The first spot on my list was the highest plateau overlooking the ruins. The earlier one gets in the park the fewer people there are meandering around. Again I tried to take advantage of this and got some photos of myself with the ruins in the background. At this position the ruins are already a little far for a dramatic photo so I forwent my intent to hike to the top of Machu Picchu Mountain as that would only exacerbate this effect. The other thing I would’ve liked to have done here was hike to the top of Huayna Picchu Mountain, but I was unable to get the ticket due to the hastiness of this trip.
With these factors in mind the only thing left to do was to get more photos but with the added benefit of the sun being out today! One thing I did notice is that the llamas were hanging out up here rather than down in the main square of the site. This allowed for more up close and personal photos of them without being so restricted in how close I could get. I love all these camelids, and while these llamas are cute they don’t have my heart as much as alpacas do. Nonetheless, I spent a fair amount of time getting pics of these guys and towards the end was even able to get a few moments with one that ventured out into the public area 😀
From here I headed back down in the main complex and was snapping away the whole time. I spent the next few hours retracing my steps yesterday, making my way through the ruins. I am really happy that the weather turned around because going at different times over two days allowed me to see the difference in light and weather which makes for some nice photos.
By 10ish I was back at the exit waiting for the bus to go back into town. It would’ve been nice to do some more but with out the tickets I was left with few options. Back in town I looked for a place to have a late breakfast since I didn’t get much time to eat before catching the bus this morning. After asking around a few different places I realized that Google translate doesn’t know how to say brunch and/or that no one offers such a thing in this part of the world. I settled on trying a French bakery that’s highly rated here in town, La Boulangerie de Paris. This is a quaint little place and luckily I was able to grab a table. I ordered a nice assortment of things to try along with some eggs to complete the breakfast theme. Besides the eggs and cappuccino I also ordered, a croissant, a triangulo de coco, an éclair de fresa y crema de leche, and an éclair de chocolate. Everything I ordered was pretty good, so while it wasn’t the brunch I was hoping for it was worth the visit.
Since this is the last full day in town and I have half the day left I wanted to find something else to do. Given I had not taken advantage of the town’s namesake I figured it would be a good way to spend a couple of hours. I made my way up to the hot springs that are situated in the outskirts of town. The walk there was nice and the path is lined with stone sculptures that are themed of local animals, history, and culture. Once I got to the clubhouse I changed and attempted to go to the water, a security guard said I couldn’t enter with what I was wearing. Long story short, you can’t wear any kind of shorts that aren’t what they consider swimming shorts. As I was wearing my convertible pants with the legs off they wouldn’t allow me to wear them inside. Maybe this is a petty thing to get upset about, but this really pissed me off as it’s a stupid policy that isn’t posted when buying the entry ticket along with all the other restrictions they place on patrons. I had little choice but to leave. Maybe it was for the best, as the reviews for this place are less than stellar.
After that disappointment, I decided to go back to Otto’s for a massage. At least there I had a good experience that would hopefully be repeated. Unlike the first time, after my foot soak, I took a shower and then went in for the massage. This was a good relaxing way to end the time here. I really wish there was a place near me that was this good and this cheap that I could go to more regularly. Alas, I’ll have to keep looking and stay optimistic but at least for now I am happy.
Turning to Trip Advisor once again, I found a place called Inka Wasi to try for dinner. I liked the decor of this place. It was more what I’d expect of a traditional setting with wood carved chairs and decorations all over. It also had a fire pit in the dining area. I ordered the rocoto rellano. This meal was pretty good, but the best part was also the most surprising. The carrots that were part of the salad were by far the most delicious I’ve ever had before. I actually had to ask the waiter what they were because I initially thought they were some kind of fruit. He told me that they are zanahoria de Cusco. I don’t know if it’s how they cooked it or this specific kind of carrot, but I couldn’t get over how good they are. I wish I could find out more!
After dinner I went back to the hotel and went to bed. I don’t have an early start in the morning but all this traveling is exhausting and every night all I really want to do is get back to my room and try to get enough sleep for the next day.