Day 7 — The 4:03p Vistadome to Aguas Calientes

Thursday — April 9

Vidal was already at Hostal Sauce when we showed up after lunch. We still had plenty of time before we had to be at the train station, so we relaxed in the lobby for a while, bringing Vidal up to speed on what we’d been doing while he was taking care of business in Cusco over the past day and a half.

The proprietor’s collection of chullos add color to the lobby of Hostal Sauce.

Around 3:00p, we collected the carry-on bags we were taking with us to Machu Picchu and walked the short distance to the train station. We were thrilled to see a modern, two-car train with big picture windows waiting for passengers. Our bubble was quickly burst — this was the earlier Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes, the town that services Machu Picchu.

Although it departed nearly empty, Perú Rail wouldn’t switch us to the earlier train.

If you don’t count hiking to Machu Picchu as an option, there’s only one way to get there, and that is by train. There are no roads, no flights, no boats — nothing; Perú Rail is the only game in town. (Another company is trying to get authorization to operate trains, but so far, even though the train cars are in place and ready to go, the permits have been tied up in a morass of red tape. I wonder who’s behind that bit of bureaucracy?!?)

There are two categories of train service for tourists — the backpacker and the Vistadome. There’s also the luxurious Hiram Bingham train operated by Orient Express, but the ticket prices are so ridiculously expensive that we didn’t consider it. Once we’d determined that the Vistadome service was the way to go for us, the next decision we had to make was to pick our departure station — Cusco or Ollantaytambo. The ride from Cusco is approximately 4 hours long; partially because of a series of sharp switchbacks that enable the train to negotiate a steep grade coming out of town. Fun perhaps, but when I found out that the ride from Ollantaytambo is about 1½ hours long, the decision was a no-brainer.

Our train pulled into Ollantaytambo Station around 3:30p. The only difference from the earlier train was the smaller windows. Though the cars were obviously older, they were clean and well-maintained. At shortly after 4:03p, train 205 was rolling down the tracks, following the Urubamba River to Aguas Calientes. The two cars were filled to the gills with people and luggage (the latter stacked in front of one of the two doors of the train car; no wonder Perú Rail urges passengers to limit their baggage). Mui took some video en route to our destination, but the failing light, combined with the movement of the train, was reason enough to put my camera away after just a couple of clicks of the shutter.

The 4-day trek on the Inca Trail starts once you cross this bridge.

About 30 minutes into the train ride, the attendants came through with an airline-style cart and served a boxed snack with a choice of beverages. As we munched on our snacks, we passed the time making tentative plans for our days at Machu Picchu. Before we knew it, our train was pulling into the station in Aguas Calientes (hot waters — in reference to the hot springs in the area).

The town, which some know by the name of Machu Picchu Pueblo, is not much to speak of. It sprung up for one purpose, and one purpose only — to service the thousands upon thousands of tourists who flock here to visit the ruins of Machu Picchu. Most visitors make the trip in a day, returning to Ollantaytambo or Cusco on the evening trains, or they stay one night … OK, maybe two nights. Our plans called for us to be here four nights (I can hear the collective gasps of the people who’ve been here before us). Our long stay was one of the reasons why we had decided to splurge and stay at the Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel; the other reason was that this trip was planned as a special birthday celebration.

Upon disembarking the train, we were greeted by staff from the Inkaterra. They collected our bags and led the way to the hotel — about a 10-minute walk through the artisan market, across the bridge, and up a paved path. As soon as we crossed the bridge into the property, it was like we were in a different world — lush green tropical vegetation and colorful orchids; birds chirping in the canopy; sound of soothing water flowing in narrow canals; white-washed casitas (small houses) peeking through the foliage; lanterns on meandering pathways giving off just enough light to see our way. Just beautiful.

Entering the building that houses the front desk, we were welcomed by charming smiles, warm washcloths, and glasses of iced tea. The young woman who took care of checking us in gave us the news that we’d been upgraded to a junior suite — a wonderful surprise. With the paperwork completed, we bid Vidal goodnight and followed our escort to #16 — home away from home for the next four days.

Map of the property.

#16 is a junior suite.

We fell in love with our room as soon as our escort unlocked the heavy wood door and we stepped inside — white washed walls and crisp linens and pillows on the bed; wrought iron headboards and colorful blankets; comfy chairs facing a fireplace waiting to be lit; dark-wood armoire to hold our clothes; pristine en suite facilities with a huge walk-in shower; cotton robes and recycled tire slippers; bathroom amenities, including a small bottle of citronella splash to ward off the inevitable mosquitoes; private courtyard accessible through two French-doors flanking the fireplace; welcome note propped up against a bowl of mixed nuts. Can I say that it was all quite delightful; and so much more than the photographs on the website had prepared me for.

Crisp white linens and colorful blankets and pillows — simple elegance.

A private oasis.

The recyled tire slippers are part of Inkaterra’s eco-conscious efforts.

By the time we were settled into our room, it was time for dinner — early by Latin standards, but we were famished. As we walked out of the room, we turned on the electric heater to break the damp chill. We didn’t get far. The sound of water that we’d attributed to the trickling streams on the property was actually a full-fledged shower. Grabbing the umbrella that was hanging near the door, we headed to the lobby building where we were told we’d find the dining room.

There was no one else in the dining room. We checked in with the maitre d’ so that he could confirm our names against his list (breakfast and dinner are included in the room rate) and were immediately taken to a two-top along the glass-wall overlooking the river below — not that anything was visible in the inky darkness of night.

Every item on the menu looked good, making it difficult to choose an entrada (appetizer) and a plato principale (main course). Not that I need an excuse to order soup, but the chilly nighttime air made it easy for me to start with the soup of the day — cream of corn, in this instance. I followed that with pasta served with oven roasted pomodoro tomatoes simmered in olive oil, garlic, and spices. Mui ordered the purple corn ravioli (filled with dried trout and Urubamba cheese) served in a yellow pepper and almond cream emulsion to start, and finished with the grilled Andean trout fillet served with toasted garlic and chestnut pureé. The food was delicious and we would have been quite satisfied to leave it at that. The small portions, however, left us with enough room to order a dessert each — homemade ice cream with hot fudge sauce for me and a fudge brownie sundae in a delightfully messy presentation for Mui.

Mui can’t help but giggle at the delightfully messy presentation of his brownie sundae.

Our plan for a nighttime stroll was shelved in light of the rain that was continuing to fall. After a slight detour to make reservations for some of the activities offered by the Inkaterra, we returned to our room for an early night in anticipation of our long-awaited visit to the Lost City of the Incas.

Next Up: Day 8 — In the Clouds at Machu Picchu

Day 8 — In the Clouds at Machu Picchu

Friday — April 10

We woke to the pitter-patter of raindrops falling on the skylight in the bathroom. Hoping the weather would clear-up by the time we were ready to head up to Machu Picchu, we went to breakfast. We were seated at the same two-top where we'd eaten dinner the night before, but now we could see the view — steep canyon walls covered in lush greenery; the muddy, churning Urubamba River flowing down the center; Aguas Calientes a little ways downriver.

View from the dining room at the Inkaterra.

Breakfast was set up buffet style and was a veritable feast of pastries, breads, cheeses, breakfast meats, fruits, cereals, and juices. Made-to-order items — such as omelets and quinoa pancakes — were available on request.

The breakfast buffet offers a wide-variety of tasty choices.

We met up with Vidal at 7:00a and walked the short distance into Aguas Calientes. En route, we stopped to buy a couple of cheap plastic ponchos so that we could protect our backpacks from the light rain that was continuing to fall. As I had left my hat in the room, we also picked up a baseball cap to shade my eyes — hoping the sun would be out before long.

Just as there are two ways to get to Aguas Calientes — hike or take the train — there are only two ways to get to the ruins of Machu Picchu — hike or take the shuttle bus. We’d been encouraged to reserve our energy for exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu, so we took the bus up. The queue was short and moved fast — even more so because we had our bus tickets already in hand. Twenty-minutes later, thankfully free of any motion sickness that might have been induced by the sharply zig-zagged road, we were at the entrance to Machu Picchu (which, by the way, means Old Peak — in reference to the sacred mountain it’s located on).

Google Earth image showing the road we traveled to get to Machu Picchu.

Again, with tickets in hand, we had no waiting to contend with, but we did have a short delay when the guards at the entrance spied the tripod attached to Mui's backpack. The website had indicated that rubber-tipped tripods were OK, but the guards begged to differ. Rather than argue, we checked the tripod at the nearby facility and proceeded to make our way up the steps to the ruins.

Our first glimpse of the sanctuary was a “Samantha Brown” moment. What’s that you say? Let me explain. Samantha is the host of a popular travel show on TV. In the episode that was filmed at Machu Picchu, she rounds the corner of the guardhouse, excited to see the fabled site, only to find the whole place socked in by fog. That’s how it was for us as well — though maybe just a tad bit better as we could still see much of the terracing. But Huayna Picchu, the mountain that forms the impressive backdrop to the sanctuary, was definitely not in view.

Our first glimpse of Machu Picchu.

I have to admit to being in a wee bit of a snit during the early part of our long-awaited visit to Machu Picchu. It wasn’t the weather that had me out of sorts; it was the crowds. Yes, yes — I knew to expect crowds, but not only were we there during the “supposed” off-season, but it was still early in the morning and except for a couple of two-car trains that might have already arrived from Ollantaytambo, the trains that would be bringing the hoards of tourists were yet to come. Once I grasped the fact that Machu Picchu was not going to be the quiet, spiritual experience that I had hoped it would be, I got over my funk and set about enjoying the site.

At a spot overlooking the main body of ruins, Vidal gave us an overview of the site and the places we would be visiting when we ventured down the many steps to the bottom. He familiarized us with the theories as to the purpose Machu Picchu served during Inca times. Was it an Andean Shangri-la? Was it a city where the “Virgins of the Sun” lived? Was it a secret refuge to escape the conquistadors? Or, was it a ceremonial center built on the orders of Inca Pachacuteq? Most recent archaeological evidence seems to point to it being a royal estate. The site, built somewhere around the 1460s (a best-guess on the part of archaeologists) was abandoned within 100 years of its construction and remained “lost” to the world until it was discovered by Hiram Bingham, an American historian. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Bingham re-discovered Machu Picchu since the campesinos (farmers) who guided him to the site would have had to discover it first in order to lead him to it.

As we watch, the fog moves in and out, giving us glimpses of the ruins.

With our brief lesson in history over, we headed down step after step, eventually getting to the main body of ruins where we spent the morning exploring all the nooks and crannies. I’m glad we opted to do a half-day tour with Vidal to kick-start our visit as his commentary helped us to grasp the significance of what we were seeing.

Our meandering walk through the site took us to many of the conjuntos (groups of buildings), amongst them the Principal Temple (unusual because some settling of the foundation has caused damage to the wall); the Intiwatana; the Sacred Rock complex (where we saw the first of several “image rocks” — rocks carved to mimic the shape of distant mountains — in this case, Mount Yanantin); the Temple of the Condor (so named for a stone carving that resembles the white-ruffed head of a condor); the cave under the Temple of the Sun (the temple itself was roped-off for renovations).

The Principal Temple has been damaged due to the settling of the foundation.

Agricultural terraces.
(the thin line just below the clouds on the far left is the portion of the Inca Trail that runs through the sanctuary).

A closer look at the qolqas (storehouses) and the homes of the farmers.

We explored niches and narrow pathways; waited to see if a new-born llama was going to take its first steps (it didn’t — at least not while we were there); studied the construction of the canals and the fountains; walked out to balcony-like structures that afforded expansive views of the landscape; peered through windows; and climbed terraces — all the while making sure we weren’t doing anything to cause the guards to blow their whistles in admonishment.

Erin checks out the view from a balcony.
Mui’s caught peering through a window.

Exploring the narrow alleys. (photo by Vidal)
The stone carving on the ground resembles the head of a condor; hence the name of the temple.

The clouds lift and Huayna Picchu (Young Peak) reveals itself.
(photo by Vidal)

My favorite part of our morning at Machu Picchu was the time we spent at a quiet overlook with a view of Mount Putucusi, one of the sacred mountains in the area. Perched on a ledge, we watched the play of shadows as the clouds drifted through the valley. Far below us, the Urubamba River encircled the mountain, adding a fluid beauty to the scenery. To one side, we had a clear view of the zig-zag road leading up from Aguas Calientes to the sanctuary — having seen it from this angle, I’m even more amazed that we made it up without resorting to motion sickness medication.

Perched on a rock near the ledge we study the landscape.
(photo by Vidal)

Putucusi means “Happy Mountain” in Quechua.

The peace and quiet at this spot was what I had envisioned for our visit to Machu Picchu. We sat there for quite a while, oblivious to the rain that was falling softly. When the drops started to get bigger and fall more rapidly, however, we decided to seek protection before we got soaked.

Next Up: Day 8 — Machu Picchu After the Rain

Day 8 — Machu Picchu After the Rain

Friday — April 10

By the time we approached the gate to exit the sanctuary, the rain was coming down in buckets. After reclaiming the checked tripod, we hastened to find cover. As it was after 12:30p, we decided to kill two birds with one stone and headed to the terrace eatery where we took the last few seats that were still open. The shade umbrella wasn’t really designed to hold off the downpour, but we had enough protection to be able to eat in relative comfort. Though the sandwiches were expensive, eating at the café was still a bargain compared to the $33/person buffet at the nearby Sanctuary Lodge.

Waiting for the rain to end at the café outside the Machu Picchu ruins.
(photo by Vidal)

I don’t think it’s ever taken us so long to eat a couple of sandwiches, but we had an excuse — we were killing time, hoping the deluge would eventually end. By 2:00p, the rain was down to a drizzle and the sky was clearing. Encouraged by the number of people we’d seen taking the shuttle back to Aguas Calientes, we decided to stick around for a while. After seeing Vidal off on the next bus, we packed Mui’s tripod “inside” his backpack and headed back into the ruins. By this time, the rain was over, the sun was out, and it was getting quite steamy. Pulling off to the side on the narrow trail, we packed our plastic ponchos and removed our rain jackets before continuing on to the caretaker’s hut further up the site.

When we reached the hut, the filmy clouds that had been passing through the ruins were gone. The famous “postcard view” of Machu Picchu was finally laid out before us — definitely worth the wait and the cost of the expensive sandwiches.

The view we’d been waiting to see offers a good photo op.
(photo taken by a fellow visitor to Machu Picchu)

The Urubamba River provides perspective for how high up we are from the floor of the valley.
(Huayna Picchu [right] is mostly hidden by clouds, but we have a good view of Uña Picchu [Small Peak])

There were very few people in this area, so rather than return to the main body of ruins, we found a perch on one of the terraces and sat down to enjoy the view from this vantage point. Mui set up his tripod — in full view of a guard who seemed to have no objections — and every once in a while got up to take a few more minutes of video as the passing clouds and changing light conditions altered the mood of the scenery on which we were feasting our eyes. We noted that the trail to the Inca Drawbridge was nearby, but we were not inclined to leave our peaceful spot — of course, knowing that we had three more days to visit the ruins made it easier for us to put off further exploration for the time being.

When raindrops started to fall around 4:00p, we decided to call it a day at Machu Picchu. There was no line to speak of at the bus stop. After purchasing our shuttle tickets for the next day, we boarded the next bus going down.

Modern, well-maintained busses shuttle visitors from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu.

Twenty minutes later, we were in town and headed to the Machu Picchu Cultural Center just off the main square to purchase our entrance tickets for next day’s visit to the sanctuary. We would have stayed to wander around town a bit, but the on-and-off rain was “on” again. After browsing the stalls in the covered artisan market, we headed back to the Inkaterra to relax before dinner.

There was a slight chill in the room that we felt all the more because of the humidity. Turning on the electric heaters (we'd asked for a second one to be put in the room) and lighting a fire quickly solved that problem. Our next problem was to figure out how to dry our rain ponchos — in case we needed to use them the next day. Mui came up with an ingenious solution!

They say necessity is the mother of invention.

When we’d checked into the Inkaterra, we’d been told that complimentary pisco sours were served daily in the lobby. We’d been heeding the advice to abstain from liquor while we acclimated to the altitude, but now the time seemed right to try a sip or two of Perú’s “national drink.” (There’s some debate as to whether the drink originated in Perú or Chile. Each nation even has a “National Pisco Sour Day” — in Perú that day is celebrated on the first Saturday of February). The drink is based on a regional brandy — pisco — mixed with lemon or lime juice, egg whites, simple syrup, and regional bitters. And boy does it pack a punch!!! I’m glad the drink was served in a small glass; might not have stayed awake long enough to enjoy dinner otherwise!!!

(Note to Deb: tell George that I kept my promise to have at least one pisco sour while in Perú; he was right on the money with the recommendation.)

Cheers!

There’s more information about pisco sour here. And if you want a recipe, try this one.

We were a bit later going to the dining room where we found a bigger crowd tonight. Regardless, the service was flawless, and we enjoyed our meal at another two-top next to the glass wall overlooking the canyon. I ordered the crema del dia, which was cream of broccoli — very tasty — and followed it with another entrada in lieu of a main course. The purple corn ravioli, which Mui had said was wonderful last night, was indeed delicious and was just the right portion size. Mui ordered the smoked highland Andean trout, which was served with avocado salad and a citrus broad bean medley, and followed that with the beef tenderloin, served with elderberry sauce, glazed onions, and quinoa soufflé — one word to describe it: excellent. We finished dinner with a dessert called “la béte noir,” which turned out to be a flourless chocolate cake, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a mango emulsion. It was absolutely delicious and lived up to its name, which means "The Black Beast."

Purple Corn Ravioli (filled with dried trout and Urubamba cheese)
served in a yellow pepper and almond cream emulsion.

Beef Tenderloin, served with elderberry sauce, glazed onions, and quinoa soufflé.

La Béte Noir — simply scrumptious.

It was still raining when we left the dining room. Finding a wifi hotspot in the lobby, we checked our email on my laptop rather than going to the hotel’s internet room located in a building adjacent to the rail tracks. Satisfied that all was well with the world, we adjourned to our room to enjoy the fireplace while we downloaded photographs and prepared for a day of hiking at Machu Picchu.

Next Up: Day 9 — Hike with a View

Day 9 — Hike with a View

Saturday — April 11

A sunrise visit to Machu Picchu — that’s how I had hoped to start my birthday celebration (I won’t say which one, but will give you a hint that it includes a “5” and a “0” — wink, wink). Mother Nature had other plans in store for us, however. Waking up to heavy rain, we rolled with the punches and altered our plans. Instead of going up to the ruins on the first shuttle bus, we took our time over breakfast and walked around the Inkaterra property for a bit before heading to the bus stop in a heavy drizzle that we hoped would clear up before long.

We were shocked to see the long line at the bus stop when we arrived around 8:00a. We heaved a heartfelt sigh of relief when we found out that most of the people were (a) in line to buy tickets, and (b) waiting on group members to show up. Whew!!! With our tickets already in hand, we bypassed the queue and got on the next bus going up. By 8:30a, we were inside the ruins, considering our options for the day as we walked up to the caretaker’s hut.

Buy your bus tickets in advance and save time.

When we first started planning our days at Machu Picchu, I had put the Huayna Picchu hike on the list of things to do. Later, I replaced that with a trek on the less-traveled trail on Apu Machu Picchu. Another option was to hike the ridge trail through the sanctuary to Intipunku, the “Gate of the Sun.” Since it was still raining when we reached the caretaker’s hut, we opted for the latter as the easiest and safest hike for the morning.

We model the latest in “chic” rain attire on the trail to Intipunku!

Intipunku was a traffic checkpoint along the Camino Inca. It was used to control entry into Machu Picchu and it was where long-ago visitors caught their first glimpse of the impressive city hidden in the cloud forest. Today’s modern-day trekkers come through this gate to enter the royal estate that is laid far below the trail. While we may not be able to say that we “hiked” the Camino Inca, by going to Intipunku, we can truthfully say that we hiked “on” the Inca Trail. (Those who have done the four-day hike, will appreciate the distinction I am making.)

I can’t say that the trail was strenuous, but it was no walk in the park either. For the most part, there was just a slight up-grade to the trail and it was easy to walk, but there were a few really steep places to add a challenge or two. And of course, there were the ubiquitous “Inca steps” to negotiate along the way.

There were very few people on the trail — a group doing a fast-paced, guided “orchid walk,” (they quickly disappeared into the fog) and a couple of individual hikers intent on getting to the top (perhaps they were daytrippers with limited time at the ruins). Granted, with the entire area socked in by fog, there wasn’t much reason to dally, but we took our time, stopping to “smell the orchids,” so to speak, as we made the most of an experience that we knew we would not be repeating anytime soon.

Orchids are easy to find along the trail to Intipunku.

This is one of the steepest parts of the trail. Can you see me coming up?

For the most part, the people who were coming down as we were going up didn’t look too happy — no views from the top. There were a few, however, who had managed to get a glimpse of the sanctuary in its full glory when the sun broke through for a few minutes. Hoping for an experience similar to theirs, we pressed on to reach the Sun Gate to see a fabulous view of …………………..… nothing!

The sanctuary is completely socked in by fog.

Undaunted, we joined the couple of people sitting around, hoping against hope for the weather to clear. At least it wasn’t raining anymore. We waited, and we waited. People came; people left. A few hardy souls like us persevered. Occasional glimpses of the scenery through cracks in the passing clouds whetted our appetite to see the sanctuary unveiled, so we waited some more.

Occasional peeks at the scenery encourage us to wait for the weather to clear.

All the while, we chatted with the other persistent (some might say “stubborn”) visitors at Intipunku; we checked out the Inca Trail leading up from the other side — an eagle-eyed guard made sure that none of us snuck off down the trail; we studied the birds and the bugs; and I got serenaded by complete strangers who somehow found out that it was my birthday — I wonder who spilled the beans!

Will patience reward Mui with a good video op? We hope so.

Photo op at the point where the Inca Trail arrives at Intipunku.

A rufous-collared sparrow and ….

… a cicada join us in our vigil at Intipunku.

An hour later, our patience and persistence was rewarded with a spectacular view of the sanctuary and the surrounding landscape. Was it worth the wait? ABSOLUTELY!

The view is definitely worth the wait.

A “we were there” photo op from Intipunku
(photo taken by a fellow visitor)

Next Up: Day 9 — Flowers, Llamas, and Ruins

Day 9 — Fate Intervenes

Saturday — April 11

When we headed to the Perú Rail ticket booth after our day at Machu Picchu, it was to see if we could get an earlier train back to Ollantaytambo on the 13th. We were looking into this option not because we were bored with Machu Picchu, but because we wanted to drive through the Sacred Valley during daylight hours — for safety reasons as well as to enjoy the scenery. The news we got at the train station led to a change alright, but not the one we wanted. Forget about gettings tickets to an earlier train on the 13th … they would not be running at all!!!

Strikes by farmers are not unusual in Perú. What does that have to do with the trains? The farmers block the inter-city roads and the train tracks with boulders and any other debris they can get their hands on, effectively bringing transportation to a halt. This is what was in the works for the 13th — and possibly for the 14th as well.

My first thought upon hearing the news was, “Goody; there will be a lot fewer visitors at Machu Picchu.” On the heels of that thought came another: “Oh no; we have to be on a plane to Juliaca on the 14th. We can’t be stuck in Aguas Calientes.” With the trains being the only way out of town — you can’t hike the Inca Trail in reverse — we had no choice if we wanted to keep the rest of our itinerary intact. We had to take any train that still had open seats. A bit of negotiating with the ticket agent and we were switched to the 7:00p “backpacker train” to Ollantaytambo on the 12th, a day sooner than planned.

With our “more-valuable-than-gold” train tickets clutched in our hands, we sat on a bench near the train station to discuss what to do the next day. On the one hand, we wanted to return to the sanctuary to do the trek on Apu Machu Picchu. On the other hand, we had not yet done the activities offered by the hotel, having planned all along to do them on our last day in Aguas Calientes. That day was now going to be upon us sooner than anticipated. Yes, the Apu Machu Picchu Trek would be grand, but I couldn’t imagine facing a late train ride followed by an even later two-hour drive through the Sacred Valley to Cusco after what promised to be a strenuous trek. In the end, we decided to spend the day at the hotel. With the decision made, we headed to the Inkaterra to take care of matters there.

The staff at the front desk greeted us with the news of the impending strike and offered to help get our train tickets changed. They had already been in touch with Vidal as well. It was nice to know that had we come directly to the hotel, we would not have missed the news that was causing us to alter our plans. We thanked them for their offer, explained that we already had new tickets, and asked how they were going to accommodate our need to leave a day early (the hotel was pre-paid). After some discussion with the Inkaterra staff and a phone call with Vidal, it was decided that they would issue a credit voucher to Vidal who had made the payment on our behalf. We asked Vidal to apply part of the voucher to the additional night we would now be needing at Los Apus in Cusco and use the rest for the kids or for a community project. A win-win for everyone.

With our new plans now in place, we turned our attention to enjoying our last evening at the Inkaterra.

Next Up: Day 9 — Happy Birthday

Day 9 — Happy Birthday

Saturday — April 11

We opened the door to our room to find a plate of chocolate goodies — think soft fudge — sitting on the table. Propped up against it was a note from the management wishing me a happy birthday. The gooey sweets didn’t stay in the plate for long (wink). We lit the fireplace and enjoyed its crackling warmth while I downloaded photos from our day at the ruins and Mui organized our luggage.

On our first day at the Inkaterra, we’d been told about the daily show presented at the Café Inkaterra — an intro to Machu Picchu was the way it had been described. We’d been unable to check it out until now, so with chores taken care of, we headed out to see the slide show. As it turns out, we had a private viewing, which allowed us to go at our own pace and stop the presenter to ask questions as we went along. The Powerpoint presentation covered the history of Machu Picchu as well as the fauna and flora. It was quite well done.

Café Inkaterra has an up close and personal view of trains coming in and out of Aguas Calientes.

Afterwards, we headed to the lobby where we enjoyed a round of pisco sours — let the birthday celebration begin! When we went to the dining room, most of the tables were already filled, but there was no problem being seated at the two-top that we've come to think of as “ours.” Service was impeccable as usual and several of the wait staff who had served us on previous nights stopped by to quietly wish me a happy birthday — I appreciated that there was no singing involved!

The food was as good as we’d come to expect. I ordered the crema del dia once again to start — a very, very tasty cream of cauliflower — and had the same pasta dish with oven roasted pomodoro tomatoes simmered in olive oil, garlic and spices that I had ordered on our first night here. I know, not very adventurous of me, but what can I say? I can eat pasta morning, noon, and night and not be tired of it — must be in my genes! Mui tried something new for his entrada: marinated chicken brochettes grilled in exotic jungle sauce and garnished with potato and yucca croquettes — very good. He followed that with Lomo Saltado, the traditional Peruvian dish of sautéed beef tenderloin strips served with rice and potatoes — excellent.

Service up to this point had been flawless, so I wasn’t sure what was causing the delay in getting our dessert menus once the dinner plates had been cleared. I didn’t have to wait too long to find out — a special birthday dessert, complete with sparklers! It turns out, Mui had made arrangements in advance. Sneaky, sneaky … but the surprise was appreciated by the birthday girl. The brownie dessert was delicious and not a crumb was left on the plate.

Birthday treat!

And on that note, we called it a night and returned to our room where we lit the fireplace again and enjoyed a quiet evening, looking through our photos and reliving our trip to date. Despite the fact that I didn’t get my sunrise at Machu Picchu, it turned out to be a terrific “milestone” birthday.

Next Up: Day 10 — Admiral! There Be Bears at Inkaterra!

Day 10 — Admiral! There Be Bears at Inkaterra!

Sunday — April 12

The title of this post may seem familiar to “Trekkies.” Yes, I am paraphrasing a line from the movie Star Trek IV – The Voyage Home. When Scotty, his voice thick with a Scottish accent, calls up to Kirk, he is referring to whales — a species that has gone extinct in the future … it is a sci-fi movie, after all. My reference is to the vulnerable “spectacled bear,” the only surviving species of bear indigenous to South America (can trace its ancestors back to the Ice Age). But more about that later.

For a change, we woke up to sunshine. The birds were chirping their little hearts out as though they were trying to spread the joyous news of good weather. It was time for us to go forth and explore the grounds of the Inkaterra. Knowing how fickle the weather could be, we delayed breakfast and went for a meandering walk around the lush, tropical gardens.

It’s nice to wander around the property without being rained on.

Though we searched the canopy carefully, we did not get a glimpse of the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, the national bird of Perú. The hummingbirds, however, were flitting about, gathering nectar from the feeders located throughout the property. We’d seen quite a few already in the Sacred Valley, but the opportunity to see them really up close here was a neat experience (even though they were difficult to photograph because they rarely stood still).

A chestnut breasted coronet gathers nectar at one of the feeders.

Hummingbird on a wire.

After a leisurely breakfast, we headed to the eco center to join our group for the visit to the Spectacled Bears (aka Andean Bears). I’ll warn you in advance that this will run long. I was really enchanted with these bears and want to share some of the “educational” details we were given as well as the visit itself.

I first became aware of the project that is operated by the Inka Terra Association (ITA) and the Peruvian National Institute of Natural Resources (INRENA) when I saw an episode of a TV show hosted by Jeff Corwin on Animal Planet. In the show, Corwin was helping to relocate “Peppi” from a zoo to his new home — the spectacled bear reserve on the grounds of the Inkaterra. (If you’re interested, there’s a blog about how the transfer unfolds here.)

Naturally, when we decided to stay at the Inkaterra, I started looking into how we could visit the project. It couldn’t have been easier; the information was right there on the hotel’s website as one of the activities offered to hotel guests. (The suggested donation has now become a mandatory one — $10/person. Since the money goes to the care of the two resident bears, this was not a problem for us.) We would have much preferred to see bears in the wild, but they are notoriously difficult to see even though there are a number of them in the area. Why? Three reasons: (1) the bears have widespread territories ranging in altitude from 3,000 feet to 10,000 feet (~1,000-3,000 m); (2) they spend a great deal of their time in the canopy of the cloud forest; and (3) they are very shy. With the limited time we had available to us, the reserve was our only realistic option.

Here’s something of interest. Because these bears traverse a more or less horizontal range, the ancient people of Perú considered them to be go-betweens, mediators if you will, of good and bad (as represented by the higher elevations for the former and the lower elevations for the latter).

We were joined by two other guests for our visit to the project site, which is located in the far reaches of the property and accessible only through a locked gate. Before we set out to see the ucumaris, as the bears are known locally (means huggable or nice bear), our guide gave us a 15-minute Powerpoint presentation that explained the focus of the project and the challenges the bears face in the wild — there are about 6,000 of them left; down from nearly 20,000 just a few decades ago, but up from a low of 1,000. About half the population lives in Perú. Habitat loss (especially deforestation due to intentionally-set fires) is a major challenge to the survival of the species, as are farmers who consider them pests (and thus poison them) and poachers who hunt them for their meat, their coat, and for traditional healing purposes (the hand, for example, is much valued in rituals performed by shamans).

The second part of the presentation introduced us to the resident bears. “Yogui” was the first to come to the reserve. He was rescued in 2001 from the Andean community of Vilcapata. As he is about 11 years old, there is still hope that he can be reintroduced into the wild. “Paola” was rescued in 2002 from a small village near Cusco. The conservation researchers hoped that she would mate with Yogui, but she didn’t much care for the “amorous attentions of a youngster.” She managed to escape from the reserve, thus reintroducing herself to the wild. She was sighted two years ago in the company of cubs; job well done Paola. “Peppi” came in late 2002 from the zoo in Cusco, where he was born and became imprinted on humans. He’s getting on in years (17 years old; expected life span is 25). Those two facts combine to make him a lifer at the reserve as he would be unable to survive in the wild.

Following the presentation, we were handed observation charts to note behavior that we observe during our visit and were escorted to the reserve where we met the two bears. Sad though it was to see them in captivity, I was happy to note that they each have a big enclosure, with a variety of things to keep them active. The keepers clean out the habitats daily, lay out food — in particular their favorite fruits, such as avocado, watermelon, grapes, passion fruit; and I think I spotted a bromeliad or two as well — varying the location of the tasty tidbits so as to keep the bears guessing and stimulate their instinct to search for food. It was great to witness the respect and the love the keepers have for the two animals in their care.

There was construction in Yogui’s enclosure — he’s about to get a new toy. In the meantime, he was hiding out in his den, munching on some fresh branches. Hoping that he’d show himself later, we went onto Peppi’s enclosure where we caught him eating breakfast. There was all kinds of fruit strewn about to satisfy any cravings he might have. He’d already scooped out half a watermelon, leaving behind nothing but the rind. He was chewing on some greenery when we arrived, but soon dumped that in favor of one his favorite foods — avocados.

Peppi loves avocados.

Unlike their cousins in other South American countries,
the bears of Perú don’t have the distinct spectacle markings around their eyes.

It was interesting the watch Peppi eat. First, he tore open the skin of the avocado. Then, he started eating the flesh. When he got to the seed in the center, he took it in his mouth, slurped it around to clean it off, spit it out on his arm, licked it a bit more to make sure there was no avocado flesh left on it before he threw the seed away. By the time he was done, there was nothing left but the skin, which he cast aside in favor of another avocado. After making short work of that avocado, he turned his attention to a bunch of grapes. Much to our amazement, he ate the bunch one grape at a time. He sure knew how to savor his meal. You don’t believe me? Check out this video clip that Mui took.

When Peppi retired to his den — spectacled bears pretty much eat and sleep, eat and sleep — we returned to the first enclosure to visit with Yogui. He was standing upright, arms resting on a crossbar on the fence where he was penned while the caretakers worked on his new toy. He looked just like someone who was sidled up to a bar, waiting for his drink to be served. In this case, he was intent on the activity around him, curious about what the caretakers were doing. His patience was rewarded with an occasional avocado slipped to him through the chain link fence. (Sorry no photos; not only was Yogui too close, but he had his back to us most of the time.)

With that, we returned to the eco center, paid our donation, and went to check out from our room.

Next Up: Day 10 — World of Orchids