Machu Picchu?! Nope. Still not there yet.

Aaaaaand she's back!

I've been meaning to include a short digression on public transportation in Cusco (it also applies to el norte de Peru) for a while now, so I'm going to lead off with that before picking up yesterday's thread again. When I talk about "taking the bus" perhaps what pops into your mind is a typical, large American-style public bus. Oh no no no, my friends. Down here in Peru, buses - also known as combis - are an entirely different animal. We're basically talking about something along the line of a twenty year old 14-passenger van, with bars added onto the ceiling. Those bars are necessary because at any given time there are 25+ people crammed into a combi, not including the driver and the fare collector. The latter is someone who hangs out the sliding door to shout the route to waiting passengers in rapid fire repetition, usher them into the van ("sube, sube, sube!"), and then collect pasajes (fares).  They (generally) announce the upcoming stops, and if you want to get off you simply say "baja" and start oozing your way to the door. Amazingly, people seem to just accept the jam-packed-ness without complaint; people never seem annoyed or concerned to have someone's bag or baby or backside in their face. It's quite a contrast to the NYC subway where everyone gets all huffy and tense when the trains are crowded. The combis are dirt cheap, but I have yet to see another gringo on one here in Cusco, and I've been here for almost a month.  To be fair, taxis aren't that expensive here, and most tourists stick to the historic center and don't venture out into other parts of the city. It is a little intimidating at first to figure out which one to get on, but all you have to do is ask the fare collector the name of your stop, and he'll either wave you on up or shake his head. Plus, it's fairly straightforward once you know the routes of the differently named combis (they have great names like Batman and El Zorro - no boring old B35 here). Of course, if you're 5'9'', you end up standing with your neck craned at an impossibly uncomfortable angle until you're lucky enough to score a seat (at which point you will be wedged between a couple of school kids and a little old Quechua woman with a huge pack on her back).

Anyhoo. So, after a rather full day in and around Ollantaytambo last Sunday (did I mention it's two hours from Cusco? It made for a long day trip), I wended my weary way back to Cusco to crash before another week of data collection. Last week was particularly fun, however, because Alejandra came out for a few days for her own data collection! We managed to fit in a few touristy activities in the evenings, which was no mean feat considering most museums and such close by 6p. One night we hiked around the neighborhood of San Blas and found the famous 12-sided stone (a testament to the craftsmanship of the Inca) before heading to Ama-Lur for fondue. We also visited the Museo de Arte Precolombino - it wasn't high on our list because we're both pretty familiar with the traditional museum offerings of precolumbian art, but given that it was open til 10p we gave it a shot, and it actually ended up having a lot of very interesting pieces that were definitely not the typical run-of-the-mill displays. The building itself is also quite beautiful, with an open interior courtyard (complete with fancy restaurant).

Alejandra and I find the 12-angled stone! 

And finally....Machu Picchu! I took an early bus/train combo out of Cusco Saturday morning and arrived in Aguas Calientes around 11:30a. Aguas Calientes is the town at the base of Machu Picchu, and the only way to get there is via train. As one might expect of a small town at the base of a world-famous landmark, there isn't much to the place beyond a few streets of hotels, restaurants, and souvenir markets, but it actually has a really fun vibe. Since I essentially had a day to kill, I decided to do two of the few non-Machu Picchu tourist attractions the town has to offer: hike Putucusi and visit the thermal baths for which the town is named.

Now, Putucusi is a mountain that directly opposes Machu Picchu and was (supposedly) also sacred to the Inca (like pretty much every mountain. The Inca loved them some mountain spirits). If you hike up Putucusi, therefore, you are provided with a lovely view of Machu Picchu across the valley. My guidebook describes the climb up Putucusi as an "athletic" one that involves several tall wooden ladders.

Friends, climbing those ladders ranks as one of the most terrifying experiences of my entire life.

One of the Putucusi ladders. (Yep, I climbed this, Mom. Sorry.)

Another Putucusi ladder.

These aren't happy little stepladders. These are 100 foot high wooden ladders strapped onto the side of a mountain with rungs nearly two feet apart in places. I haven't had any issues with all of the cliff-hugging trails and am generally fine with heights, but man was my heart thumping (and my legs shaking) going up those ladders. And of course, after the ladders (seven, all told) there is still an hour long hike up steep stone steps cut into the mountain. So, coming back down, your legs are exhausted from all the hiking and then you have to descend the crazy ladders! Gah. Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.

But of course absolutely awesome views from the top of Putucusi to make it all thrilling and totally worth it.

My first view of Machu Picchu, from the summit of Putucusi.

View of Aguas Calientes from Putucusi

I had read a lot of very mixed reviews about the thermal baths in Aguas Calientes, ranging from complaints that the water wasn't hot to the water wasn't clean to the place was just gross, but Eliza from the gabinete recommended that I go, so I figured when in Rome. And honestly, after the exhausting three hour Putucusi hike, the thermal baths were awesome. I mean, this is definitely not your fancy natural hot springs experience, but there are several pools with (yes, mineral-heavy) wonderfully warm water where they will bring the alcoholic beverage of your choice directly to you in the water. For germaphobes it is not, but with a cerveza in hand I enjoyed it and ended up spending well over an hour in one of the pools, where I ended up making the acquaintance of a lovely high school math teacher from Argentina as well as a young college kid from Cusco.

After a (thorough) shower back at my hotel (I'm not a germaphobe, but I'm not an idiot, either), I followed another of Eliza's recommendations and went to Indio Feliz for dinner. It was delicious - they have a three course menu but with all of the extra included sides it ends up being a ton of food. After Putucusi, I of course devoured it all. The highlight was the passionfruit glazed trout. Mmm.

I had no problems turning in super early Saturday night, which worked out well because my plan was to be up at 4:30a to catch an early bus up to Machu Picchu for the sunrise! And, dear friends, I did...

Okay - next time, Machu Picchu! I promise!