Everybody´s Got A Story...

So we finally made it to the place we (I) have been waiting to get to since we first took off for South America. It was huge, beautiful, delicately tranquil and more spectacular than I could have ever imagined. The beautiful king sized bed and jacuzzi in our amazing boutique hotel room that Adam and I got as a wedding gift really hit the spot! At this point we had been travelling for about three and a half weeks already, staying mostly in hostels with limited wifi, hot water and wirey mattresses. When we finally arrived in Aguas Callientas, the small town closest to Machu Picchu, it was an indescribable feeling being welcomed into an actual hotel (with an elevator) by friendly English speaking staff, a refreshing eucalyptus soaked towel, unlimited tea in reception and a room with a beautiful view of the mountains! We were in heaven and the next day we were planning to climb the big green mountain. Life was good. 

View from our balcony

We took as much out of the amazing room as we could (literally- we took a clean towel, slippers and the complimentary soap for our travels- haha suckers) and then woke up at 430am to begin our "trek" to the mountain. I put trek in quotations because there were many different hikes to choose from in order to get to Machu Pichu by foot. Some included a 3 day jungle trek where you camp out in the wilderness slowly making your way to the mountain or the Inka trail which included a 46 km hike altogether plus the intense trek upwards. Adam and I... Well... We did none of the above. We happily boarded the nice air conditioned train which brought us as close to Machu pichu as possible then hopped on the first bus at 530am which lead us to the entrance of the mountain. It was lovely and I don't regret any of it. Actually, I'd happily do it all over again. Side note: Adam has just read over this paragraph and said if it were up to him, he'd rename this blog: "Travels With A Jewish Princess". Ill take it as a compliment. 

Arriving so early in the morning was truly a sight to see. We were able to witness the thick fog slowly evaporate, revealing the most beautiful multitude of mountains we've both ever seen. It really was magical.

The fog beginning to subside

Beginning the climb up was a little overwhelming but we kept a solid pace and stopped every so often to take in the majestic view.

It took us about an hour and a half to reach the top of the mountain and just under that to get back down. I don't think either of us will ever forget the iconic beauty of Machu Pichu and it's incredible wide scale surroundings. 

Our plan after that was to make our way back to Cusco which is the closest big city to the mountain and a well known hub for tourists. Our train to Cusco stopped at a small village called Ollantaytambo where more Inka ruins lay. We thought perhaps we would just pass through this small historical town and then continue on that night to the city. When we got off the train basically every person and their dog who lived in this village was out in the town square singing, drinking, dancing (and peeing) in the streets. There was a local band performing on a makeshift stage and we soon found out that we had just arrived in time to celebrate the annual village festival. This quickly helped make our decision a lot easier. Of course we were going to stay! The music that night didnt stop until about 3am and instead of passing out early (which was probably much needed after our hike) we decided to join the party. If you can't beat them, join them, right?

Village festival in the town center of Ollantaytambo

The next morning the small village of Ollantaytambo was basically unrecognisable. The locals way of cleaning the streets which late night party goers had littered with beer cans, plastic forks, paper plates and chicken bones was an easy fix. Just grab all the hoses you can find and literally flood the streets with running water. Once the garbage began to clear (or float down towards the open sewers) we were able to safely walk around this unique little village we had randomly stumbled across. There was something very special about this town that Adam and I both felt we needed more time to explore. It felt like a very close knit community but as outsiders we were surprisingly made to feel extremely welcome. For example, on Sundays the entire village gets together and plays a massive game of volleyball in the town square. I mean, really? Amazing. The surrounding mountains made this town feel even more secluded.

View of Ollantaytambo from above

The food was so fresh, the people were genuine and the locals were always smiling. Adam and I were NOT leaving - at least not until we figured out their secret. We tasted Alpaca for the first time (same animal family as a Llama) and drank the local juice called Chicha Blanca in the very traditional way. Someone told us that if you walk by a house with a red plastic bag wrapped around a wooden stick popping out of the roof, then you are able to welcome yourself into this home, sit in their backyard and typically wait for the wife to present you with a cup of Chicha Blanca. We wouldn't have been able to do this if Adam didnt speak Spanish and although I was a bit hesitant, we found the stick, the red plastic bag and an old Peruvian woman stirring some liquid in what resembled a witches brew. Yup, this was definitely the place (or at least we hoped). Her smile was a good enough invitation and so Adam and I walked around the back of this strangers house and joined a group of about six local men and woman chatting and drinking this mysterious alcoholic beverage. The drink itself was nothing like I've ever tasted. We're pretty sure it's made of fermented corn, milk, sugar and maybe beer but can't be sure. It was a light yellow colour and as thick as a Guinness. We felt rude not finishing our cup so we sat and slowly drank (one gulp at a time) talked with these friendly old men and woman for a good hour (well Adam did most of the talking I was a good observer) until our bloated belly's couldn't take any more. Lets just say that the experience itself was much better than the drink... 

Later on that day as we were walking aimlessly around the village, tasting street food and mingling with the locals, we came across a group of foreigners who had a stand set up trying to promote their volunteer group. We listened while they explained the basis of their organisation and were truly touched by their genuine compassion and dedication towards the local community. This NGO called 'My Small Help' or "Mi Pequena Ayuda" started about seven years ago after it was sadly discovered that being born with or developing a mental or physical disability in most of South America is seen as an embarrassment especially in many traditional communities. Because of this horrible stigma, many parents don't send their disabled children to school for fear of them being ridiculed, abused or others who simply cant afford to. My Small Help raises money to rent a bus, pick up these children in and around the village and bring them to school together as a group making sure they get a proper education in a safe learning environment. Not just that but they form close relationships with the kids and their families, some which are living in poverty so on weekends they do house visits and bring them food, clean water or colouring books, pens and pencils for the children. Sometimes they just go to spend some quality time with the families or in particular an older woman named Natti who was unfortunately riddled with polio as a child. Now, she cannot use her legs and since she can't afford a proper wheel chair she uses her arms to drag her limp lower body around the very small hut she calls home. Adam and I were invited to join the volunteer group and spend a few hours with Natti in her 6 by 8ft house. The group went to pick up some cheese, bread, fruits and veggies for Natti who was so touched that she started to cry. This woman really didn't have much but kept offering us boiled corn and potatoes to eat and would NOT take no as an answer.

Our crew with Natti inside her house

Her "stove" was essentially an open fire pit inside, next to her mattress with a small hole in the roof to let the thick smoke rise and eventually drain out. However since her house is so unbelievably tiny (only about 4 people can be inside at once only by sitting on the floor) you can imagine how quickly the smoke builds up and fills her home with bitter fumes every time she wants to cook dinner. I couldn't help but think why and how this woman was so content and so positive. She has gone through so much in her life, is in daily physical pain from paralysis, has almost no family left and is partially deaf. She can't walk or participate in mundane activities like buying fresh fruit at the market or even just doing her laundry but Natti, this beautiful, happy 75 year old woman was smiling almost the whole time we were there. She was an absolute pleasure to meet even just for an hour or two. We weren't always able to verbally communicate with each other but sometimes the power of non verbal communication is that much more powerful. She is truly an inspiration for us all and has a heart of gold. That night Adam and I fell asleep quite easily - maybe because of the suspicious "Chicha Blanca" beverage or maybe because we hadn't had a decent nights sleep in two days now but being in the presence of another human being who is so genuinely at peace makes life and it's challenges a lot more... simple. 

Adam & I also offered to distribute their posters around the village

We had now been stationary in Ollantaytambo for two nights already when originally we were just going to use this town as transit to Cusco. On day three we decided to hire a driver for the day to take us around the Sacred Valley visiting a few different Inka ruins. The woman who worked at our hostel recommended a way to visit these tourist sites for "free" but we would need to trust her because driving around the back way involved some dangerous obstacles. Adam and I thought about just being normal tourists and paying our way through the sites but then decided, nah, lets do it the local way (sorry Dad). We hired a cab driver and paid him $20 to bring us around for most of the afternoon to two unique sites through the back route.

The "Bridge"

We drove an hour up a mountain, over a very wiggly wooden bridge, through an unpaved road in a forest and over old train tracks until we arrived at a barbed wire fence. 'Senior cabby' explained that he would wait for us while we slipped through an open crack in the fence to the first site called Moray. It was definitely as sketchy as it sounds. Moray however was a fascinating, Inka agricultural site which hosted three massive amphitheatre like structures built into the ground. Their deep, round shape and staggered steps were used to contain diverse levels of heat in order to plant various crops. It was a pretty impressive man made structure but in the back of our minds we knew our trusty taxi driver was waiting patiently for us just outside the wired fence and so off we went to the next (free) tourist trap. 

Moray

Our final destination for the day and where we said goodbye to cab man was just outside these very large salt mines called Las Salinas. The mines extended over a distance of about 900 meters and walking across them basically involved a careful balancing act (one foot Infront of the other) to make it safely to the end of the flats. Luckily, we got to see locals working in the mines that day, collating and gathering salt for everyday purposes. 

 

A local man workin in the mines

After walking through the layered salt mines, back over a shaky bridge and past another small market village I felt a bit uneasy trying to imagine how we were going to arrive back to Ollantaytambo before sunset. We were now too far to walk back to where we started and our driver was probably already home with his family cooking a Sunday roast with the money we had paid him for the day. Twenty bucks can go a LONG way in Peru! Adam was likely fed up with my constant worrisome attitude but he was confident we would find another taxi to bring us back to our home away from home. Once we arrived to a main street we (Adam) knew which direction we needed to go and decided to wait on the side of the road for a bus to pick us up. There are no real "bus stops" in this town but Adam kept assuring me that if we just waited patiently, some form of transportation - car, bus or horse even, would pick us up. After about 20 minutes of sitting on a street curb kicking pebbles and seeing how far down the road they would land (no cars were passing us by at this point) finally a small packed mini van with 6 seats, 9 people and no seat belts stopped to retrieve us from the dirt road. At first I thought this was surely a joke because if we were to get in the van the only place to sit was the small gap left on the floor next to the sliding door but apparently any space in a vehicle in Peru is sufficient. The drivers attitude was basically take it or leave it and without any other feasible option we hopped in the cramped mini van and headed back. After about 3 minutes of gathering our bearings and squeezing into the small space on the floor above the vans back right wheel leaning awkwardly against the shaky car door, we noticed that we were in the company of Spiderman, Batman, a witch and the devil......naturally. It happened to be halloween that night and we were just going to make it back to Ollantaytambo in time to flip a coin and decide our fate for the evening. Heads told us we were staying just one more night in this unforgiving village but secretly I think both Adam and I were a bit relieved with the outcome.

Celebrating Halloween at the Sacred Valley Brewing Company

We were invited by new friends from the volunteer group to join them at a brewery in the Sacred Valley that was hosting a Halloween party, also to celebrate their opening night. 

The brewery was filled with other foreigners, ex pats and locals - all who were stationary around the valley. We ended up having a great night and meeting many more travellers who ALL had a different story. It was Halloween, Adam and I were dressed up in panda hats at a micro brewery in the middle of the Sacred Valley drinking Peruvian beer and dancing to local, traditional tunes.This... this was OUR story and it was really just the beginning.