But let me tell you about Agua Callientes....it's my new favorite place..😜(wink, wink)
It's very touristy, so they say, and you certainly wouldn't want to spend more than a night there, so they say....I don't know who these people are, but "they" obviously have no imagination or sense of adventure...to me, Agua Callientes doesn't have that touristy "vibe" at all.
When you get off of the train, the first place you walk through is this incredibly large, covered market that seemed to be a small city in its own right...the aisles twisted and turned so that you could never really see the end, and there were teeny little shops with water and snacks, and tiny little food stalls, as well as all the handicrafts, and those ranged from souvineers that I'm sure are somehow brought in from China, to sweaters and scarves being knitted as you watched, to fine jewellery and not so fine jewelry. In other words....anything you could want. Including friends....as we walked through the maze (damn...I should have thought to use that term in the food market....walking through a 'maze of maize'), but anyhow, as we were walking through the maze of stalls, one of our group hollered "SCRUBBIE!!!" in the loudest voice I've ever heard. I actually thought, for a moment, that it was a crazy person, or, to be PC, someone with severe social issues. I mean really, who hollers "SCRUBBIE!!!" ? What does that even mean? Turns out it was one of her best buddies, and that's her nickname. What an insanely small world.
It was indeed a Mecca for souvineer hunters.
But we didn't stop...time enough for that later, instead we walked through...and walking through the market is the only way to get to the rest of the town, and, the train is the only way to get to town, no roads and no airport. Maybe that's why the town has such a "hidden" feeling to it....you look way up and see how you are surrounded by mountains, and no easy access. Really very cool. And also very cool. I slept with my socks on (remember....no central heating!) and that's highly unusual for me.
So we walked into town, and one of the first things I saw was this beauty....and yes, don't laugh, in my eyes she was truly a beauty:
A Peruvian Hairless. Lets discuss....
They are an ancient breed, and apparently their hairlessness made them valuable because, #1. It made them want to snuggle to keep warm and thus they kept their owners warm, and #2, the fact that they have no hair means no lice or fleas....a very clean dog. And, I like this, if given a blanket, they will make it their own and "travel" with it from place to place, with no training. When the Spanish conquered Peru, they killed enough of the dogs to almost cause their extinction, but a few survived in rural areas where they were believed to have mystical powers. As a matter of fact, many Peruvians still believe that a cuddle, or "hug" from one of these dogs will help cure stomach problems. I loved this lesson!
We walked up the road and up some steps and found our hotel:
I was on the second floor, the hotel was a confusing mixture of hallways....similar to the market. That window above my bed went directly into the hall and the curtains didnt close all the way, luckily I always pack a few safety pins for reasons exactly like this! A few doors down the hallway was the little bar. Luckily it was either closed, or everyone went to bed early because I didn't hear a sound. Good thing, since my alarm was set for 3:30 AM.
But before the 3 AM call, there were streets to explore!
This is Agua Callientes from part way up the mountain to Machu Picchu...you can see how it's like a hidden Shangri-la. (and if you haven't read that book then put it on your list right now. Right now!)
I mean, look at it, how can you not instantly be enthralled? The town is sort of divided, the river comes through part of it and the train tracks come through the centre of it. And they really do come through the centre....I can't believe that more people don't get hit by trains, or get their feet caught in the rails.. You can fall right off your restaurant chair and land on the tracks. Really, look:
Once you leave the market, you come to the street in the pictures above, where the train tracks run down the middle of the road. If you cross the tracks and walk to the left, you come to the other part of town where the river runs right through the centre. And like the train tracks, I really mean it runs right through the centre. I just love quirky little places like this.
So, you can walk up the train tracks and find lots of little shops and restaurants as well as a few hostels, they're generally upstairs, and I'm thinking these are the cheaper hostels where a bit of partying takes place...lots of them are above bars.
0r, you can hang a left and head up this street where there are more shops, restaurants, some banks and a lovely plaza.
To the left of this curving road is the river that runs right through the centre of town.
Agua Callientes means "hot water" or "hot springs" and there are indeed hot springs just a short walk away, there is also botanical garden about 2.5 miles away, it's apparently a nice walk and and an interesting place with lots of birds and 200 varieties of orchids, as well as lots of well-marked trails for hiking and picnics. Add in the giant craft market, that I'm sure I only saw a tiny part of, and I think a person could easily spend a few days here. There seemed to be lots of pubs and bars as well, if you're into that kind of thing too.
And it just had that relaxing kind of atmosphere...no traffic, other than the trains that come blasting though down the road, but other than that, it's like being off the grid.
Dinner was interesting, I had this:
It looks like a potato, and actually it was, but more like a shepherds pie, it was mashed potato (mixed with egg and spices) that was wrapped around ground alpaca meat mixed with peppers, garlic, spices and a bit of carrot. There wasn't enough filling for my liking, but it was still really tasty.
It's a very traditional dish, called "papa rellena"
The mixture of onions and peppers and spices on the side was bloody hot. I'm not sure what they used for a spice, but thank goodness I only had a tiny taste. Yikes!
After a bit of wandering and sightseeing, it was off to bed. Alarm was set for 3:30 AM, with strict instructions that we be on time...the plan was to get to to the buses early, first in line for the first bus. No dilly-dallying...get in line and get there early. If you get on the first bus, or even the second, your enjoyment of the lost city (eeeeee.....I'm going to see the lost city.....) is magnified greatly...you almost get the place to yourself.
I had some doubts about that...they used to allow 5000 people in each day, but now they say its only 2500. I don't know which is correct, I just looked at some up to date websites and they say its still 5000. In either case, that's a lot of people. The grounds are huge, but you can't wander any old where, you have to stay an certain paths and trails, so you know there will be a lots of bottle-necked places where folks are backed right up. And everyone is going to be told to get on the first bus, so I was wondering what the crowds would be like at the bus stop.
But, regardless, tomorrow was finally "the day", so off to bed, hopefully I can get a few hours of sleep.
The plaza at night.
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