Gotta love the dancing cuy!While half of our group opted for the second half day at Machu Picchu, the rest of us had returned to our hotel, El MaPi.
My guide book clearly stated that Aguas Calientes had no charm and that it was a tourist trap.
Sometimes it is best to ignore the guide books!
I wandered around the town and found much to be charming. Of course it is touristy. That is half the fun! The area around the train station is a labyrinth of shops and vendors, and it reminded me of the Middle Eastern souqs. While guide books state that this place is expensive shopping for souvenirs, and in some cases this is true, I also found vendors willing to bargain, and many places with decent prices.
At noon, all of our group met up and we were back on the train to Ollantaytambo. This train ride was highly amusing as we had a fashion show, and an explanation of a local festival, complete with a costumed train steward dressed in what I can only describe as a cross between a Chinese dragon and an Inca diety! When he joined the fashion show, it was hilarious!
Back at Ollantaytambo, we had time to explore one more set of Inca ruins before gathering our large suitcases and heading back to Cusco.
THINGS TO KNOW: Guide books are written by people, and people have biases. Sometimes it is best to take what is written with a grain of salt.
We've used Adventure Life for several trips in the past and have always been very pleased with them. The staff is personable and professional at the same time. Erin put this trip together for us in just a few days, and it has everything we were looking for! I recommend them without hesitation.
benn
1 month ago
I served as the person responsible for planning a trip to Galapagos and Machu Picchu for a group of 14 people. Jane with Adventure Life was very helpful throughout the process. Making suggestions, offering insight, and in the end helped me overhaul an initial plan into something even better. Also, Jane makes all the plans including the flights within and between Peru and Ecuador. Thanks to her this is going to be a stress-free adventure. After making the final decision about the trip, Jane gathered the contact information for all the travelers and sent out the details to each traveler individually with links to pay deposits, upload passport info, and personal preferences. She also ensured a group email was sent out to the entire group welcoming us to the trip preparation process. Our trip is a year from now and we are excited to make this once in a life time trek. I am happy to have organized things through Adventure Life. However, two small issues came up that were a little off putting. First, Adventure Life adds $50 per person to the cost for each traveler as a donation to a Galapagos conservation fund. I think this should he offered as something that can be added at each traveler’s discretion. Instead, it is automatically added, and each person must ask to have it removed if they do not want it included. Second, although the trip deposit may be paid with a credit card without incurring an additional fee, the balance must be paid in another way to avoid a 3% credit card fee. Maybe this is standard with all travel agencies. In the end I would definitely go through Adventure Life for the next big trip.
Brenda Nielsen
2 months ago
I think it was very helpful that Franny and I spoke on the phone. I think she had a better idea of what we were looking for, and she planned a great itinerary for us!
Elizabeth
3 months ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
3 months ago
Easy.
Great work on the follow up and details by Waru.