Cusco Chapter 2: Saturday

Thankfully Saturday morning the shower was working because I was starting to smell a little rank. We got up bright and early, had breakfast at the hotel, and then loaded the bus. We were on our way to the Sacred Valley.
As we were in the bus, I took my camera out to take a pic of the scenery. It wouldn't turn on. I realized it was because I didn't put the battery back in after charging it. Then I realized that the battery was still plugged into the wall of my hotel room in Cusco. Shit.
I told Jose Luis, but let's just say that getting my camera battery back was not at the top of his list of priorities. Understandable, but it sucked for me. 
Our first stop was in a town called Chinchero. There, we stopped at Nelly's house, where we were given a demonstration of how the women wash the alpaca wool with a natural soap made out of a root (they also use it on their hair), dye it using all natural dyes, and weave it. 

Photo courtesy of Raquel Amador

After that, we walked up to the main square, where a little market was set up. We got a chance to look around and I got an alpaca backpack and a pair of alpaca gloves (I always buy them from the people that come to UNL each year, and I always lose them and they're my favorite gloves ever). Then we walked around the Inca ruins there and got some good photo ops. 
Back to the bus, and on our way to lunch in Urubamba. It was a buffet, but it was a little nerve-racking deciding what was safe to eat. Raw fruits and veggies were a no-no, seafood is risky when you're not near the coast, and juices and coffee can get you as well if they're made with water that hasn't been boiled first. I was doubly cautious because if I had to miss Machu Picchu I was going to cry for days. 
Back to the bus, next stop, a Chicheria. As the name implies, this is a bar that makes and serves chicha. What is chicha you might ask? Don't worry, I'll tell you. Chicha is a beer made out of corn. The lady there gave us an explanation of how it is made and let us try some. Not bad. There's the regular yellow kind, but also a pink kind where they add strawberries and sugar. Yum yum. 
There was also a game at the bar that we played, where you have to try and throw a corn in a frog's mouth, and you can get points for getting it in the other slots on the board. We also got to look into the guinea pig pen. Full of cute cuddly creatures, with an unfortunate fate ahead of them. For those of you that are unaware, their future entails being skinned, roasted, and placed paws and all on a hungry customer's plate. 
Back to the bus, and on our way to Ollantaytambo. Once there, we visited the Inca ruins. 

Photo courtesy of Sin Pantalones

As you can see, this involved climbing a lot of steps. At that altitude, I got winded just by lifting up my backpack, so it was a bit of a challenge. But well worth it. There was an awesome view of the town from the top, and also of a mountain across the valley where you could make out the image of someone's profile (I couldn't really see it) that the Incas believed to be a god. You could also see the structures that they built to store their food, so that the strong wind coming through the valley and hitting the buildings would keep it cool and fresh. 
Back on the bus and into town. We drove to the hotel that we would be staying at the next night, so that we could leave all the stuff there that we wouldn't need in Machu Picchu. Then we walked to the train station. There were some people selling stuff outside, so I looked around to see if I could buy a battery. They had Sony ones, Olympus ones, and even one Canon one, but it was unfortunately the wrong voltage. The train took us from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes in 2 hours. Once there, we checked into our hotel, the Hotel Santuario. It was past 9 by that time so none of the stores were open. No battery for me. 
We didn't want to get dinner so Ashley, Mary and I had a picnic in my hotel room made up of one giant avocado, some crumbled Saltine crackers, sour cream and onion pringles, and some granadillas (the alien fetus fruits) for dessert.