If you have not experienced it, it is hard to explain the simple joy of taking a warm shower after four days of hiking, plumbing, and concrete work. Even the slight electric shock provided by the exposed wiring doesn’t dampen the enthusiasm for getting clean and warm.
Friday most of the team stayed at ADRA, as there wasn’t time to hike to the project and get anything done, so I took the opportunity to explore Peru briefly. I walked out to the main highway (3S), and caught a local bus for the 90-minute ride to Cusco. Amazingly, the cost was $2!
In Cusco, I had about 4 hours, so starting from the central square I hiked up to the Incan ruins at Sacsayhuaman. I think I was the only tourist walking up, and various taxis kept insisting that it was going to take me too long to get there. After the week of hiking to the project site, I just laughed. It only took about 15 minutes to walk up!
The ruins were impressive, especially the huge stones used for walls, and the views of Cusco were pretty unbelievable too.
After a good lunch (pasta neapolitan with a “touch of cusco”) in the Plaza de Armas, and a quick walk through the central market, I hailed a taxi for another 90-minute trip to the town of Ollantaytambo. Here I met most of our team, and after a solid dinner (one pizza each!) we caught a train to Aguas Calientes, the town at the base of Macchu Picchu. The air felt humid, almost tropical, down just below 7,000 feet, and after a trip filled with cold nights Friday night was hot. Fortunately, it was short, as we got up at 4:30 to see Macchu Picchu.