I don't recall seeing any alternative vegetarian entrée at the Pachamanca, but there were a ton of vegetables. We had several meals where we ordered from a fixed menu and there was always a vegetarian entrée. I ordered the vegetarian pasta the evening after our visit to Machu Picchu and it was simple, but delicious. There is an apple desert on the menu that evening that I highly recommend. It was the best dessert I had on the trip. The evening of the cooking demonstration, Chef Nacho prepared a potato dish, ceviche, and an alpaca stir fry. This was also the evening that we made our own pizza and they had a lot of veggie toppings. The pizza turned out to be very tasty. I believe all of the buffets had a vegetarian option.
Peru 3/23/13 Trip Report
- Thread starter Bobo912
- Start date
I don't recall seeing any alternative vegetarian entrée at the Pachamanca, but there were a ton of vegetables. We had several meals where we ordered from a fixed menu and there was always a vegetarian entrée. I ordered the vegetarian pasta the evening after our visit to Machu Picchu and it was simple, but delicious. There is an apple desert on the menu that evening that I highly recommend. It was the best dessert I had on the trip. The evening of the cooking demonstration, Chef Nacho prepared a potato dish, ceviche, and an alpaca stir fry. This was also the evening that we made our own pizza and they had a lot of veggie toppings. The pizza turned out to be very tasty. I believe all of the buffets had a vegetarian option.
Day 3 Rafting and Ruins
We started our day with the breakfast buffet at the Sol y Luna. They have a few hot items French toast, bacon (not the delicious, smoky, crunchy kind we have at home), sausage, potatoes, another vegetable dish, tamales (corn meal steamed in a husk). You can also request eggs cooked to order. The buffet also has cheese, yogurt, cereal, fresh fruit, and pastries. The choices were okay, but we were there for 4 days and the buffet had exactly the same items every day. I got tired of the limp bacon and really just wanted oatmeal (none on the buffet) or cereal, but the only choices were Corn Flakes or Fruit Loops (or whatever the Peruvian equivalent is) and neither of those were very appealing to me. A little more variety would have been good, but having the fresh fruit every morning was very nice.
After breakfast we were off to the Urubamba for whitewater rafting. It was actually a float trip. There were no rapids. Our local guide was very pleasant and pointed out a lot of geographical and historical points of interest. The scenery was lovely as long as you kept your focus off in the distance. But up close, its not so nice. The river is very dirty. The shore is covered with trash. At one point we pulled up to the bank to wait for the other rafts and there was a dead dog lying just at eye level. Some of the rafts ahead of us were splashing each other, but everybody on our raft decided to stay back and not participate. Im glad we didnt. Several people were very sick the next day, and it wouldnt surprise me at all if the nasty river water was the cause. Our raft trip was cut short, because the last part of the usual course was extremely rough (our local guide said class 5+ rapids) and it wasnt safe. Maybe they usually have a better location to disembark, but the place where we got off the rafts was not ideal. There were two small tents for us to change in (one for men, one for women). They were set up in a small area where the weeds were knee high inside the tent. There was nothing to sit on or hold on to, so it was a bit of a challenge to change out of our wet clothes. Once we changed, there was a tent with some sweets, tea and hot chocolate. But the tent was much too small to accommodate our group. There was a long table lined with folding stools that were jammed so close together it nearly impossible to move. I got my tea and went outside. With so many people, it took quite a long time for everybody to change and take their turn getting a snack in the tent. The rest of us just stood around waiting. This was a theme throughout the trip and one of the reasons why I say this group was much too large. I think we werent able to do or see nearly as much because of the size of our group and, except for leaving the hotel first thing in the morning, we seemed to always be running a bit behind schedule.
Once everyone was dressed and fed, we loaded onto our busses for the ride to Ollantaylambo. For most of the trip, we had two smaller busses, rather than one big bus. The streets in the towns are too narrow to accommodate a big bus. We rode the same bus every day, but the adventure guides alternated each day, so their time was divided equally between the two groups. Harvey took us on a walking tour through the town. This was another occasion where the size of the group was a problem. In the narrow streets not everyone could follow closely enough to hear what Harvey was saying.
View of the ruins
Narrow street in Ollantaylambo
We had lunch in the garden at a restaurant in Ollantaylambo. The lunch was catered by Sol y Luna and was quite good.
The small garden where we had lunch
The kids looking at the Guinea Pigs that will eventually be somebody's dinner.
After lunch, we hiked up the steps of the ruins. There were quite a few steps and I was very relieved that I no longer had any issues dealing with the altitude.
View from the top
Some of our group hiking back down
Back at Sol y Luna it was Junior Adventurers movie night. There were a lot of 12 and 13 year-olds on the trip (including my DS), who were not technically junior adventurers, but they had the option of participating in the JA activities. Most of them chose to attend movie night, but I did see a few in the restaurant with their families. The kids were supposed to have their dinner and movie on the lawn, but there was another outdoor event at the hotel and there would have been too much noise for them to hear the movie, so they moved inside to the conference/game room. While the kids were having their evening, the adults had dinner in the main restaurant. We had a limited menu to choose from. I had some fantastic pumpkin soup and trout that was also really good. I asked for Panna Cotta for dessert, but they had run out. We had a mini version of the Panna Cotta at lunch earlier and it was delicious. I had chocolate truffles instead, which were good, but not as good as my first choice. The meals in the restaurant were consistently quite delicious.
I had a little time to relax in the room before I had to pick up DS at 8:30. You can probably guess what movie the kids watched. Next day Machu Picchu!
We started our day with the breakfast buffet at the Sol y Luna. They have a few hot items French toast, bacon (not the delicious, smoky, crunchy kind we have at home), sausage, potatoes, another vegetable dish, tamales (corn meal steamed in a husk). You can also request eggs cooked to order. The buffet also has cheese, yogurt, cereal, fresh fruit, and pastries. The choices were okay, but we were there for 4 days and the buffet had exactly the same items every day. I got tired of the limp bacon and really just wanted oatmeal (none on the buffet) or cereal, but the only choices were Corn Flakes or Fruit Loops (or whatever the Peruvian equivalent is) and neither of those were very appealing to me. A little more variety would have been good, but having the fresh fruit every morning was very nice.
After breakfast we were off to the Urubamba for whitewater rafting. It was actually a float trip. There were no rapids. Our local guide was very pleasant and pointed out a lot of geographical and historical points of interest. The scenery was lovely as long as you kept your focus off in the distance. But up close, its not so nice. The river is very dirty. The shore is covered with trash. At one point we pulled up to the bank to wait for the other rafts and there was a dead dog lying just at eye level. Some of the rafts ahead of us were splashing each other, but everybody on our raft decided to stay back and not participate. Im glad we didnt. Several people were very sick the next day, and it wouldnt surprise me at all if the nasty river water was the cause. Our raft trip was cut short, because the last part of the usual course was extremely rough (our local guide said class 5+ rapids) and it wasnt safe. Maybe they usually have a better location to disembark, but the place where we got off the rafts was not ideal. There were two small tents for us to change in (one for men, one for women). They were set up in a small area where the weeds were knee high inside the tent. There was nothing to sit on or hold on to, so it was a bit of a challenge to change out of our wet clothes. Once we changed, there was a tent with some sweets, tea and hot chocolate. But the tent was much too small to accommodate our group. There was a long table lined with folding stools that were jammed so close together it nearly impossible to move. I got my tea and went outside. With so many people, it took quite a long time for everybody to change and take their turn getting a snack in the tent. The rest of us just stood around waiting. This was a theme throughout the trip and one of the reasons why I say this group was much too large. I think we werent able to do or see nearly as much because of the size of our group and, except for leaving the hotel first thing in the morning, we seemed to always be running a bit behind schedule.
Once everyone was dressed and fed, we loaded onto our busses for the ride to Ollantaylambo. For most of the trip, we had two smaller busses, rather than one big bus. The streets in the towns are too narrow to accommodate a big bus. We rode the same bus every day, but the adventure guides alternated each day, so their time was divided equally between the two groups. Harvey took us on a walking tour through the town. This was another occasion where the size of the group was a problem. In the narrow streets not everyone could follow closely enough to hear what Harvey was saying.
View of the ruins
Narrow street in Ollantaylambo
We had lunch in the garden at a restaurant in Ollantaylambo. The lunch was catered by Sol y Luna and was quite good.
The small garden where we had lunch
The kids looking at the Guinea Pigs that will eventually be somebody's dinner.
After lunch, we hiked up the steps of the ruins. There were quite a few steps and I was very relieved that I no longer had any issues dealing with the altitude.
View from the top
Some of our group hiking back down
Back at Sol y Luna it was Junior Adventurers movie night. There were a lot of 12 and 13 year-olds on the trip (including my DS), who were not technically junior adventurers, but they had the option of participating in the JA activities. Most of them chose to attend movie night, but I did see a few in the restaurant with their families. The kids were supposed to have their dinner and movie on the lawn, but there was another outdoor event at the hotel and there would have been too much noise for them to hear the movie, so they moved inside to the conference/game room. While the kids were having their evening, the adults had dinner in the main restaurant. We had a limited menu to choose from. I had some fantastic pumpkin soup and trout that was also really good. I asked for Panna Cotta for dessert, but they had run out. We had a mini version of the Panna Cotta at lunch earlier and it was delicious. I had chocolate truffles instead, which were good, but not as good as my first choice. The meals in the restaurant were consistently quite delicious.
I had a little time to relax in the room before I had to pick up DS at 8:30. You can probably guess what movie the kids watched. Next day Machu Picchu!
tufbuf
Disney Addict!
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2008
I was going to ak you about people getting sick after river rafting. A couple of people jumped in the water and one of them got extremely sick and was not well enough until the last day of the trip.
I wonder if they should limit the group size to this trip? Our group was 33 and it was a manageable size and not difficult to hear what the guide was saying.
I wonder if they should limit the group size to this trip? Our group was 33 and it was a manageable size and not difficult to hear what the guide was saying.
SingingMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2001
I am a little worried about a big group on our Germany trip. So far it is 38 I believe. Last May we had 22 for London and Paris and it was perfect! We really bonded.
Then again, it is AbD. I'm sure it will be great! ;-).
Enjoying your report. Very detailed. Personally it isnt on my list, but i like reading about your adventure. Getting sick from the river rafting is scary! Glad you were ok!
"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards
tufbuf
Disney Addict!
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2008
I think it depends on the people in the group. Our ABD Greece group was also 44 but we all gelled together and everything flowed very smoothly. People were on time every time and it did not feel like it was a big group.
SingingMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2001
Thanks for the reassurance. ;-). We had such a wonderful time last year that I am almost afraid to expect the same! As a matter of fact, two of our fellow travelers are coming to visit tomorrow!
"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards
I think it depends a lot of the destination too. Peru is somewhat difficult to navigate. Some areas are lacking in modern conveniences. Restrooms, for instance, were a problem. Often there would be only one or two stalls and it takes a long time when you have that many people trying to use one or two toilets. ABD should probably limit the group size based on the destination. We had 44 on our trip and when I spoke to ABD a couple of months prior to the trip, they indicated that it was not fully booked and it remained on the website as if it were still available for booking, so there was the potential for more than 44. I'm not sure what they consider the maximum number of guests now, but the website no longer states that the maximum is 40. We still had a good vacation, but having a group that large changes the nature of the trip and the interaction between the guests with each other and with the guides.
SingingMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2001
I would imagine. It was a big deal for me to travel to Europe (I almost sent DH & DD18 without me!) I know I would be out of my element with those restroom accommodations. Lololol
I cherish the friendships we made with our guides and fellow guests.
From what I read on the T-Mobile website it is considered international roaming. But I can't confirm that or what the charges were because I only used my phone from the hotels and since I was connected to their Wifi, the calls were free. I did notice that sometimes I was connected to the T-Mobile network. Mostly I left the phone turned off.
sayhello
Have Camera, Will Travel
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2006
I agree with the others that it can really depend on the people and the trip. Most of my ABDs have been on the small side. 14 on Southwest Splendors, 15 on Alaska, and 28 on Knights & Lights. Those were all on the shoulder season. But we had 39 on the Med add-on, and I was worried about the size of the group. I really needn't have worried. The Guides handled the large group with great finesse, and I really did not notice any drop in the level of service. But everyone on the trip was obviously well-traveled, so there wasn't a lot of wrangling needed.
Oh, and Bobo912, the video worked just fine for me!
Sayhello
I don't want to create the impression that the guests or the guides did anything wrong on our trip. We had a wonderful group of people, who were on time every morning. Most of them had already been on at least one ABD and many on multiple ABDs, so they knew the ropes. The guides did a great job and Peru is definitely a more challenging location than any of the others I've visited so far. There were just situations like the little changing tent on the raft trip that would have been sufficient for a smaller group, but just couldn't easily accommodate a group of our size. And at Moray, which I'm about to tell you about, there was one restroom and around 15 women and girls who needed to use it before we began our hike. It took a while. This restroom had no toilet paper or soap. Mike handed out packs of tissues and hand sanitizer. Yay, Mike!
Day 4 began with a visit to the ruins of Moray (yes I was mixed up - this isn't the Machu Picchu day). Moray is a very interesting and unusual place. This is what it looks like from the top. It's a long way down!
We paused on the way down and Harvey explained the quipu, the Incan system of writing. He had a quipu as a surprise for each of the kids.
The walk is equally challenging going down and up. You have to climb the flying stairs, which are stones protruding from the wall. You can see them in the photo below. Some of them are separated by a good distance and unless youre really tall, its quite a stretch.
Climbing back up was quite tiring. I work out on an elliptical machine nearly every day, and I hike regularly on rocky, hilly trails, but climbing these steps was a bit of a strain on my legs. Apparently, there is a muscle in my thigh that I dont normally use, because it was quite sore the next day. Those of us who reached the top first, cheered on the ones who followed. If youre planning on taking this trip, a few weeks working out on a stair stepper machine might be a good idea.
Next stop was the Salt Pans of Maras. This is another very interesting and unusual place. We walked down to the beginning of the trail through the salt pans, where Harvey told us about how they form and how the salt is harvested.
Then we had the option of hiking the trail through the salt pans back down to the Sacred Valley or taking the bus back down. I wish they hadnt mentioned that the hike was optional, because after all the climbing earlier in the day, I couldnt convince DS to go on the hike. It was downhill, so I dont think it would have been too bad. All three guides went with the hikers, so I didnt feel comfortable sending DS on the 45 minute bus ride by himself. This isnt like the Arches hike on SWS, where the bus option is just as good as the Delicate Arch hike. This is just a bus ride back down to the valley. The hike also takes around 45 minutes, so by the time we reached the end of the trail, we only waited a few minutes before the hikers showed up.
We were running late again and I think it was around 2:00 when we finally got back to Sol y Luna for lunch. Tables were set up on the lawn for us, but just as we arrived, it started raining and we quickly moved into the restaurant. Once again, we had a limited menu from which to order. This was another wonderful meal.
After lunch we had a free afternoon, but there was also an optional excursion to a pottery artists studio. DS wasnt interested in the pottery studio and we hadnt had much time to spend in our awesome casita, so we decided to spend the rainy afternoon at the resort. I got a chance to soak my tired legs in that beautiful bathtub and sit on the patio and read a book. It was very relaxing. The people who visited the pottery studio seemed to really enjoy it as well.
That evening was the cooking demonstration and pizza making at Sol y Luna. We learned how to make a Pisco Sour and Chef Nacho demonstrated how to make some Peruvian sauces, ceviche, and alpaca stir fry. All of the dishes he prepared were delicious. During the cooking demonstration the kids were carving vegetables and making smoothies. Then they put on their chefs hats and aprons and started making pizzas. They had to roll out the dough, which was entertaining to watch. The adults got dough that was already rolled out, so we didnt have to work as hard. The pizzas were great. After a wonderful evening, we were off to bed, because we needed to be up early the next morning to catch the train to Machu Picchu!
Day 4 began with a visit to the ruins of Moray (yes I was mixed up - this isn't the Machu Picchu day). Moray is a very interesting and unusual place. This is what it looks like from the top. It's a long way down!
We paused on the way down and Harvey explained the quipu, the Incan system of writing. He had a quipu as a surprise for each of the kids.
The walk is equally challenging going down and up. You have to climb the flying stairs, which are stones protruding from the wall. You can see them in the photo below. Some of them are separated by a good distance and unless youre really tall, its quite a stretch.
Climbing back up was quite tiring. I work out on an elliptical machine nearly every day, and I hike regularly on rocky, hilly trails, but climbing these steps was a bit of a strain on my legs. Apparently, there is a muscle in my thigh that I dont normally use, because it was quite sore the next day. Those of us who reached the top first, cheered on the ones who followed. If youre planning on taking this trip, a few weeks working out on a stair stepper machine might be a good idea.
Next stop was the Salt Pans of Maras. This is another very interesting and unusual place. We walked down to the beginning of the trail through the salt pans, where Harvey told us about how they form and how the salt is harvested.
Then we had the option of hiking the trail through the salt pans back down to the Sacred Valley or taking the bus back down. I wish they hadnt mentioned that the hike was optional, because after all the climbing earlier in the day, I couldnt convince DS to go on the hike. It was downhill, so I dont think it would have been too bad. All three guides went with the hikers, so I didnt feel comfortable sending DS on the 45 minute bus ride by himself. This isnt like the Arches hike on SWS, where the bus option is just as good as the Delicate Arch hike. This is just a bus ride back down to the valley. The hike also takes around 45 minutes, so by the time we reached the end of the trail, we only waited a few minutes before the hikers showed up.
We were running late again and I think it was around 2:00 when we finally got back to Sol y Luna for lunch. Tables were set up on the lawn for us, but just as we arrived, it started raining and we quickly moved into the restaurant. Once again, we had a limited menu from which to order. This was another wonderful meal.
After lunch we had a free afternoon, but there was also an optional excursion to a pottery artists studio. DS wasnt interested in the pottery studio and we hadnt had much time to spend in our awesome casita, so we decided to spend the rainy afternoon at the resort. I got a chance to soak my tired legs in that beautiful bathtub and sit on the patio and read a book. It was very relaxing. The people who visited the pottery studio seemed to really enjoy it as well.
That evening was the cooking demonstration and pizza making at Sol y Luna. We learned how to make a Pisco Sour and Chef Nacho demonstrated how to make some Peruvian sauces, ceviche, and alpaca stir fry. All of the dishes he prepared were delicious. During the cooking demonstration the kids were carving vegetables and making smoothies. Then they put on their chefs hats and aprons and started making pizzas. They had to roll out the dough, which was entertaining to watch. The adults got dough that was already rolled out, so we didnt have to work as hard. The pizzas were great. After a wonderful evening, we were off to bed, because we needed to be up early the next morning to catch the train to Machu Picchu!
dizneekrazee
Fullfilling my bucket list, one vacation at a time
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2008
Great trip report so far!! I've always been interested in a cooking class in my travels, but, I travel with my DBF, who isn't interested. He would only be interested in eating the food afterwards lol
I'm curious, what did you think of the pisco sours?
I'm curious, what did you think of the pisco sours?
I thought they pisco sours at Sol y Luna were good. I had more than one.
They aren't actually sour. They told us that if we made them at home, they wouldn't be the same because they have a different variety of lime in Peru. Most of our produce comes from South America anyway, but maybe we don't import limes. 
They gave us the recipe, so I'm going to try it. The pisco sours we had at the farewell lunch were much different and were a lot like a margarita, without the salt.
SingingMom
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2001
I want to go on the Ireland trip strictly to make the scones. Lol. ;-)
"SingingMom" ....Sent from my iPad using DISBoards
tufbuf
Disney Addict!
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2008
Thanks again for posting, Bobo! The grass is greener in Moray this time of the year. I remember the climb up after going down center. You would think the Incas, being short people would make the steps closer to each other but nope! The altitude does not help either. c:
Hi Bobo, you mentioned trying the alpaca stir fry. How did it taste? (and please don't say it "tastes like chicken").
LOL. It tastes more like beef. I asked my son and he said it tastes like tough steak. We had alpaca at a lot of our meals, prepared many different ways. The best thing about the stir fry wasn't the alpaca, it was the sauce. The sauce was fantastic. IMO, it would have been better with some other kind of meat.
dizneekrazee
Fullfilling my bucket list, one vacation at a time
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2008
I thought they pisco sours at Sol y Luna were good. I had more than one.
Ok, I thought all the ones we tried (Cusco, Lima, Ollantaytambo) tasted like margaritas made with Jose Cuervo. I never cared for regular margaritas, especially made with Cuervo.
Day 5 Machu Picchu
This was the day everybody was looking forward to and it didnt disappoint. We got an early start to the station to catch our train to Machu Picchu. The guides passed out our tickets, and after a short wait, we boarded the train. I dont get to do it often, but I enjoy traveling by train, and this trip was no exception. The seats were comfortable and roomy. We were served another breakfast. Its been a few weeks now and I dont remember what it was, except that there was fresh fruit. Breakfast was served in a small basket and the food was in ceramic bowls, which is kind of nice compared to the plastic you get on a plane if youre in coach. There is some nice scenery along the way. The Urubamba flows adjacent to the train tracks and there are some gigantic boulders and huge rapids. We arrived at the Aguas Calientes Train Station, where we had a short wait while everybody who felt the need used the restroom. It didnt take long, since this was a big, modern restroom, compared to the others we had seen. After a short walk through the town, we loaded onto the busses to take us to Machu Picchu. This is an interesting ride up a bumpy road with one hairpin turn after another. The road is narrow and runs along a cliff that drops off to the valley below. We met a nearly constant stream of busses coming down from Machu Picchu. Considering the route and traffic, the drivers went too fast, at least as far as I was concerned. I dont think I was the only one who was a bit apprehensive. But we made it safely to our destination, so no harm done. Finally, we rounded a curve and there was Machu Picchu! It was truly a breathtaking site. The driver stopped for a moment to let us take it in and then we continued up to the drop off area near the Sanctuary Lodge. It seemed to take a long time for the guides to pick up our tickets and for those who needed it to visit the restroom, but maybe it was just because I was anxious to go inside. I dont know what I expected, but a line with ticket takers wasnt it. You never see that part on the Travel Channel. Once inside though, that area isnt visible. For the first part of our visit, Harvey led the entire group on a guided tour. After that the kids went on a treasure hunt (the treasure was that days pin). Then everybody received a surprise, which I wont spoil for those of you who are taking this trip.
Next we had lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge. This was a big buffet with a wide selection of Peruvian dishes. It was quite good. Lunch was in a large public dining room. It wasnt a private buffet just for us, like the others on this trip, but there was plenty of room for everybody. A trio of musicians played while we enjoyed our lunch.
After that, we split up into two groups, one that stayed in the lower part of the ruins for a tour with Rudy and the other group went up to the Guard House or continued on to the Moon Gate with Harvey. We decided to go with Harvey. The guard house is where you can get the quintessential tourist photo with the ruins and mountains in the background. If I could do this day over, I would take my photo at the Guard House and then go back down and spend some time exploring the ruins on my own. Unless you just really want to say youve walked on the Inca Trail, there isnt that much to see by hiking up to the Moon Gate. It is a rough path, and it was wet, which made it a bit treacherous, so I spent most of the time looking at my feet rather than viewing the scenery. I slipped a few times, but didnt fall. There were a few people who fell, but luckily nobody was hurt. By the time we got back from the hike, it was nearly time to head back to the train station. I wish I had spent some time going through the ruins and taking some more photos. During the morning tour, it was hard to get good shots that didnt have somebodys head or other body part in it. Still, it was a wonderful and amazing day and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You can find much better photos of Machu Picchu than those I took, so Im not going to post many. But here are two to show you the difference in the view from the Guard House and the Moon Gate. It might help you decide if you want to make the trek.
The view from the Guard House
The view from the Moon Gate
The train that the ABD group usually takes back to Ollantaytambo was not running on this day, so we had to take a later train and got to spend some extra time at Machu Picchu (we knew this before we left the hotel that morning). After our day at the ruins, we took the bus back down the winding road to the town. We had a couple of hours to spend in town before it was time for our train. There is a market there, similar to the ones you will see throughout this trip, where you can shop for souvenirs and there are also several restaurants. I had some awesome hot chocolate. If you like hot chocolate, I recommend you try it, but be sure to add sugar before you taste it, because it's not sweetened.
Back at the train station, the guides, with the help of the JAs, handed out ice cream bars. Then we were back on the train for an entertaining ride back to Ollantaytambo. Our group was so large that we took up the entire car, except for 2 seats. The girls in our group got really loud on the ride back and I felt sorry for those 2 people who werent part of our group. But I think they were good sports and we didnt get on their nerves too much. We had a really good group of kids. They got a little rowdy sometimes, but it was great to see them having such a good time. I think I will omit the details of what happens on the train ride, so there will still be some surprises for you folks who will be taking this trip soon.
Since we arrived late, the restaurant at Sol y Luna stayed open late just for us. We also had the option of getting room service, for those who needed to get their exhausted kids to bed. Since they dont normally offer room service, I was afraid it would be really slow and I was anxious to finish dinner and get some rest. I tried to convince DS to go to the restaurant, but he wanted to go back to the room, so we ordered room service. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly they delivered our dinner. And it was another great meal. This day was definitely a highlight of the trip!
This was the day everybody was looking forward to and it didnt disappoint. We got an early start to the station to catch our train to Machu Picchu. The guides passed out our tickets, and after a short wait, we boarded the train. I dont get to do it often, but I enjoy traveling by train, and this trip was no exception. The seats were comfortable and roomy. We were served another breakfast. Its been a few weeks now and I dont remember what it was, except that there was fresh fruit. Breakfast was served in a small basket and the food was in ceramic bowls, which is kind of nice compared to the plastic you get on a plane if youre in coach. There is some nice scenery along the way. The Urubamba flows adjacent to the train tracks and there are some gigantic boulders and huge rapids. We arrived at the Aguas Calientes Train Station, where we had a short wait while everybody who felt the need used the restroom. It didnt take long, since this was a big, modern restroom, compared to the others we had seen. After a short walk through the town, we loaded onto the busses to take us to Machu Picchu. This is an interesting ride up a bumpy road with one hairpin turn after another. The road is narrow and runs along a cliff that drops off to the valley below. We met a nearly constant stream of busses coming down from Machu Picchu. Considering the route and traffic, the drivers went too fast, at least as far as I was concerned. I dont think I was the only one who was a bit apprehensive. But we made it safely to our destination, so no harm done. Finally, we rounded a curve and there was Machu Picchu! It was truly a breathtaking site. The driver stopped for a moment to let us take it in and then we continued up to the drop off area near the Sanctuary Lodge. It seemed to take a long time for the guides to pick up our tickets and for those who needed it to visit the restroom, but maybe it was just because I was anxious to go inside. I dont know what I expected, but a line with ticket takers wasnt it. You never see that part on the Travel Channel. Once inside though, that area isnt visible. For the first part of our visit, Harvey led the entire group on a guided tour. After that the kids went on a treasure hunt (the treasure was that days pin). Then everybody received a surprise, which I wont spoil for those of you who are taking this trip.
Next we had lunch at the Sanctuary Lodge. This was a big buffet with a wide selection of Peruvian dishes. It was quite good. Lunch was in a large public dining room. It wasnt a private buffet just for us, like the others on this trip, but there was plenty of room for everybody. A trio of musicians played while we enjoyed our lunch.
After that, we split up into two groups, one that stayed in the lower part of the ruins for a tour with Rudy and the other group went up to the Guard House or continued on to the Moon Gate with Harvey. We decided to go with Harvey. The guard house is where you can get the quintessential tourist photo with the ruins and mountains in the background. If I could do this day over, I would take my photo at the Guard House and then go back down and spend some time exploring the ruins on my own. Unless you just really want to say youve walked on the Inca Trail, there isnt that much to see by hiking up to the Moon Gate. It is a rough path, and it was wet, which made it a bit treacherous, so I spent most of the time looking at my feet rather than viewing the scenery. I slipped a few times, but didnt fall. There were a few people who fell, but luckily nobody was hurt. By the time we got back from the hike, it was nearly time to head back to the train station. I wish I had spent some time going through the ruins and taking some more photos. During the morning tour, it was hard to get good shots that didnt have somebodys head or other body part in it. Still, it was a wonderful and amazing day and I thoroughly enjoyed it. You can find much better photos of Machu Picchu than those I took, so Im not going to post many. But here are two to show you the difference in the view from the Guard House and the Moon Gate. It might help you decide if you want to make the trek.
The view from the Guard House
The view from the Moon Gate
The train that the ABD group usually takes back to Ollantaytambo was not running on this day, so we had to take a later train and got to spend some extra time at Machu Picchu (we knew this before we left the hotel that morning). After our day at the ruins, we took the bus back down the winding road to the town. We had a couple of hours to spend in town before it was time for our train. There is a market there, similar to the ones you will see throughout this trip, where you can shop for souvenirs and there are also several restaurants. I had some awesome hot chocolate. If you like hot chocolate, I recommend you try it, but be sure to add sugar before you taste it, because it's not sweetened.
Back at the train station, the guides, with the help of the JAs, handed out ice cream bars. Then we were back on the train for an entertaining ride back to Ollantaytambo. Our group was so large that we took up the entire car, except for 2 seats. The girls in our group got really loud on the ride back and I felt sorry for those 2 people who werent part of our group. But I think they were good sports and we didnt get on their nerves too much. We had a really good group of kids. They got a little rowdy sometimes, but it was great to see them having such a good time. I think I will omit the details of what happens on the train ride, so there will still be some surprises for you folks who will be taking this trip soon.
Since we arrived late, the restaurant at Sol y Luna stayed open late just for us. We also had the option of getting room service, for those who needed to get their exhausted kids to bed. Since they dont normally offer room service, I was afraid it would be really slow and I was anxious to finish dinner and get some rest. I tried to convince DS to go to the restaurant, but he wanted to go back to the room, so we ordered room service. I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly they delivered our dinner. And it was another great meal. This day was definitely a highlight of the trip!
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Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
