Blog 8: A Hot Spring in the Rainforest

18th November 2023

After coming down from Macchu Picchu (physically and intellectually), I had an evening and almost a full day to explore Aguas Caliente.

In the evening, I walked up the street to a street food vendor cooking meat on an outdoor barbecue, figuring this might be the time to try some guinea pig. Turns out there was no guinea pig, but there was llama, and it actually looked delicious, so I tried that instead. The meat was served much like sticky pork ribs, with several varieties of steamed potatoes, and it was delicious.

Unfortunately I lost my Travelcard while sitting there, possibly while pulling my phone out of my pocket. That initiated a few frantic calls home to ensure it was blocked immediately. It was, so all good.

The night at the hotel was not peaceful - people seemed to be banging doors and having very loud conversations all night outside my room. I still managed some sleep and woke early to the sounds of train shunting directly below me.

From my bathroom turret, I watched the dawn break over the town and the rainforest in the valley up ahead of me. Mists rolled about. Parrots squawked, it felt very tropical.

I breakfasted at the hotel, then had a coffee in the town and bought some things for Kim and emily from the market. I had a whole day to fill, so I decided over my coffee to hike up to the Hot Springs and take a dip.

The waterfalls

The hotel reception gave me a map, I loaded up with some water, and set off. It was a steep incline and the path was lined with tourist shops for a lot of the way. I got to the springs about lunch time, but didn't stop there at first, I pushed on further to see the waterfalls further up the track.

The waterfall trek was frustrating - I could hear a roar of a cascade somewhere, but the track finished before I could see the main drop. The rainforest was impenetrable, so there was no chance to go exploring off-track. The trek ended at a very attractive rock pool at what was clearly the lower end of the cascade and I watched the water tumbling over the rocks, thinking wow, some of this will end up in the Amazon. This was the closest I was going to get to the Amazon (this trip, anyway), so I enjoyed the trek for what it was.

The springs

So I back-tracked down the track at the back and got to the Hot Springs that I'd side-stepped on the way to the falls.

The Springs were an interesting operation. There was an entrance fee, which I paid at the gate, and I was told to go straight to the Locker Room, not the Change Room, to ensure my valuables were safe. Fair enough I thought.

The locker room was right at the top end of the springs, and it was there I met the lady in the picture below. I asked for a locker and she asked for 10 pesos. I grabbed my bathers out of my backpack and gave it to her and she put it in a locker. I was about to go downstairs to the Change Room and she said Take your clothes off. I said What? She said You need to take your clothes off here, I'll put them with your belongings. I took my shirt off and handed it over. 'Pants' she said. I took my pants off, fairly gingerly. 'Shoes'. I handed over my sandals. I was now standing in my jocks in full view of everyone. She handed me a towel and said 'change'. So I went down to the Change Room and got into my bathers. I left my jocks on a hook, thinking I'm not going back to give her my jocks, and anyway, if anyone steals them so what.

Not a woman to be messed with

Wierd arrangement. Anyway, I then went down and selected a spring that was a temperature I liked and hopped in. All the springs were in open air pools, and the water was quite muddy - the base of the springs was just river pebbles. Nonetheless the water soothed the midge bites on my elbows, and it was a pleasant experience.

After the spa, I strolled down to a cafe where I knocked back two pisco sours in a row to re-hydrate.

The train ride through the sacred valley

Late in the afternoon I checked out of the Machu Picchu Adventurer and after much paperwork and queuing, boarded my train back to Ollantaytambo, where I'd transfer to a bus back to Cusco.

The train had a party atmoshere, I guess people who have been to Machu Picchu feel like celebrating. Peru Rail put on a few different forms of entertainment; there was a very lame fashion show, and one by one each carriage-load of people were invited down to the restaurant car for a performance by a band, which ended up in everyone dancing. For me, though, the best feature of the evening was the opportunity to step outside onto an open air balcony at the front of the restaurant car, right behind the engine.

In fact it was to be a highlight of my trip. I was watching the Sacred Valley of the Incas sweep past me so close I could touch it. The late afternoon light added shadows and glowing light to the mountains above. A breeze swept my hair and face. It was perfect.

Rumi Punku hotel

And so I returned to Cusco. I was staying at a different hotel for my last two nights, the Rumi Punku. The staff couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful and their English was excellent and instant, not begrudgingly resorted to, like in so many other places. I don't judge anyone for this, I was in their country afterall, but I've never experienced the kind of prejudice I experienced for not speaking Spanish. It made me very conscious of how the reverse situation must feel for visitors and migrants to my own country.

A word about the Rumi Punku. It was a rambling hotel in an old Cusco-an building, very interesting in itself. The Breakfast Room, however, really intrigued me, it was like a dining hall from a manorial residence or castle, with a high vaulted ceiling and seats in nooks next to shuttered windows. I tipped the staff generously for their care and assistance. There was much happiness all round.