Friday after finishing up at our project Carrie and I headed to Urubamba.  Because she had asked earlier at the Maximo office where we to find the buses that we needed we headed straight for the bus terminal.  When we got there, It turned out it was not actually a terminal, but rather a kind of courtyard with an assortment of vehicles stacked up waiting for passengers.  Traditional busses, mini-vans of various sorts, and taxis all lined up and ready to be filled.  There was a snack bar selling food for the road, benches filled with people waiting for who knows what and a subdued general chaos swirled around us.  It probably seemed orderly to someone from the culture.  Several guys appeared to be acting as traffic cops steering potential passengers to the appropriate vehicles.  We had been told that the mini-vans, or “combis” were the best way to go and no sooner than we showed up in the courtyard and mentioned our destination than we were shepherded towards one of the waiting mini-vans.  After verifying the fee, S/7.00 (about US$3.00) we climbed on board.  It did not take long to fill  the vehicle up and then we were off.

As we climbed out of Cusco I was afforded another glimpse of the city spread out below in the small valley in which it nestles.  We also passed some areas of the city I had never seen before and it struck me anew how precariously some of the buildings were perched on the side of the very steep hills.  It took a while to get out of the city, making me realize how little of it I have actually seen, since I mainly have been operating in the city center.  Cusco is a big city!  As we travelled further into the countryside, passing small villages and large agricultural settlements, I simply took it all in and enjoyed the beauty of the land.  There was a lot of cultivation evident, even up the side of the hills, but it has a different look than similar agricultural areas of Europe and the US.  In the US and Europe, as you travel through the farming communities you have the impression that man has tamed the land and completely brought it under control; nature has been beat back and completely manipulated for man’s purposes.  The land I saw passing by as we drove to Urubamba was cultivated, but my no means did it look tamed.  The impression I got as we drove by was that of nature temporarily beat back and held at bay, but given a moment’s inattention by humans, it would burst forth and reclaim immediately any and brought under man’s sway.  It did not look tame- but rather as if a temporary truce of some sort had been agreed to between man and nature.  Thus even though this land has been under use and producing crops for thousands of years, it still looks raw and untouched in many ways.

The fields blend right in with the background vegetation. Nature is waiting for an inattentive moment to take over.

I have talked much about the mountains surrounding Cusco but as we headed down into the valley where Urubamba is located I realized that what I had initially thought were mountains embracing Cusco were merely gentle rolling hills.  Here, surrounding Urubamba, in the Sacred Valley, were mountains.  They appeared to grow out of the valley floor, reaching up starkly a blend of creases and folds and sharp edges appearing somewhat less stark due to the beautiful multi-colored green carpet of grass and other vegetation which covered everything.  Only in the distance could I see the really high peaks, glimpses of their snow covered tops visible occasionally through the surrounding clouds.  The Urubamba river ran through the valley, wide and fast, seemingly close to flooding as it is rainy season and the river is recharged daily.

The river with surrounding mountains in the background.

Unlike Cusco, which has lots of cars and people, Urubamba is a sleepy little town.  The main means of transport are small little motorcycle based “tuk-tuks” (similar to what I saw in India).  These three wheelers were everywhere around the town. Finding ourselves after about the hour or so drive from Cusco finally at the terminal in Urubamba, we hired a tuk-tuk to take us to our hotel.  The narrow streets were practically empty, we only passed a few other tuk-tuks on our way to the hotel.

The "road" to th hotel in Urubamba.

Our tuk-tuk headed up into the small town away from the main drag and I was a little worried when we left the paved streets and turned onto a dirt road.  Where were we going?  Was this the way to the hotel- on a dirt road?  Sure enough about 300 yards down the deserted dirt road the tuk-tuk dropped us off at a gate where a sign proclaimed  “the La Quinta Eco Hotel”.  Not knowing what else to do we paid the driver, got out, and stared at the gate, looking for a doorbell or some other way to gain the attention of whomever might be inside.  Carrie found it first and gave the bell a few rings.

The gate to the hotel.

After a few moments someone came and opened a door in the gate and we entered the compound to discover a beautiful hotel set in a wonderfully blooming garden.  I have said this before and will repeat it here.  You cannot judge by the street appearance what you may find inside any structure.  The gate and door were not that impressive but once we entered it was extremely picturesque and beautiful with even a swimming pool and small playground for children.  We were in luck!

Carrie had found the hotel via Daniel, who I have mentioned in earlier posts.  Edwin, the gentleman who owns the hotel, is also part of the Peruvian Heart organization which works with kids who have been abandoned.  As a matter of fact both Daniel and Edwin have taken some of these kids into their own homes to help them either prepare for careers, university exams, or in some cases for those who need more structure than they might receive at the group home that the charity runs.  Truly these are amazing people doing great things for their community with a little help from funds raised in the US.  Edwin, it turns out, had been a hotel manager in the past.  When his father died he was bequeathed a bit of land and over the next 15 years slowly built the La Quinta on the land.  He has been in operation for five years and was a wonderful host and I would recommend this place to anyone desiring a quite stay in Urubamba!  (Here is a link for the hotel and they are also on TripAdvisor:  http://www.laquintaecohotel.com/index-1.htm )

(Here is a link to Peruvian Hearts if you are interested in learning more about them:http://www.peruvianhearts.org/ )

The hotel grounds Absolutely beautiful!!!

Once we settled into our room (which had plenty of hot water!!!!) we decided to head out  for dinner.  Edwin had recommended a few places down near the main square, also called the Plaza des Armes. Armed with a map we headed out.  As it was Friday night there were people out and about, kids playing in the street and local women selling food on the corners.  Some of the market stalls were still open and a few had TV’s on tuned to shows or soccer games.  It seemed like the kind of place you could let your children run free with no worries.  I think we were probably the only tourists there that evening but we received nothing but “Buenos Noches” as we walked down the streets looking for the Pizza restaurant we were seeking.  (Believe it or not another choice was Chinese!)

We finally found the restaurant, which probably had about ten tables, and sat down.  I ordered a spinach soup which was excellent.  Carrie ordered a mixed salad and since the definition of salad changes from place to place ended up with a variety of veggies which were all good.  The pizza we shared was excellent, very fresh.  The bread was also very good as is the case almost everywhere in the world except the US.  (We do ourselves a disservice by accepting processed bread instead of supporting bakeries where we could purchase it freshly baked!!!!)

A street in Urubamba

We headed home after dinner, leisurely making our way back to the hotel.  We had an early start for our horseback ride in the morning and we were both tired. (Me fighting off a cold, if you can believe it….)