Machu Picchu

We took a short trip to Machu Picchu during 4th of July week. The purpose of the trip was to see the famous Inca ruins, and nothing else. We did not see the rest of Peru, any other ruins, or eat a variety of food.

Our itinerary was rough, but I only had to miss two days of work, and one day for Wayne:

Tue, July 3 - Full day of work, then flew out of SFO at 9:30 pm
Wed, July 4 - Arrive at Cusco, then taxi to Urubamba. Checked into hotel by 7:30 pm. Ate dinner at hotel
Thu, July 5 - Train to Machu Picchu, explore the ruins
Fri, July 6 - Transfer and overnight at Cusco
Sat, July 7 - Fly out of Cusco @ 5:40 am flight, arrive SFO at 8:30 pm

Here are the highlights and thoughts of our short trip:

First, Machu Picchu is AMAZING! It is one of the seven wonders of the world since 2007. I totally recommend adding this to your bucket list if you haven't already. The trip was easy, and totally worth it. Get a tour guide to show you around.

Second, The Hiram Bingham train is AWESOME!  We took the Hiram Bingham to Aguas Calientes. It was in Aguas Calientes where we switched to the bus for the rest of the trip up to Machu Picchu. There were some perks to riding with Hiram Bingham. These perks were VIP lounge in Aguas Calientes prior to bus transfer, private bus so we don't have to wait in line with the crowds, complimentary bathroom access (instead of paying 2 soles), a bottle of water for the tour of the ruins, and tea time at the Sanctuary Lodge at 4:00 pm (after the tour). We also got a full lunch on the way there, and dinner on the way back. While on the train, there was a full bar and live entertainment.

Third, the Tambo Del Inka is a wonderful hotel. I'll write more about it in a logistics post.

Fourth, Peruvian food is delicious. Eat some Ceviche. When the menu says spicy, they meant it. I love spicy food, so this was a good thing.

Fifth, wear sunblock and bug repellent. The sun is strong. I think there is a hole in the ozone layer in that region too, but I am not quite sure and don't want to google it at the moment. I read a lot about sand flies. Thank goodness I didn't get bitten.

Sixth, we went during the Soccer FIFA World Cup. According to our guide, the site is considered virtually empty. Out of 6,000 tickets, less than 2,000 tickets sold on the date we went for both the morning and the afternoon combined. Most people go in the morning (from what I read). We went in the afternoon. Our guide estimated that there was about 300ish people when we were there. It was nice not having to avoid others for our pictures. So note to self, if there are any crowded destinations we'd like to visit in the future, go during the World Cup. I'm sure the Olympics would work too, but I actually care to watch the Olympics.

Lastly, altitude sickness is real. We both suffered a bit from it. So if you go, please consider this and plan accordingly. If you feel sick, ask the hotel for some oxygen. It was recommended to get out of the main city, Cusco, right away and head to lower elevation to acclimate. This is why we chose to stay at the Tambo Del Inka in Urubamba. Urubamba is part of the Sacred Valley and is lower than Cusco.

Okay, here are the pictures! Enjoy!

The Train

Posing in front of the Hiram Bingham train

Inside the Hiram Bingham train

Stock Photo - Train

Stock Photo

Stock Photo - Bar

The Ruins: Machu Picchu

There were three trails. We took the trail that provided this view. This one has more uphill climbing.

We took a lot of kneeling poses to not cover the ruins

A famous and religious (??) place. The dial in the back is supposed to somehow show people North direction. I still don't get how it works

There are 23 llamas in Machu Picchu. According to our tour guide, they are not native to Machu Picchu (but are to Peru). These llamas were brought in for a movie, but it was too expensive to remove them. So they were left behind.

Having fun

Cusco

Totally got scammed. Watch out for these. If you agree to a photo, they would not tell you the price, and everyone would line up in your picture. Then they demand you pay each of them.

Japan (2015) Kyoto

Lost in Translation: Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Kibune

Japan was such a memorable trip! We are already planning our next trip back. 

The Japanese are amazing. The people is the reason why I love Japan. Everyone we met were so polite, and so NICE! It's like southern hospitality (although I've never experienced southern hospitality and can only assume from what has been repeated). 

After the Japanese people, I love the country itself and the presentation (???) of Japan. Surprisingly, for a country that populated, there were no trash! It's even more astounding when there are no trash bins! The country is so clean! There were no graffiti or litter (maybe the 3 years in prison or the 300,000 yen fine deterred it). 

The subway systems were extremely efficient for the amount of travelers. People get in line to get on/off the trains/bus. There are arrows directing people so everyone can walk without bumping into each other. The country is very automated. 

We seriously need some of these things in the US. 

Lost in Translation: Kyoto Part I

After the onsen and spa treatment, we were ready to start our tourist activities, and took the Shinkansen to Kyoto. Our welcoming party in Kyoto was a gush of hot air. Kyoto weather was in the high 80s, and extremely hot for two San Franciscans!

We checked into the Hyatt Regency Kyoto, and rushed straight to Kiyomizu-dera temple before it closed at 6:00 pm. The temple was established in 778 A.D. and is the temple of the Goddess of Mercy, Kannon. Or in Vietnamese, Đức Quan Thế Âm Bồ Tát. 

Kiyomizu-dera temple, a view that was in Memoirs of a Geisha

Kiyomizu-dera - view of the stage

A nice stairway that was blocked off

That night, we dined at a very good grilled beef restaurant. It was a hole in the wall, and there were no English menus. I highly recommend this place, because the food was good, cheap, and it MUST be authentic. Although, I don't know the name of the place and they do not have an English translation. 

DELICIOUS!!

The meat we had in Japan were very marbled. It was for sure not Kobe or Wagyu, as it's only $50 for both of us (plum wine included), but equally yummy

Lost in Translation: Kyoto Part II

We woke up bright and early for our second day in Kyoto for some sight seeing. Kyoto is home to the most UNESCO world heritage sites, so we did not visit all the sites that was on my original list, but did manage to make it to some of the more famed sites.

We saw (not experienced) a lot in one day though:
- Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama
- Rock Garden at Ryoan-ji Temple
- Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji Temple)
- Sanjusangendo Temple
- Red Gates (Fushimi-Inari Taisha)
- Gion District 


Bamboo Forest - As the name suggests, this forest is full of bamboos (no pandas, just bamboos). There was also a temple there that we did not have time to see, Tenryu-ji. There were also several grave sites as we walked, which we also did not stop to see (for obvious, paranormal, spooky reasons).

So many bamboos!

Brief stop

In front of Tenryuji Temple

Ryoan-ji and its rock garden - I don't know much about this temple, except that it has a famous zen rock garden. It looks like a buddhist meditation temple from what I can see. 

Rock garden

Meditation room

A nice pond on our way to the next site

Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) - This temple was once a villa that belonged to a famous statesmen. It was later purchased and then converted to a temple. The gold seen on the pavilion is supposed to be covered by pure gold leaf. I'm surprised that the gold lasted this long and no one managed to steal it all these years!

By the time we reached the Kinkaku-ji, we were too tired from the heat and hunger. So it was a very quick walk, or as fast as we could walk with the many people ahead of us on the sight seeing path! Given that Kinkaku-ji is probably the most famous temple in Kyoto aside from Kiyomizu-dera, it attracts a lot of visitors.

Wayne in front of the temple and very tired from the hot weather

pretty shot of the Kinkaku-ji

Me behind the temple

After lunch and some time in the air-conditioned hotel room, we continued our UNESCO self-guided tour. Next up was Sanjusangendo Temple.

Sanjusangendo Temple - This was my favorite temple. It is also another temple for Kannon. According to the guide sheet, there are 1001 bronze statues of Kannon, one large one of her, and 28 guardians. We were not allowed to take pictures. So we settled for some nice ones of the smaller garden outside. 

Me at the Sanjusangendo Temple garden

a picture I found on google image of  the statues inside the temple

Outside of the temple

Fushimi-Inari Taisha - This was number one on my must-see list, as it looks pretty and was filmed in "Memoirs of a Geisha". This shrine was built for the rice god.

very hot day, so we got ice cream!

There are thousands of red gates

That night, we dined in Gion Corner. We had a popular pancake dish that originated from Osaka. I don't remember what it's called, but it was just okay. I liked the experience of sitting on the floor to eat, at least for the first time.

Wayne walking in the alleyway towards dinner

I think this was a film setting for "Memoirs of a Geisha"

I got a picture of Wayne by that bridge in "Memoirs of a Geisha"

Gion at night

Lost in Translation: Kibune

Our third day in Kyoto consisted of a day trip to Kibune, which is a small northern village in the outskirt of Kyoto City. The purpose of traveling here was to eat at Kibuneso, a Kawadako (river restaurant). We basically ate on a board over the Kibune river. This created a cooling effect, which was much welcomed because temperatures were somewhere in the 90s that day.

Dining at a Kawadoko was a very unique experience, although the Kaiseki meal wasn't too good (but better than Gora Kadan) and was also the priciest meal of the whole trip. On top of that, there were some mosquitoes!!! Thank goodness I brought my DEET. With all that said, I still highly recommend it for the experience and scenery alone.

The Kibune river behind us

Google image of the restaurant

After dining at Kibuneso/Kibunesou, we packed up our bags and hopped into the Shinkansen and made our way back to Tokyo. This time, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Roppongi Hills.