Balabanova All Over

Monthly Archives: July 2012

[Aguas Calientes, Peru] Our train ride from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Callientes was spectacular! This was not the luxurious Hiram Bingham, but it was still roomy and clean, and we got snacks. The views, though, were what made it so magical. The Urubamba river was right next to us the entire time, and just on the other side of it were mountains draped in fog and mist. It started raining for a little… Read More

[Ollantaytambo, Peru] After Pisac, we headed for Ollantaytambo. We had two sights in mind – the temple of Ollantaytambo and the Granaries. Since we didn’t have much time left before we had to board our train to Aguas Callientes, we decided to just visit the Temple. It promised great views of the city itself as well as the Granaries, which were on the mountain opposite the temple. We had to climb 260… Read More

[Pisac, Peru] It was another early morning for us today. We were hoping to make our way through the Sacred Valley with stops at Pisac and Ollantaytambo before finally reaching Aguas Callientes, the village closest to Machu Picchu. We had arranged the day before for a driver and a car, as we wanted to sight-see at our own pace. Our driver and tour guide arrived bright and early at 7:30 am and… Read More

[Cusco, Peru] When I woke up this morning at 5:30 am, I did not feel like I had only gotten 3 hours of sleep. I was excited to finally begin the three day journey through the Peruvian Andes that would take us to Machu Picchu by Friday. Cuzco, our first stop in the district, was the historical capital of the Incan Empire and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Historical Site in… Read More

[Lima, Peru] Our first day in Lima could not have been any better! We woke up relatively early so that we can get breakfast and get our day started. By 9 am, we were ready to set off for the short walk from our B&B to Larcomar, a shopping center nearby that makes for an unlikely tourist attraction due to the fact that is carved off the cliff and cannot even be… Read More