Aguas Calientes

I had booked a "fancy" hotel in Aguas Calientes - the town at the bottom of Machu Picchu - as a special treat after 4 shower less days of sleeping on the ground and sweating all day. And it sure was a fancy place! So, can you guess what I did after check in?

OHHHH GLORIOUS HOT SHOWER!! My hair was so nasty, it had started moving as one solid mass. Four days of sweat and grime scrubbed away in just a few blissful minutes. AHHHHH!!!

I went to the meet the rest of the trail group at the designated restaurant in town, I was squeaky clean. They were all green with envy at my nice smell and clean appearance.

After a nice lunch, some of us decided to try the hot springs that Aguas Calientes is named for...the downside (if you´ll pardon the pun) was we had to go up more stairs...UGH.

When we finally got there it was a little like stepping back into the 60s. Pink Floyd was being pumped out of the speakers. We walked through a bar area that over looked the open air hot spring tubs like a psychedelic balcony. The bar was full of trippy paintings, dream -catchers, comfy couches and wooden lamps. You can call up to the bar from the springs and they bring you down your drink.

The baths themselves were a grey murky colour, and the bottom was gravelly, and they smelled like, well...pee.There were several baths of varying temperatures - the hottest one was the busiest. There were tourists and locals alike in there - some seemed to be asleep. After 4 days of lugging heavy baggage on one´s back, the heat was fantastic and the tension melted away almost instantly - despite the smell.

There was one fella in the baths who really stood out - he was a rangar (a red head) and he spoke to the locals in Spanish...but that wasn´t what made him stand out. It was when he got out that we really noticed him...he was wearing his tighty-whities in the baths...Oh no you didn´t...
We watched in horrified fascination as he walked towards the showers. That was when we saw the most horrifying thing of all. The skid marks.
DAMN!

...no, we didn´t get out. It was too nice in the baths.

When we finally did emerge with our raisin fingers, we stopped on our way down the hill at one of the many bars that offered happy hour. We had a quick mojito and then I walked the group to the train station to bid them all adieu - I was the only one spending the night.
I slept like a log that night...