To MP: The Hostel in Vilcabamba

I realized that I never included a map to Vilcabamba! Where it says "Santa Rosa" is where we left Santa Maria, and we traveled that skinny dirt mountain road to Vilcabamba. Notice the location of Machu Picchu in relation to our movements.

"Our hostel is located on the edge of town, down a very muddy drive that our van got stuck in. It was s./10 per person (roughly $3) and was the most "primitive" we've seen in many respects. We shared a bunk dorm, with six bunks and a cracked window. Some of the walls were covered in what looked like old blood that had been dripping down it. I have no idea when the sheets were last washed, not if the wool blankets we used had ever been washed. Travis and I shared a twin bunk bed because I knew I would get cold sleeping alone. The bathrooms were outdoors, and at least there were toilets, with seats! But they were covered in old urine :( and the shower looked like it would be freezing. As with any outdoor bathroom, there were bugs galore. I was particularly upset by these giant, hard-winged moths literally the size of three quarters lined up, with their wings closed! (I didn't get a photo of these monsters, unfortunately. I also realize, after searching the internet, that it may have been a beetle. It was similar in size to this one, but it was much more colorful, with lots of zig-zagging lines of black and yellow on orangish "body")

Saturday, May 26th  5 pm

writing about Thursday night and Friday morning

Sleeping in the hostel was cold and uncomfortable, but the next morning, we stepped outside to an amazing view! We were partway up a mountain, and the surrounding mountains were just beginning to be touched by sunlight. It was about six am. We got ready, signed a guest book (only 25 or so guests this year, some in January and the rest in May), then helped push the van out of the mud. 

The view stepping outside our hostel

I didn't have time to write about this at the time, but it was quite an early morning adventure. The van was stuck in six inches of mud, and the whole drive up and out was mud of this consistency. Where the van was parked was relatively flat, but we needed to go up a 45 degree slope to get back to the main road. Our driver, Fernando, tried to back up while five of our party started pushing the front of the van. They started to run, and got the van about halfway up the slope before they ran out of juice and the van slid back down the hill. The next attempt, we all found a piece of the hood to grab onto, and pushed. The landlord of the hostel, a hunched little man missing some teeth, was laughing at the show all the while. We were able to run the van up to the road with all of us pushing, and we said goodbye to our cackling host.

We had breakfast at the place from the night before. It is an unremarkable building, walls half painted green and a tarp stapled to the ceiling. Marla says it is a typical restaurant in communities like this (ones that don't cater to tourists). There were two tables to seat a total of 12-14, a shelving unit on one wall, and a small t.v. that went in and out with color. Despite the cold of the night and morning, the door was wide open, as well as the shutters on one window. The tables were covered in a checked table cloth, and our food was served by a pre-teen girl.

Our dinner had consisted of bread, soup (which I am learning is a regular part of most meals) and fried chicken on top of rice with some vegetables. We had tea (we can't drink most things unless the water has been boiled or it is served in a sealed container.

Breakfast was an onion and tomato omelet with bread and jelly. Also tea. During breakfast, we watched some kids get on the "bus" for school. The "bus" is a truck with a large bed that I assume has some sort of benches inside. Boys climbed up the sides using the slats and dropped down from the top. The girls used the door on the rear.