Some curious structures and dwellings seen in the very touristy town of Agua Caliente, which serves as the out-and-about place just at the base of the mountain where Machu Picchu rests. The town is under heavy construction for nice, small refined hotel rooms for tourists to stay in comfort. There are many hostels tucked in whatever corner can be found. Mostly an incredible number of restaurants offering up to 4-for-1 drinks specials and Pizza Gigante, both of which were the most tempting things swirling in my head after four dry days on the trail. (Our food was quite good, btw, and hot chocolate from powder after 8 hours of trekking never tasted so good.)
I found the top building the most peculiar. It looks as though it is unfinished by my own standards, but it is clear that it is pretty much done. The top right habitat appears to be a kind of porch, open to the outside. It’s finished, in that it’s been painted and the wall appointed with a nice painting or something. I tried to find evidence of renovation to account for the fact that there’s basically a missing wall with a perilous drop, but this is just how the structure is architected. There is no OSHA standard kind of safety rail or bannister, very much like the Inca Trail where there are no real measures to prevent a loss of balance resulting in a drop down hundreds of meters. Truly a mountain home.
The usual kinds of reconstruction to accommodate the bustling tourist trade, including some new hotel at the end of the road and re-channeling the river for some reason.