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At last I was going
to Machu Picchu! I had always wanted to go there
since I studied the Incas at school.
The wake up call was at 04:00, breakfast
at 04:30 and we were on the coach and off by 05:00.
At 07:00 we arrived at Ollantaytambo railway station
and we got on to our little blue train
(apparently part of the Orient Express group). |
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Somehow or other the
young couple (still nameless) managed to get
the front seats. But the windows were large
and the views we all had were wonderful. Much
to my surprise the train made its way down
from the lean vegetation of the Alte Plano
and into the lusher tropical forest: I had
thought that M.P. was in the mountains. It
was fascinating to see house plants growing
wild – begonias, fatsias, cup and saucer
plant and impatiens. |
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We were served breakfast
(a box containing a roll and a cake) on the
train by two friendly trolley dollies. They
then served us coffee. The train lurched wildly
over the rough narrow gauge rails and the
nameless couple got theirs in their laps.
The staff popped their heads into the driver's
cabin and asked him to slow down! (Glad they
don't do that on planes). He did and the rest
of us drank our coffee in safety. |
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Little kids greeted us
at every station and we gave our packed breakfast
to them – mine was dutifully shared
by a young 8-year old with his little 4-year
old sister.
The staff then came through
the train with souvenirs. Bruce and I bought
Peru Rail hats to replace the ridiculous ones
we bought at Cuzco airport.
The train arrived at Machu
Picchu station at 08:30 and we boarded a coach
to wind its way up the hairpin bends 2,000
ft up the mountain to the lost city. We arrived
at 09:00 – the first to do so - and
thus our early start was worthwhile - we saw
the famous site alone (except for one or two
hardy souls who had camped out nearby and
been there since sunrise).
We stayed for 2½ hours,
ably guided by Julian. Words cannot sufficiently
describe the beautiful location or the fascinating
site itself. Let the pictures do that... |
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The Temple of the
Three Windows |
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The
Temple of the Sun |
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The Temple of the Condor |
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The Intiwatana -
The Hitching Post of the Sun |
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After 2 ½ hours looking round this
fascinating and haunting site, we reluctantly
got back onto our to return coach. As we
did so, a 9-year old boy shouted "Goodbye!"
at us at the top of his voice, waving madly.
The coach started off through the 2,000ft
descent on the hairpin bends. However, two
bends later, the boy was on the roadside,
still waving and shouting "Goodbye"
– he had run straight down the mountainside
to catch up with us!
And he continued do so – at every
other corner he was there on the road, shouting
and waving. Finally, we got to the river
side and the boy, still waving, was allowed
on the coach, exhausted, to collect some
well-deserved Sols.
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We had lunch in
a café by the rapids – a very good buffet.
I also had my second taste of Cusqueña beer.
I enjoyed it very much. |
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We all got back
onto the train and Bruce and I sat at the back with
Les and his wife. The nameless young couple could
not sit in the front – our seat numbers did
not permit it. But I discovered that our seats were
all reversible and we moved out seats around to
sit in comfort from what was now the observation
car, from where we four had an excellent grandstand
view. |
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Back onto the coach
and the drive through the Olyantaytambo valley.
At the town, the late sun cast strong shadows and
we could see how the town is built under the shadow
of a hill which looks like a vulture – just
like the book says! |
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We went over the
pass at 14,000ft - the scenery was wonderful: we
were surrounded by snow-capped mountains. |
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We descend into Cuzco. The market was heaving
as the fiesta for Corpus Christi was still
on (it is three days long) and plantain
and sugar cane seemed to be very popular.
I was offered some blacked tuber - and found
to my delight it was Jerusalem artichoke
(or a South American equivalent)! Very tasty.
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Time for supper.
We decided (OK, I decided) it was time to try ethnic
and not rely on hotel food. We tried one restaurant
which was recommend by Julian as being safe. We
ordered alpaca and a glass of wine. The wine arrived
– and I saw from the corner of my eye, running
along the dado towards Bruce’s shoulder, a
very large black rat. I calmly stood up and suggested
we took our leave (Bruce has a different version
of this story). Nevertheless, we paid for our ordered
but uneaten food and left. We ate in the hotel.
Unfortunately in the hotel, the guinea pig is only
available at 24-hours notice (it must be fresh,
apparently) so we had to have alpaca. More music
and this time dancing – two men and two women
in costume. Interesting.
We went to our room and tried to
identify the stars in the clear sky – I thought
I could see the Southern Cross but the rest was
a mystery to me. |
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