Photo: Machu Picchu
Wednesday, June 4, 1997 We were up early to buy the tickets for the 7 AM train. Rick and Jan would go all the way to Cuzco. The rest of us were planning on stopping at Ollantaytambo and see the ruins, before returning to Cuzco by bus. A Peruvian woman, helping me with the translation, rolled her eyes when I asked about reserving seats on the train. Apparently, the train would probably be full and we would have to stand.
The train was late, but we had no word on when it may arrive. So we sat at a cafe and had coffee, then breakfast. At 8:30 we were told it would come about noon. Rick was very weak, not having eaten anything for almost two days.
Photo: Some people have waited for the train even longer than us
We watched workers carry bags of cement from railroad cars parked nearby up the hill to a building site, probably 1/3 a mile away. They carried the bags on their backs, then ran back to the railroad car to get another one. Other men rolled full 55 gallon barrels uphill along the tracks. Jan took pictures of the many dogs that wandered about the shops on both sides of the tracks.
Later we were told that the train would come at 1 PM, then 3 PM, then 4:43 PM, and finally 4:30 PM. We traded in our tickets for the 4:00 PM train that, though more expensive, was a more direct train. It was too late to see Ollantaytambo.
In mid afternoon, after school was out, girls and boys aged 10+ would walk the sidewalk selling t-shlrts, cigarettes, candy, cake, and other souvenirs to tourists. You could bargain them down, up to a point.
The 4 PM train was on time and we got to the Imperial Hotel in Cuzco about 8:15 PM. Although we had reserved it, Norma had given our large room to a couple of bicyclists. We were in a small room, with a shower. The springs in my bed penetrate up into my back.
Map of Inca Trail
