"S" is for A Scenic Ride and Sunshine!

Woke up to yet another day of sun and blue sky. Each morning I was hesitant to look outside...I wanted it to be sunny so badly, and so far every day met my expectations...I figured that the odds of rain were getting greater all the time, not because Peru is supposed to be particlularly rainy, but the weather report for this particular week was grey skies and rain almost every day.

Leaving Cusco once again, and heading back to Ollyantatambo

 

Today was a day I was particularly hoping for sun since it is finally the day that we take the train up to Agua Callientes...the last stop before Machu Picchu. 

We waited at the train station as Sweet Eddy organized our train tickets, and as he handed them out...there wasn't one for me. Eeeek! It was just an oversight...nothing major, he ran off to a ticket booth somewhere and quickly returned with one. But that was the second time that happened to me on this trip, when  we were changing planes in Houston I noticed that my seat assignment was GTE, which I thought was odd, I eventually went to the gate and the woman behind the desk said "Oh, that means "gate", as in "go to the gate". It means we don't have a seat for you."  And then she added "We're already overbooked, I hope we can find one for you."  "Yeah" I thought, "Me too". Obviously she did, but I found out later that one of the other women on this trip had the same thing happen to her as well, at the Houston airport. So....having a travel agent book things for you doesn't always guarantee that things will go smoothly.

However, it all worked out. And I guess, if worst came to worst I could have taken my travel agent's seat since she was on the same flight! Hey Carla?

There were a lot of places to pick up snacks for the train trip outside the station, the stalls were lined up all the way down the street, with everything you could possibly want...water, chocolate bars, fresh fruit, hats and scarves and backpacks...the merchants don't miss a single opportunity to sell a thing. Toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo and other toiletries, you'd think we were going on a loooong trip to nowhere rather than a three hour trip to a town that has hotels and restaurants and markets!

I think this woman was getting ready for the lunch crowd, preparing snacks for both locals and tourists. She had a tiny food stall, and I was watching her wash and dry the plates and silverware that you can see on the table behind her. Notice the clean cloth she was using to dry things with...not to mention the plastic bin of water that looked somewhat unsanitary. I steered clear from her offerings. 

Getting close to the train!

....and closer...you can feel a buzz of excitement in the air.

.....and even closer...

...and you can't get much closer than this..whoooo-hooo....finally....inside a train that was taking me closer to Machu Picchu. You know, because this was a trip that I had always wanted to take, but I didn't think it was feasible that I'd ever actually take it, I was expecting a disaster, either natural or otherwise, to put a halt to it from the moment I put down my deposit. A (knock wood) illness or broken bone or something like that in my own home, or an airline strike, or a volcanic eruption or a landslide that blocked the road to Machu Picchu....I mean these things have all happened in the past and I kinda expected one or more of them to happen again. 

Some things that you dream of, you just know will happen eventually. I know I'll see the pyramids some day, just like I know I'll get to Turkey and to Morocoo sometime (Hey? Anyone?) But I didn't actually think I'd ever see Machu Picchu. I didn't want to take an organized tour from one of the big companies, the small companies were far too expensive. I couldn't find a travel companion and I didn't want to go totally alone. When this opportunity arose, I jumped at it, but I kept waiting for that shoe to fall. I almost thought it was going to happen at the Houston airport, and then again at the train station when my ticket wasn't there, but so far, so good, and everything I've seen and done up to this point has been spectacular...but I wasn't at Machu Picchu yet...so I was keeping my excitement under control. Mountains can still slide, earthquakes can still occur, bones can still break and catastrophes can happen. 

As a matter of fact, one of the woman on this tour had dreamed and planned of this as well, and she was now in a hospital in Cusco..missing her dream. So, bad things can happen.

But, again I digress....back to the trip!

The train ride was great! Everyone loves a train ride...I mean, how can you not? The soothing motion, the clickety-clack of the wheels on the tracks, and the sound of the whistle, it evokes so many feelings, from childhood stories ("I think I can, I think I can") to movies..old westerns and mysteries (Agatha Christie anyone? Remember 'Murder on the Orient Express'?) Although, this train was nothing like an overnight sleeper, but I still had  the feeling of being whisked away on an adventure. I think partly because the train seemed old fashioned...it wasn't new and shiny and modern, it had an old-time travel feeling to it. Kind of a fifties feel, and anyone who knows me, knows that I am enamoured by anything from the fifties.....movies, cars, clothing, houses, books, everything. 

The scenery was beautiful; rolling along beside the Urubamba River to the left and the Andes if you looked up, and small farms to the right.

It was a true pleasure to sit back and look up and see the towering peaks of the Andes. 

 However, it seems like every single picture I took had a tree dead centre. I think if I had wanted to take pictures with a tree centered in the middle, it never would have worked out. But not wanting trees? The photo gods had other plans.

Snow covered mountains and a tree.

The Urubamba River and a tree.

Some more mountains, a small farm and a whole family of trees.

We were served a little snack, which surprised me, I didn't expect train service. Also a cart of souvenirs  was pushed up and down the aisle, selling CD's, postcards and books, some sweaters and vests. Everything was fairly high priced and slightly dusty as well. 

Banana chips and a brownie in a neatly folded bag, sealed with a gold sticker, and a cup of coffee arrived right away as well.

After a three hour journey we arrived at Agua Callientes...my newest favorite place.