2021 October - Day 08 - Peru - Adios Machu Picchu Pueblo

 Today we left Machu Picchu (MP) Pueblo.  We were hope early enough to get showered and then head downstairs with our gear to eat a nice breakfast provided by Carlos.  We all paid him and then headed to the train station to catch our train that was to leave at 10:30 AM.  While waiting, we went back to the restaurant we ate at on the first day there to get our passports stamped.

We got on the train and headed to Ollantaytambo.  The train was nice and the ride was about 2 hours.  At Ollantaytambo we got off and headed to a bus.   Only…it was a van that had crazy plastic partitions separating each seat, no windows that could open and the air conditioning did not supposedly work.  The seats were very cramped.  We were all very hot.  The ride in this horrible situation was for two hours back to Cusco.  it was horrible.  We tried to play word games to ease our pain.  But honestly, that did not help.  The ride was pretty windy especially when we had to start climbing 3000 feet up to the level that Cusco is at.  We arrived on time and then we walked about 10 minutes back to the BNB we used the last time we were in Cusco.

Upon arriving at the BNB, we were pooped.  We all just kind of found our rooms and went into them to rest.  Denise and I reorganized our luggage and then I listed us on our flight Saturday night\Sunday morning.  Not many seats and the stand by list is growing.  And it leaves at 12:45 AM.  United only has one flight a day that goes back to the USA (Houston).   But if we don’t get on that one, the flight Monday morning has over 40 seats.  So we’ll see.

Tomorrow we are to be picked up and taken to a bus that will take us on a 10 hour trip to Puno\Lake Titicaca.  I called the bus line and asked about the bus making sure it is a BIG bus with a bathroom.  They said it was.  I learned to never take the Inca Rail Bi-Modal 360 ticket from MP to Cusco.  The bus portion was HORRIBLE!

After getting to our BNB, we rested a bit.  Scott and Marc went out and bought a lot of groceries for breakfast.  Scott also collected some clothing and found a 2 hour laundry.  At about 5:30 PM we headed out to get some dinner.  On the way, we found a Peruvian family in their native gear that had some Alpacas with whom we could get some pictures.  So we stopped and took some pictures.  Naturally money exchanged for that privilege.

After getting our pictures, we found a Thai restaurant that Heidi had looked up.  The service in Peru is so slooooooow.   Marc set a timer after we placed our order.  We got our main plates 55 minutes later!  It is amazing.  However, the food was fantastic.  Very tasty, well prepared.

After eating, we returned to the BNB.  Thank goodness we returned when we did.  The clouds opened up and it hailed and rained violently.  So much that water came into two of our bathrooms and into the outside eating area they call a kitchen.  It was an impressive storm.  We then got some cards out and played 5 Crowns until around 9:45 PM.  And then it was lights out as we have an early morning tomorrow to get on a bus to go to Puno\Lake Titicaca.

More to come plus pictures….

In this photo you can see a man pushing llamas with materials on their back along a trail.  Who knows what they were carrying.

This is a picture of us in a car on the train from MP to Ollantaytambo that was designed to let people stand and see a Panasonic view.  We tried to hang our heads outside the train since the windows are open.

The train station at Ollantaytambo where we got off and on to the horrible bus (van).

My new friends…this is an Alpaca.  I think they are pretty cute animals.

Our breakfast in MP Pueblo at the Picos House.  Carlos is by me.  He was a great host.  We had a great time in MP Pueblo.

Us on the train to Ollantaytambo.

This picture is showing the hail on the walkway outside our BNB.  It came down pretty hard at times.

The whole family for a picture….Alpaca’s and all.

We followed this river all the way from MP Pueblo to Ollantaytambo.  That ride it was jungle like.  You felt like you were in an Indiana Jones movie.  At Ollantaytambo the ecosystem changes and is much dryer and more agricultural.

Denise’s friends….

Our horrible bus (van).  Face shields, masks, plastic separators, no leg room and no air conditioning or air flowing in the van.  And it was very warm.  Bad experience.

This is at Ollantaytambo train station.  We had to leave the station and walk a bit through these tiendas to our bus\van.  We actually picked up a an empanada to share even though we could not eat on their van.  But we did anyway as quietly as possible.