MACHU PICHU - DAY 4

TUESDAY 28th JUNE

  I think the morning call was about 3.30am today to enable us to get away at 4.30am.  In the departure building we had to wait about half an hour for our turn, which enabled me to discover a WC and empty my bowels for the first time since setting out.  Ooooh the relief!  I soon lost touch with the rest of the group and proceeded at my sedentary pace.  I will not attempt to describe the sheer beauty of the place and instead will allow the pictures to speak for themselves.

The infamous Santiago leading the way!

A visitor checking out what we were doing.

  After a conducted tour of the site by Santiago, we were left time to look around omn our own.  A rendezvous was set in the town down below accessible by bus.  I was soon there accompanied by Santiago having a nice long beer.  Gradually members drifted in and at 3.30am we set off for the station.  Our train left about 4.30 and it was a three and a bit hour journey to a town outside Cusco.  There a minibus was waiting to pick us up and take us to our hotels in town.  I checked in and found I had been relocated to the third floor which was going to be a pain in the morning bringing all my luggage down the stairs.

  I went off in search of an ATM and bumped into Mark, who told me I had just passed the best one around and showed me where it was obviously lacking any faith in my ability to find it.  I dropped into a restaurant for a bit to eat, but couldn't finish the meal.  A young lad who spoke English quite well and was so polite, having asked me if it was alright to wait until I finished my meal to show me some pictures he and his father had painted.  I could hardly say no, and actually spotted one I liked and purchased it for the nominal sum he was asking for it.  He said, "Thank you gentleman from Polonia" and then talked to the Indian owner of this Chinese restaurant.

  I went back and asked for a cab to be booked for 7.15am to get me to the train station for 7.30 to catch the train to Puno.  The receptionist looked totally bemused by the mere mention of trains to Puno, and called up another member of staff.  He pronounced that the train would be going from this other place where we had got to from Machu Pichu.  I tried to remember how long the minibus had taken us earlier, but decided that probably 15 minutes at that time of the morning would be adequate.

  Well the great trek was over.  I made it one way or another, and got a certificate.  Would I do it again?
Never in a million years!