Day 257 - To Cuzco by Train

(Ursula) We set the alarm clock too early and had to wait an hour in the cold station before the railroad ticket office opened. With our Cuzco tickets, we boarded the train, and a unique journey began!

Juliaca was the next larger town where everyone had to get off and switch trains. Until we could locate our connection was another story, but we made it. Finally, we sat on the train to Cuzco in a car with four long wooden benches, two in the center (back to back) and two along the windows. The ride would take about ten hours. We are wedged between Indios, cloth bundles, and other stuff. Women and children vendors hopped on board at each stop and tried to sell souvenirs and homemade food. Everyone was munching on something. We couldn't see exactly what it was, but they seemed to love it.

A woman steps for the tenth time through the narrow aisle with her billowing colored skirts and leaves a "certain scent" behind. Meanwhile, hers and other mixed scents had spread throughout the car - it was quite a smelly situation! A vendor wanted to sell us fish in a bucket. And someone else was selling stinky cheese. Fortunately, there was a breath of fresh air every time someone went in and out the back door!

The man sitting across from us had a box with baby chickens in a cage between his feet and fed them every hour or so. A bunch of baby rabbits were in a second box under his seat. The little girl next to us coughs and spits at regular intervals. We suspect she has tuberculosis. She wasn't the only one coughing in our compartment!

Later, the woman with a baby sitting next to the "chicken man" reached down, grabbed the tiny rabbits one by one, breastfed them, and then continued breastfeeding her baby. People just grinned, and we were left with our mouths open in disbelief. Another woman searched for the umpteenth time under our seats for a piece of meat that she thought she had dropped.

Somewhere in a mountain valley, the locomotive broke down. Everything came to a standstill, but no one seemed too worried. After a few hours, another locomotive arrived and towed us to Cuzco. Very tired but relieved, we got off and found our way to the Main Plaza, where we found a cheap hotel.

Then we met Heinz & Bettina, two Swiss, whom we recognized from Nelly's photos (we met her in La Paz earlier). We had a late dinner with them in the Restaurant Picolo.

It was already late when we arrived back at our hotel. Oh, shucks! - The entrance door was locked. Heinz made loud noises and shook the door until one of the guests opened a window above and threw down the key.

We hit the sack dead tired and fell asleep in seconds.

Expenses $14.25Read more