Monday October 26th

We arrived in Cusco after amazing 10 hour train journey on the Andean Explorer train from Puno - a bit like the Orient Express! This was travel in real style, with drinks and meals served throughout and an open ended observation car at the end of the train, which allowed great views of the stunning Andean scenery. There was also a carriage with a bar in which we were served pisco sours and entertained by
Andean musicians. R was invited by the female lead singer to dance with her and was obviously in no position to make excuses, so rose as best he could to the occasion, and knowing that each of the children would be immensely grateful not to be present to witness the scene. The highest point on the route is a pass at 4100m where the train stopped for a short period before starting the steep descent into the valley before finally climbing again to Cusco at 3800m. The railway and the road follow each other closely along the valley which has plenty of well cultivated fields, using the classic Inca design of terraces to maximise the use of steep mountain sides. All along the route, the track was not separated physically from the road and when it went through towns or villages, it went along the same street as the pedestrians and traffic and in Juliaca, it went straight through a street market, with stalls only a few feet away from each side of the train. This is partly due to the more relaxed approach to health and safety and also the fact that trains do not run that frequently – the Andean Explorer only goes 3 times a week and there are no other passenger trains and only a few goods trains.

The next day we had a half day city tour of Cusco, including visits to a number of Inca ruins. The biggest of these was Saqsaywaman, the centre of a key battle when the Spanish were trapped in the city by Inca troops and we marvelled at the achievements of the Incas to work with immense pieces of stone to construct their fortress city. Although most of the Inca buildings in Cusco were destroyed or built on by the Spanish, we were able to visit Qoricancha, where original Inca temples have been preserved in the same building as a Catholic convent. Our guide, Ana Maria, was able to give us a short tutorial in the basics of Inca architecture, sufficient for us to be able to recognise the Inca style in the construction of walls and foundations which are visible in many parts of the old city. Unfortunately, our photos from the morning were mysteriously absent from S’s camera when we went to download them later – a photographic equivalent of the famous “wardrobe malfunction” of Janet Jackson’s blouse at the Superbowl a few years ago, but seemingly inexplicable and irremediable. Perhaps a message from Pachamama (the Inca goddess of the earth) or the result of having lunch at a restaurant with the irreverent name of Pacapapa?

One less attractive feature of Cusco was the number of people on the street begging or trying to sell something (mostly "tat"). It was difficult to get them to accept “No gracias” as an answer and eventually we opted for just ignoring them and pushing past. We didn’t feel good about that but it made the experience slightly less painful. But that only detracted very slightly from a good day in one of the most impressive old cities you could possibly hope to visit, full of history, as well as the launching point for Machu Picchu.

S was put to shame when we met an American couple at least 15 years older than us we reckon who had just done a week long trek similar route to ours but involving an even higher pass and were camping - this after S explained she was "too old to camp"! A bit of embarrassment, but no regrets about our decision to opt for lodges, and a proper bed etc.