This post is written by Daliah...we can finally edit and post it now that we have an internet connection--at home!
Getting from Lake Titicaca to Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo), twas the most complex day of travel yet.
Our day began at 5:30 a.m. when we awoke to catch a 1 hour ride to the airport. The flight to Cusco was 1 hour, and we were met by our pre-arranged driver, Jose, for a 1.5 hour taxi ride to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley, where we caught a train for another 1.5 hour ride to Aguas Calientes.
We learned a lot about travel within Peru today:
1. Flight times seem to be approximations and changes in schedule are commonplace. Our flight was delayed by an hour, (each flight we have taken so far - or are scheduled to take - has been rescheduled...)
2. The taxi drivers are calm and dependable when recommended to you. (we've been advised not to jump in a cab off the street). However, things often get lost in translation and today our driver was half an hour late picking us up to go to the airport. Another complication!
3. The drivers in Peru are absolutely insane and the driving ride more treacherous than I have encountered anywhere before. Lorne said it's about as bad as India, which is saying something.
4. We haven't seen a single woman driver on the road! It's like the wild west!
5. Traveling on trains is the best!
On the train, we met a lovely group of teens traveling on a 30 day adventure trip from Leeds, England. Before long, the group of us were sharing stories of our adventures, discussing the ubiquitous nature of synagogue politics (it turned out that their chaperone Dave was a Reform Jew!) while being impressed by the poise and sociability of our teen aged companions. Our journey flew by. What a lovely day of travel and companionship.
In spite of a couple of complications and a stressful start to our travel day (with our delayed drive and rescheduled flight!) we made it to Aguas Calientes by 3 pm and were very pleased with ourselves! Our hotelier was not at the station as expected though, oh-oh, we thought, another glitch! But, experienced in the ways of being met by hotels, Deb asked someone else waiting for guests if he could use his cell phone to call La Cabana, and he did, and told us he would be here to meet us in 5 minutes! There was a huge crafts market adjacent to the station, so we browsed the good nearby while we waited for him to arrive. Literally 5 minutes later, he did, we learned his name, Christian, and he took hold of our suitcase, and explained that it is only walking in the village, so we began using the last vehicle of our day--our legs, and climbed through the winding stone streets to our "home" for the night! It was a great day and we felt proud about getting to where we needed to be, in a country where that is not easy at all.
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