2 hours from Cusco, Peru .... aboard PeruRail "Inka Class"
By any standards this first-class part of the train is top-notch and for Peru its like rolling with Patrick Ewing to the Gold Club. Except for the sex part. Ok bad analogy.
Moving on...
I only boarded the train with $4, and having not eaten breakfast. Pretty smart for a 10-hour ride where they charge American prices. At least lunch was free. Its kind of weird riding first-class but not being able to afford anything except 1 bottled water.
Im the only person here under 40 years old, and one of the few non-Germans. You gotta love them though....there was a group of 10 German grandpas drinking neat whiskies with beer chasers at 8am. I was tempted to join them but I only had money for 1 bottled water. Probably for the best anyway.
So the best thing, other than the amazing mountain scenery we pass by, is watching little kids literally run from the fields of their little farms to wave at the train. Some were coming home from school in their uniforms, but others were helping the famlies harvest potatoes or grain, and all of them had HUGE smiles and were so excited. The pure joy in their faces made my day...maybe my whole vacation. I know it sounds cheezy as hell but it was true. Of course there were some boys throwing rocks and alpaca shit at the train also, but I think its more of a 10-year-old-boy thing than a political statement.
This train runs right through a wide fertile valley filled with tiny farming villages, none bigger than one acre. Livestock everywhere, but only a few for each family...3 hens, 2 pigs, 1 cow. Maybe a few llamas or donkeys or a goat. I dont know why its so interesting to me, since I´ve been around all this stuff before and its not exotic. Maybe because its on such a small scale. I know it must be an extremely rough life, but from the slowly passing train, it looks idyllic. Vibrant green squares broken up by thatch-roof ancient stone huts and tall wind-blown trees, with a gourgous little river running through the middle of the valley. As we approach Cusco, this valley looks like it belongs in more southern Oregon than in someplace 3 hours from Machu Picchu.
Moving on...
I only boarded the train with $4, and having not eaten breakfast. Pretty smart for a 10-hour ride where they charge American prices. At least lunch was free. Its kind of weird riding first-class but not being able to afford anything except 1 bottled water.
Im the only person here under 40 years old, and one of the few non-Germans. You gotta love them though....there was a group of 10 German grandpas drinking neat whiskies with beer chasers at 8am. I was tempted to join them but I only had money for 1 bottled water. Probably for the best anyway.
So the best thing, other than the amazing mountain scenery we pass by, is watching little kids literally run from the fields of their little farms to wave at the train. Some were coming home from school in their uniforms, but others were helping the famlies harvest potatoes or grain, and all of them had HUGE smiles and were so excited. The pure joy in their faces made my day...maybe my whole vacation. I know it sounds cheezy as hell but it was true. Of course there were some boys throwing rocks and alpaca shit at the train also, but I think its more of a 10-year-old-boy thing than a political statement.
This train runs right through a wide fertile valley filled with tiny farming villages, none bigger than one acre. Livestock everywhere, but only a few for each family...3 hens, 2 pigs, 1 cow. Maybe a few llamas or donkeys or a goat. I dont know why its so interesting to me, since I´ve been around all this stuff before and its not exotic. Maybe because its on such a small scale. I know it must be an extremely rough life, but from the slowly passing train, it looks idyllic. Vibrant green squares broken up by thatch-roof ancient stone huts and tall wind-blown trees, with a gourgous little river running through the middle of the valley. As we approach Cusco, this valley looks like it belongs in more southern Oregon than in someplace 3 hours from Machu Picchu.