Call for anti-cramp juice over we decided to nap a bit more before breakfast and the dreaded necessary packing. Delicious vegan burrito later, waiting in the lobby; no transfer and our train to Puño about to depart.
Mad dash with suitcases down cobbled street backpacks flapping, squished into a waiting taxi, thrown out at a station where we are ushered onto a train; 7minutes! Train held just for us, this would never happen on British rail; power of the tourist dollar.
Straight out of an Agatha Christie movie, complete with dining car, bar and out door rear observation deck; we fell into our seats accepting welcome coffee as the train departed. Got to be one of my maddest moments (excluding descending the steep slippy treacherous uneven Inca trail in the rain!)
Maybe Indiana Jones will appear bouncing down from the roof! We were treated like royalty. Watching the mountains slip by beside the river, catching up on the blog; magic! Channeling Michael Palin we sat in the observation car taking photos. Seen the obligatory soccer pitch! Fodder for a soccer mad continent, although Peru isn’t doing very well this year.
Spotted an orange bridge like we drove over yesterday! Desert landscape. Great musical pipes and guitar, also the obligatory singing and dancing plus the alpaca wool hard sell! I love the razzmatazz! Moving slowly past more agricultural plains, cow filled farms and small towns we left the river; back to blog and photo sorting!
Reaching the highest point 4319m we are treated to a 10min stop, chilly church & cocktails, chilcano! Finally something I like, wahoo! Desert scrub still surrounded by mountains. The complete antidote for tired hikers! Rest & recovery. Dinning as the miles go by; I could have made an excellent Victorian female explorer! (Scullery maid more likely with my heritage) I am enjoying this luxury.
Passing more cities, farms across the plain, glasses off I missed the flamingos! Back in the observation car we watched the world go by. Amidst this luxury, the poverty sobering( the houses single roomed hovels, the towns precarious constructions. Hopefully our tourist dollar is helping!
Juliaca’s market spanned the train tracks; the train a highlight just for tourists; reminiscent of a poorer version of the ME in the ‘70s. The train literally traversing the products for sale! Oranges, CDs, T-shirts, books, car parts, wifi tools; uncle Tom Cobbley and all. Puts our first world problems into perspective! No wonder the train slowed or maybe it was the rock concert!
After a brief stop at Juliaca’s station ordered back to our seats we had Andean high tea, mini cakes, sandwiches and a blend of muña orange and lemon grass tea, lovely. More sheep farms across the plains, disolvíng into slums and finally the main city, the constant horn blowing (dogs signal to move) no longer noticeable, as we reached the Puno’s 19th century Station, dusk falling, a little late. Hmm our fault?
Short transfer and we are at our hotel. Laundry dropped off, rep for Mondays transfer met time for bed. Thunder and lightning; rain lulling us to sleep.
On train
(Our seat; Dancer; Musicians; lounge; bar; observation deck; dinner)
Morning views
Stop at the heighest point
(Tourist market; church; train)
Afternoon view from train
(White blobs flamingos)
Juliaca’s Local Market covering tracks
Arriving at Puño
(Puño, Lake Titicaca)
We stayed at Casa Andina Puno, Lake Titicaca, Peru:
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