PERU    DIARY  3

14. Up at five, just to get to the expensive 1;40 hour, real bumpy train-ride from Ollantaytambo station at 6;40. This is truly a popular distinction, and I hope it is worth it. I find some coffee while waiting for the train, meanwhile watching the sun reach the peaks, one by one.
It is a fantastic drive, all along the river in a giant canyon. Strangely enough downwards. Then we meet the train station in the Machu Picchu village, and I apparently have one hour to wait for the pre-booked bus. They do sell tasteful souvenirs here, I just avoid them. Actually, it seems like every town have their own set of souvenirs, and if you miss something in one place, you don't find it again.
The bus-drive is even more amassing, right up through the rainforest, with all the usual suspects plants.
Then the trails starts, and I just bought access to all. But none checks, it seems. The mountains are not Argentina-big, but they sure are steep and pretty. I just walk around the area, and see things, as I passes them. The peaks, the jungle, the views to peaks and river, the ancient structures along with remote settlements are breathtaking. And I have a lot of great photos to prove it, I find out at home.
I really enjoy it, and find myself at the exit, as the sky opens. I left the umbrella at the car, and that was a truly bummer. We wait for an hour for the bus, within the rain, and I’ve been soaked completely, most of the time.
Back at the station-village, I find a cup of coffee and get to borrow a jacket from a young waiter. Slightly warmer, but just as soaked, I buy a alpaca-knitted sweater for Euro 20. It does the trick, as I have to wait two hours for my train.
We reach the station after dark, and now I'm dry. The tour is spend chatting with an Indian girl, living in Canada and a Ukrainian guy, living in Germany.
We reach the station after dark, and my car is locked in, till the morning. Well, people can be talked to, after all.
Home to find a pizza and not least; Wi-Fi at the restaurant, to back-up diary, as my hotel have no internet.  Highlights from the day

15. I had a single waypoint, which I actually dropped, as it is a fairly long de-tour on an already long drive anyway, and I failed to find the reason for a de-tour. I start at six, right at dusk, and feed the car and stock some water and bananas for later.
The first stint is into the amassing Secret Valley, around 4000 meters height. Then it drops a bit, and turn into real small and rural dairy cattle farms, with only a few cows each. Raw clay-walls dominates the constructions, grass and bushes the vegetation.
Here are so many awesome views, from snow covered cones to green valleys, cows, flowering bushes and clay huts. I know by now, most motives are being passed too fast, the rest are too waste to be captured. But I surely enjoy the drive, just for the sake of it.
Limatabo offers a bit more than the previous villages, and I get coffee syrup, warm water, cane sugar and condensed milk, along with a fried egg-cheese bun. Meanwhile, the locals passing by, looks at me. This is not tourist-country for sure. I can't figure how they spot me: I am wearing my alpaca sweater and a cell phone. And when I sit down, I’m about the same height. I do a short loop in the village, but find noting, I have to have.
A few mountains later, I reach a large valley, with a big and real ugly city. I manages to get through, and meet some cacti fields - or rather walls outside. Then I turn into a minor mountain road, and the views are awesome and too huge. This is PE-35, and I almost have to myself. A few villages with pigs and some scattered fields.
I stop at a truck-stop for coffee and a egg hamburgersa at one. The day have been between the usually 2500-4000 meters, with pines and Eucalyptus on top, some almost rainforest, cacti walls and fields with grain and quinoa. And one stretch had so many cows.
I reach Andahuaylas at three, and ditch the car at the river, while I will spend the night at the central square at Lux - Botique Hotel. I drop the bag and see the city. It is quite cosy, both the squares, the riverfront and the pedestrian street. Not a single sign of a visitor though.
I find a different cake, made of a huge chocolate egg, filled with crumble and cream.
Then around the grain-sellers area, which is huge. Beans, mace and so many more. Here are photos of the most common farm animals: Lama, cow, Guinea pig and pigeons. Some have added alpacas, pigs and sheep.
I find myself in the pedestrian street with a few barbers, and get some hair removed, quite well and skilful.
Home to fight the computer, but give up. On the other hand does it finally succeed to get the non-spinning GPS to say something. The buttons have to be activated for sound control, it turned out.
Back in town, I do a bit of fumbling around, trying to avoid dead animals in my food. End up with tropical fruits pizza. I have never considered mushrooms, tomatoes and onion tropical. But at least, I can get a 25 centimetre, and it taste good.
Then home to do laundry and take another round with the computer. I just like to have back-up of the photos, and the camera get slow, with too many photos in. Then I try to catch-up on budgets, but not without a proper computer.
Both today and tomorrow are kind if transport days, but I have chosen a new way back towards Lima, by smaller mountain roads. And at least today, it have been perfect. The high mountains, the small settlements and the unspoiled nature in-between. I probably should had made more botanisation-stops, especially at the dry 2500 meter heights, with cacti and other succulents, but the almost vertical mountain walls scares me a bit.  Highlights from the day
        Time to start the last Diary 4.