SATURDAY 15th Agnes Calientes
Breakfast was available between 6:15 and 8:15 up the road at a sister hotel so it wasn't quite the lie in that I'd hoped for.
Quite a nice spread. The usual scrambled egg, three types of bread, one sweet, fresh fruit, pineapple, papaya, melon and kiwi fruit.
I was fascinated with how the railway line runs right through the middle of town and is generally a busy Main Street except when a train disturbs the normal order.
Our hotel is the tan coloured building centre right.
Our guide, Luis, turned up on the first train with the rest of our tour and our fresh clothes, yay and more importantly for me my shaver.
The five that were arriving here a day late immediately dumped their bags and headed out to join the bus queue for Machu Picchu. 90 minutes later they were on a bus. The queues start at 5:30 each morning and go for about 200m up the street.
Our guide told us of a botanical gardens about an hours walk down the road so that became our plan for the morning.
The police station was diagonally across the road from our hotel. Significant numbers of police were evident throughout our stay however today was the first time that we saw automatic weapons and guns that could shoot teargas canisters. One can't be too careful with all these stroppy teachers about.
We walked down the dirt road. No footpaths and it was the same road that all the Machu Picchu buses were driving on. We survived until the turn off to the gardens. Walking the same way as us were many "refugees" trying to escape Agnes Calientes. It turns out that there are no roads from here to the big wide world, only the train and because of the disruptions caused by the teachers strike tourists and locals alike couldn't buy a train ticket. So the alternative became walking along the railway track for about 10km to reach the nearest road where they could catch a bus.
We walked along the track for a while until we reached this botanical gardens sign. We walked up a dilapidated path and followed a trail for about half an hour. Saw a couple of parrots and an orchid but we were pretty sure that this wasn't the place that we were meant to be visiting.
It turned out that we needed to follow the railway tracks for another 20 or 30 minutes!
Back to town we went dicing with the buses as we walked and back to the market to buy some fresh fruit, locally made cheese and ritz crackers for lunch.
After lunch, siesta and iPad time. Feeling recovered and revitalised we walked to a part of town that we hadn't been to before to discover an "artisan" market where they sell all the touristy merchandise. I'd decided that I wanted a "been there done that" t-shirt too even though as Lindsey was busy telling me that I don't wear t-shirts!
So to begin with we looked at polos but the colours or the patterns weren't my cup of tea and the prices were a lot dearer than the t-shirts cost.
Lindsey by this stage was starting to get the urge for retail therapy. A trait that I don't think I've ever seen in her before. Finally I found a t-shirt that I liked and at the right price and Lindsey found some "trinkets" for family. Next thing I know she's trying on some brightly coloured Peruvian shoes. Luckily, or not, there weren't any wide enough for her broad Scottish feet.
It was now time to head back to the hotel for a meeting with our guide for us to hear about the plans for tomorrow and whether the teachers were likely to disrupt us any more. All seemed in order. He had train tickets booked first thing in the morning for our escape.
We teamed up with Helen and Judy (from Brisbane) again to find some dinner and ended up in an upstairs restaurant at a table with a balcony overlooking the street below.
There was going to be some big religious celebration in the town square tonight and as we walked through the square we saw some groups of locals all dressed up in colourful costumes.
The food at the restaurant was not memorable and the service was poor but we had front row seats as group after group came dancing down the street right underneath us on their way to the square. They all had a little band following each group of dancers. Either drums or brass. The dancers were young, many were children.
Some groups had four men carrying a platform or dias with an ornate figure of a Saint above. One group even had a man with a special stick to lift low hanging wires over the structure.
Some of the male dancers wore quite grotesque masks.
When we walked through the square after our meal the Catholic Church was all lit up with standing room only and speakers outside to allow those unable to enter to hear the service from the square.
Back at the hotel we went to bed and watched telly. I soon fell asleep however at 11pm Lindsey heard a commotion coming from the square and headed out to investigate. She was there for an hour. The church service had ended and the various dance groups were each doing individual performances while parading their saint.
Lindsey returned after midnight and set the alarm for another early start.
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