Next morning we took the Andean Explorer on a 10.5 hour trip from Puno to Cusco ...
Quite comfy chairs in there, food and drinks provided ...
So we had this nice table for two (including a red rose on the table) and the train started ...
... rumbling along the tracks ... here a last look on our hotel Libertador in Puno where we stayed the last two nights ...
The train literally drove through markets ... here a "hardware store" with screws and nuts ...
As before by car, long tracks to follow through the Andes ...
Last wagon was a panorama wagon with a bar ... so you could look outside and take photos ...
... like this one here ... speed was "gemütlich", i. e. we guess the maximum speed was around 50 km/h ...
Between Puno and the pass, a local band played traditional music, really good, all in the bar and panorama carriage ...
Cynthia couldn't resist when asked to get up and dance with the group ... so Thomas tried to hide his embarassement behind the camera ;-))) ... just kidding!
More shots from the train ... here entering a village ...
... and moving slowly up to the pass ...
We stopped at the "La Raya" pass at 4.319 metres and saw this little kid at one of the stands ...
The band from Puno left the train and another band from Cusco came in ... here Cynthia at the pass ...
Probably one of the best pictures of that trip: the little boy waving at the train wondering where it might go to and how the world looks like there ...
For the train lovers: an old turntable from the steam engine times ...
During the 10+ hours we also had lessons of how to make a pisco sour, the national drink of Peru ... we kept the recipe and bought a bottle of original Peruvian Pisco ... so we will try it in Germany!
Well the Cusco band got Cynthia off her seat too ... ;-))
Finally we arrived at our hotel Belmond Monasterio in Cusco ... as the name says, an old monastry, absolutely gorgeous!
We had nice tapas platter that night at the hotel bar including the welcome drink, a - you guess - pisco sour ...
First stop next morning was the archeological site "Saqsayhuaman"(no, I didn't fall asleep on the keyboard, it's actually the name), an amazing witness of old ancient cultures ...
Old watering systems still in place ...
... seats carved into the stone, for religious purposes and for watching the sun and the stars ...
This was not destroyed by the Spanish, as they didn't realise the frog carved out ... Below a panoramic view of the site ...
Here we are with our fantastic tour guide Luz ... see the precision of the stone carving and placing in the back ... Below a panoramic of Cusco city from there ...
Back in the city we saw this scene ... this woman indead has a head, but she tried to cover herself from the sun ...
Original walls from ancient times all over the city ...
We visited the amazing "Qorikancha", the "convento de Santo Domingo del Cusco" ... an amazing building, an extension based on thousand year old Inca temples ...
Well our tour guide Luz didn't want to be photographed ;-)
Here the outside of the building ...
... watering systems again, here feeding a bath ...
Finally we had lunch with Luz at the Plaza de Armas ...
... and here a view onto this Plaza de Armas from our lunch place ... the HUGE cathedral in the background. We visited that cathedral and to summarise it: it's basically 10 churches in one ... and owned by the Vatican. Massive gold and silver and when you see the state of the country in some areas you just wonder ...
That night we were in the chapel of the hotel, the old monastery ... "alone" ...
... we thought there were other people as well, but only the two of us and the tour guide had an exclusive presentation of ancient musical instruments.
Highly interesting what sounds came out of mussels and flutes thousands of years old ... this was our farewell photo that night, before ...
... we went for dinner to have the traditional dinner "cuy" in Peru ... roasted guinea pig. Took six hours, had to be preordered. Unfortunately there was hardly any meat, the few bits and pieces we got out of it were alright ... but let's file it under the chapter "been there done that" ...
Next morning we took the Andean Explorer on a 10.5 hour trip from Puno to Cusco ...
Quite comfy chairs in there, food and drinks provided ...
So we had this nice table for two (including a red rose on the table) and the train started ...
... rumbling along the tracks ... here a last look on our hotel Libertador in Puno where we stayed the last two nights ...
The train literally drove through markets ... here a "hardware store" with screws and nuts ...
As before by car, long tracks to follow through the Andes ...
Last wagon was a panorama wagon with a bar ... so you could look outside and take photos ...
... like this one here ... speed was "gemütlich", i. e. we guess the maximum speed was around 50 km/h ...
Between Puno and the pass, a local band played traditional music, really good, all in the bar and panorama carriage ...
Cynthia couldn't resist when asked to get up and dance with the group ... so Thomas tried to hide his embarassement behind the camera ;-))) ... just kidding!
More shots from the train ... here entering a village ...
... and moving slowly up to the pass ...
We stopped at the "La Raya" pass at 4.319 metres and saw this little kid at one of the stands ...
The band from Puno left the train and another band from Cusco came in ... here Cynthia at the pass ...
Probably one of the best pictures of that trip: the little boy waving at the train wondering where it might go to and how the world looks like there ...
For the train lovers: an old turntable from the steam engine times ...
During the 10+ hours we also had lessons of how to make a pisco sour, the national drink of Peru ... we kept the recipe and bought a bottle of original Peruvian Pisco ... so we will try it in Germany!
Well the Cusco band got Cynthia off her seat too ... ;-))
Finally we arrived at our hotel Belmond Monasterio in Cusco ... as the name says, an old monastry, absolutely gorgeous!
We had nice tapas platter that night at the hotel bar including the welcome drink, a - you guess - pisco sour ...
First stop next morning was the archeological site "Saqsayhuaman"(no, I didn't fall asleep on the keyboard, it's actually the name), an amazing witness of old ancient cultures ...
Old watering systems still in place ...
... seats carved into the stone, for religious purposes and for watching the sun and the stars ...
This was not destroyed by the Spanish, as they didn't realise the frog carved out ... Below a panoramic view of the site ...
Here we are with our fantastic tour guide Luz ... see the precision of the stone carving and placing in the back ... Below a panoramic of Cusco city from there ...
Back in the city we saw this scene ... this woman indead has a head, but she tried to cover herself from the sun ...
Original walls from ancient times all over the city ...
We visited the amazing "Qorikancha", the "convento de Santo Domingo del Cusco" ... an amazing building, an extension based on thousand year old Inca temples ...
Well our tour guide Luz didn't want to be photographed ;-)
Here the outside of the building ...
... watering systems again, here feeding a bath ...
Finally we had lunch with Luz at the Plaza de Armas ...
... and here a view onto this Plaza de Armas from our lunch place ... the HUGE cathedral in the background. We visited that cathedral and to summarise it: it's basically 10 churches in one ... and owned by the Vatican. Massive gold and silver and when you see the state of the country in some areas you just wonder ...
That night we were in the chapel of the hotel, the old monastery ... "alone" ...
... we thought there were other people as well, but only the two of us and the tour guide had an exclusive presentation of ancient musical instruments.
Highly interesting what sounds came out of mussels and flutes thousands of years old ... this was our farewell photo that night, before ...
... we went for dinner to have the traditional dinner "cuy" in Peru ... roasted guinea pig. Took six hours, had to be preordered. Unfortunately there was hardly any meat, the few bits and pieces we got out of it were alright ... but let's file it under the chapter "been there done that" ...