Well, I had a little side adventure the rest of the travel group missed out on....
After we hiked the Inca Trail (30 MILES BABY!!!!) and finished touring Machupicchu, we had to catch a train from a little town below Machupicchu called Aguas Callientes back to our hotel in Cusco. The train is the only way out, there are no cars or motorcycles in Aguas Callientes.
The tickets were obtained by the trip leader and when they passed them all out, I was the only one in the tour group that did not get a ticket!
After much arguing (between the guides - I imagine something like "It's your fault!", "No, it's your fault!"), fussing, and other people running around with my passport (which did not excite me) I was apologized to but told I would have to stay the night there. They gave me a room, and a train ticket for the next day and they ran off to catch their own train.
It was kind of a classic scene, the train station was a mad-house, people, police, chaos, and me in the middle just hoping I get my passport back. I did.
Fortunately, the next day of our itinerary was just a free day to do whatever so it wasn´t really a big deal. It felt kind of weird getting left behind but overall it was fine.
I made my way back to the hotel, took a shower (Thank God!), had some dinner and slept really well. Breakfast was great, the train ride was an incredible experience.....there was a traditional dance performed as well as a fashion show! The train stewardesses (?) modeled alpaca clothes down the aisle (runway) and afterward you could buy the clothes. It was so interesting.
I reconnected with my group around 12:30 the next day and got my laundry done. I didn't bring many clothes and after 4 days on the trail they were pretty grubby! Phew!
So anyway, there's an update of what's been going on over here!
We are headed to the Amazon rain forest tomorrow. I'll let you know when I make it back.
