Day 2

Today´s wake up call rang pretty loud at 3:3o this morning. Berry slept right htourhg it and the poking. We finally got up, had a nice breakfast (included in such an expensive place) and went to the airport. We were about 2 hours early (as intstructed). We grabbed our flight to cuzco, which went fine. The flight took us right over the andes, which was pretty amazing. We bought tickets for our train tonight and then ran soem errands, checking Berry´s stuff, gettign tourist tickets etc. Grabbed a nice lunch of soup, meat, riec and salad, which came at the ridiculous price of 20 soles, or about $6 total. Ripoff. Then the craziness started. Most tourists get a train ticket to aguas calientes, wihhc is righ tnext to machu pichu. Berry organized for us to take the local bus wiht the workers fresh from their jobs and the schoolchildren who had just finished up. It was a touch crowded, and I was glad I didn´t ave to sit on the roof with the others. This ride was very instructive about the gente, but I don´t have time to get into all that right now. My hour is almost up. We were tyring ot see the salt mines at Salineras, but we missed hte stop. Berry was sleeping and the guy was talkng to me. I´m having lmost no trouble understanding the spanish in cities, but in the campo, it´s like a whole new language. So we got out at Urubamba, grabbed the cab to Tallabamaba? or some such place. We then walked anice mountainous trail tot he salt mines, which were very cool. The technology, created but hte Incas was so simple and depended on nothing we would call technology. Still, the mines produce 10 bags (about 50 kgs) every two months, per rectangular area. There about 4,000 areas in use, according to a few workers there. The mines are operated by a coop, and the people are genuine and nice, as we keep inding here. As you might imagine, Berry an I have alot of conversing time on our hands. If you know either of us, you know we each like to argue. If you know both of us, you know we especially like to argue with each other. Our first big argument happened on this crazy several hour journey. We argued about religion, and despite being the most stubborn being in the world, Berry will happily admit that I won the argument. After 3 hours though, and they usally dont´go quite that long. We couldn´t find a bus on the way back from the mines, and so accepted a random guy´s offer (he siad he was a taxi) drive us back. This ´taxi driver´ happened to be taxiing his family as well. I sat in the trunk, backwards and tried to understand the spanish. Beryy made conversation, of course. When we got to ollentaytamba, there was an inauguration gogin on, with music dancing etc int hte streets. W grabbed a beer or two and watched that for a while. Then we hopped on the 8pm train to Aguas Calientes aka Machu Pichu. I fell asleep instantly since it was Berry´s turn to watch the stuff. We found an accurately priced hostel for 90 soles for two nights. I will add pictures later but in yoru terms that´s $30 for two nights for two of us, or $7.50 a night. And in the most toursty place in the whole country too. Tomorrow is Machu Pichu, and another early call.