ANDEAN EXPLORER - PERU

13th June 2011

The Andean Explorer

I was really looking forward to this; the Andean Explorer train from Cusco to Puno on Lake Titicaca. There had been a few local problems involving 'strikes' ( to do with arguments between miners, farmers and government ) which had stopped the train and buses in the area previously. Luckily they had agreed a two week truce over the presidential election period which suited me. So the election had some beneficial effects after all.

The train left at 0800hrs for the 10 hour journey. It had porters, smart staff, wood-panelled and tastefully decorated carriages and was altogether a most de-luxe mode of conveyance.

Left: Our send off by the band at Cusco station. There were only about 20 passengers ( possibly others were discouraged by the strike threats which had turned a little violent in the preceding week ).

Right: The lounge and dining car. The train consisted of only 4 carriages; a kitchen/staff car, this dining car, a bar/saloon car and a sort of observation/sitting outside car. With the violent strikes in the offing I was disappointed they did not have an armoured carriage fitted with machine guns, a la Russian revolution.

We were served breakfast, pre-lunch cocktails, lunch with ( some ) free wine and afternoon tea ( which included bellinis ). The food was delicious and the service beyond reproach. They were a happy, smart and charming crew who seemed to enjoy looking after us. You know, a bit like on British trains. 

Left: The bar/saloon with another resident band, or probably the same guys as at the station. They kept changing their outfits to confuse us. They were very good and most exuberant, if a bit loud.

Right: The observation car where, if you wished to take the air, you could hang onto the rail at the back of the ouside area. The train did not go very fast, a very sedate ride indeed, and there were frequent stops for various reasons ( maybe the driver needed a pee ). I'm sure if your hat blew off they would have happily stopped the train, and even reversed, to recover it. It was that sort of journey and, as far as I was aware, ours was the only train on the line.

Left: As well as the music there was dancing. The dancing girls did their best to get us up to partake. I nearly spilt my Pisco Sour in doing so.

Right......and there was a fashion show. Lots of clothing on display and all for sale and all, when not vicuna ( very expensive ) was, of course, 100% baby alpaca.

Left: There was a demonstration of how to make a proper Pisco Sour. This is important, so please pay attention. Pisco ( a coastal city south of Lima ) produces a distilled grape spirit, 42% alcohol, nothing like cognac, called pisco. It is clear coloured, as per the bottle on the right, and tastes like......pisco. The recipe is: 3 parts pisco, 2 parts sugar syrup, 1 part fresh lime juice and 1 part egg white. This is shaken together for 15 secs and poured out. The resulting slightly frothy white concoction is topped with a couple of drops of Angustura bitters. It tastes very good. Give it a go, if you can find a bottle of pisco that is. I'm not sure if Tescos stock it. We were given a few freebies to get us hooked and certainly developed a taste for it.

Right: We passed through a few small towns, all very 'ethnic' and in no way touristy. Some gave very little leeway either side of the tracks.

Left: A couple of the stops were at track-side shops where we hopped off and the locals enthusiastically tried to flog us more handicrafts and, naturally, 100% baby alpaca garments.

Right: Most of the journey, after a climb out of Cusco, was across a high pampas type plateau. I think we were at about 11,500 ft altitude. There were many wild llamas here, as well as sheep and some cattle.

Left: ....sorry. here are a few llamas with some 100% bleedin' alpacas behind. There were lots of them but once you've seen one you've seen them all.

Just before we got to Puno we passed through the township of Juliaca. This place is a really scruffy dump; a sort of industrial trading outpost and is, apparently, one of the hotbeds of the revolution/strike. We were told to return to our seats in the lounge and draw the curtains. Whether to avoid the sight or for the sight to avoid us was not made clear. The locals here had been known to throw stones at the bourgeois pigs luxuriating on the train. They didn't bother on this occasion.

We arrived in Puno in the dark at 6.00pm. It had been a marvellous journey, very luxurious and entertaining, if a bit expensive. Well up to expectations. Quite a social trip too and, as always on these trips, one makes a few amusing, if temporary, aquaintances. If you read this John ( from England ) and Murray ( Australia ), I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. You seemed to!

On getting out of the train at Puno, by the cringe it was cold. Apparently we had gone up to over 13,000 ft and it was, literally, freezing.

Next entertainment is a boat trip on Lake Titicaca........stand-by.