Machu Picchu Pueblo

We arrive back from Machu Picchu full of rapture of having seen a magnificent sight. Aguas Calientes is a four street town that basically just caters for the thousands of tourists that come through there every week. We hit the town for a celebratory evening. The only thing worth mentioning about the town is that every other restaurant/bar does special offers... buy one drink and get three free!!! My kind of town.

Whilst the town is a little bit boring we met a coupe of characters during the evening. One of these was a lovely Peruvian woman who we had seen earlier in the day, standing outside her restaurant. Whenever any one came within 20 foot of the entrance she would jump up and down pointing to her sign of 4 drinks for the price of one. She didn't say anything or shout out to the approaching customers but kept gesticulating with such vigour that she looked like she was having a fit. We succumbed to her persuasions and after a truly awfully meal, a lovely chat with her where for some reason she wanted our email addresses, and 4 drinks each we left her establishment for the next bar.

Here we ordered another four drinks and after a couple of sips was approached by a drunken Peruvian singing and dancing to the alternative British music playing in the background. He was all over the place but sat himself down next to us and started slurring greetings all over us. He could hardly speak but was very amusing and congenial. HE wanted to know what we were drinking and after some persuasion insisted on buying us a drink. It turns out he was the owner of the bar and on giving us the drinks told us this was the good stuff and not the old shit they usually give everyone.

After the fourth bar and goodness knows how many drinks we staggered home. It's pissing down with rain and we meet up with 'gesticulating woman' again. As we cross a bridge she tells us to watch our step just at the same time as I go flying in the air, arse over tit. One did feel a fool. And I'm sure that I've chipped a bone on my elbow as it don't half bleeding hurt.

The next evening we head back to Cusco and make arrangements to catch an overnight bus that will take us to Lake Titicaca in Bolivia.