Game 4

Friday.

We opted to do the whole Machu Picchu excursion on our own.  Organized trips through the hostel or a travel agency would have been a good 50 dollars more, minus a night. 

 We took a car to Ollentaytambo, but not before doing some grocery shopping.  The mercado had "pan de maiz", bread of corn.  Strictly corn.  In Ollentaytambo, we got an avocado and made some sandwiches whilst we waited for our train to leave for Aguas Calientes (at the base of Machu) 4 hours later.  4 hours went quickly, I bought a soccer ball, we all played 4 square in the main plaza, soccer, volleyball with some little chicas, we took a lot of pictures, and met a frenchman named Sala.  There was a baby in a orange jumpsuit that liked playing soccer with us, and we all took probably 100 pictures of her.  Or maybe just me.  There's something about South American babies in monochromatic outfits that the camera just loves.  Sala took a year off of work to travel, which is apparently quite easy in France.  If you ask your employer for a year off, they can say no.  If you ask again 6 months later, your bosses are mandated to let you go run around the world.  You get your job back at the end of your year travelling.  I'm sure I misinterpreted some of what Sala was saying, but until someone tells me otherwise, I will continue thinking that France lets people leave their jobs whenever they want.

Finally the time came for our train.  Tons of people were waiting to board, and someone taps me on the shoulder.  Or maybe yells.  "Abe?"  Mi amiga Aislinn from Tucson is there with her family, waiting for the same train to go to the same Machu Picchu.