It’s train ride day! We FINALLY get to take the amazing Peru Rail Lake Titicaca train to Puno!

We woke up at a MUCH more reasonable hour today, something like 5:00 am. We still had to leave the hotel by 6:00, but much better than 3:00 am!

We went in search of a bakery for breakfast, but none of them were open that early. We grabbed some coffee at the hotel instead and headed for the train station. 

We got to the station, showed our tickets, checked our bags. And went into the waiting lounge. That was the first of many “holy shits” we would have. The lounge was beautiful. There were gorgeous arm chairs and tables with flowers and coffee to drink… So nice. 

Then we got on the train. Holy shit. Each table had its own little lamp, it was set with white linens, and had super comfy arm chairs to sit on.  SO classy. We had seen one of these when we were on our way to Machu Picchu and were commenting on how amazing it looked, and now we were sitting in one! 

Thankfully, we could order breakfast on board, and the spread of pastries in the continental breakfast was awesome. And butter, and jam, and real silverware…The juice (pineapple for me, orange for Matt) was freshly squeezed and delicious. 

After breakfast they came by with a welcome drink made with pisco, lime juice, and ginger ale. So good! Especially at 9:30 in the morning…

We went back to the bar car, where they had the open air balcony in the back. The view from back there was awesome, and feeling the wind in your hair felt amazing. We started chatting with a girl from England, Kirstie, who was a riot. 

There was a show featuring traditional dancing from Cusco, followed by a fashion show of the overpriced baby alpaca garments you can buy onboard. 

After a while, the train stopped at the high point on our journey. There was a little trinket market type thing up there, where some of the locals tries to sell their goods. We got to play around on the doors of the train, which was fun.

Then came lunch. Another holy shit. Potato soup, beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon with  risotto and carrots, chocolate mousse for dessert, and a glass of red wine… 🍷 All delicious!

After lunch – which took almost two hours – we went back to the bar car to chill and had a pisco sour. Those are really growing on me. After a while, Kirstie showed up again and we chatted some more. 

Then came the pisco sour making demonstration. 3 parts pisco, one part each simple syrup, lime juice, and egg whites. He had a lady come up and shake the drink, and then she got to drink it. Funny enough, her name was also Laura.  Then the bartender said someone else was going to make one… So I volunteered. It’s freaking HARD to pour liquid into a jigger on a moving train!  I made it, though, and then I got to have the one I made. Yum. Best part was, the bartender’s toast was my father’s favorite:

Arriba, abajo, al centro, adentro!

Then came another dance demonstration, this time with traditional dances from the Puno area. They grabbed people up from the seats to dance with them, and Kirstie and I danced for what felt like forever. SO much fun!

After that came afternoon tea. Yet another holy shit. The tea was mint and some other stuff I can’t remember. It came with little tea sandwiches and a tiny piece of cheesecake and a tiny piece of this cinnamon cake thing that was awesome. 

Afterwards, we went to the bar car one last time and were back there as we pulled into Puno. That was kinda fun , seeing the city roll by behind us. 

We pulled into the station, and just like that, it was over. We disembarked, grabbed our bags, and walked to our hotel. Kirstie went the same direction as us until she had to turn off for her hostel… Then it was hugs all around, and the promise to see each other again, somewhere in the world. 

We walked to our hotel (Terra Viva), checked in, dropped our bags, and went for a short walk around town before heading back to the hotel and going to bed. 

What an experience that was. The train, the food, the people… And the absolutely mind blowing scenery that we were going past… I can’t even. This one (okay, I think I’ve said this every day of our trip so far) is going to take some time to process. What an adventure we’re having!

Here’s the video: