Machu Picchu

We enjoy another breakfast buffet before heading out on the birding trail at dawn. The street vendors are already in the process of setting up.They need to be ready for business when the train arrives at 10 o'clock. We walk up the dusty bus road in search of birds. We see for the first time some mini-woodpeckers called Ocellated Piculets. We search long and hard for the gorgeous green Masked Fruiteater. Finally we see him with his beautiful yellow scarf! The two of us get left behind, as usual, and are rewarded by seeing tiny Common Tody-Flycatchers building a nest. We also see a flight of Mitred Parakeets, who land in a tree above us. We feel as if we are back in the lowland jungle again.
When the train arrives and the busses start up the mountain our birding adventure gets more unpleasant with each passing dust storm. Huw finally determines that it is time to turn around and head back down to lunch. Guess what? We go to the very same restaurant that we went to for dinner the night before. And the ONLY vegetarian option is the wonderful homemade pasta dish. Ah well. We probably would have ordered it again anyway.

We go on a little side walk through the town with Bill, in hopes of seeing some special hummers. We see women washing their clothes in the river. And then it's time to hop on the train and ride back up to Cuzco. This time we say goodbye to Huw for the last time. We will see Bill and Joseph & Sylvia on our very last night in Lima before we all fly home. Their last two days will be spent in the snowy mountains and ours will be on the Pacific Ocean.