Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Travel and Tourism | 28 January, 2010 [ 22:23 ]

Peru: "Today was good but yesterday was chaotic" says tourist stuck in Machu Picchu Pueblo

By Nathan Paluck

Tourists stranded near Machu Picchu continue standing in line at a train station Thursday evening, hoping to get evacuated by helicopter early Friday morning.

“I will sleep on the train tonight,” Sarah Child, a tourist from London, told LivinginPeru.com via telephone. “I’ve been promised that I’d get on one of the flights (tomorrow). I’ve been here for five days now.”

Travel by rail is the only transportation to Machu Picchu Pueblo, the town at the base of the 500-year-old Inca citadel and the location of the tourists. The railroad was destroyed by floods and mudslides caused by unusually heavy rains.

More than 1,000 tourists still wait in the town after evacuating 1,400 people the past two days, according to Peru's Minister of Transport and Communications, Enrique Cornejo.

“If the weather is good today we may evacuate 800 tourists and tomorrow the same number. We have enough helicopters and fuel,” Cornejo said. On Tuesday, cloudy weather and continued rains interrupted helicopter flights.

Child, 25, was in line all day, and will sleep on a seat in the stranded train to keep her spot. Earlier this week, tourists reported confusion about the evacuation process and said they received little communication from authorities. Child said the situation is now “fairly organized.” “The Peruvian army is coordinating things now,” she said. “Today was good but yesterday was chaotic.”



The evacuation process is staggered by age, Child said. Today tourists between ages 40 to 50, then 30 to 40, were flown out. Those left waiting at Machu Picchu Pueblo on Thursday evening were all younger than 30, said Child. “People have been getting along,” she said.

The army has been giving basic food and water to the tourists. “There’s food for everyone,” Child said. “The army was handing out vegetables and water in the queues today.”

Tourists who wanted a meal could eat in one of Machu Picchu Pueblo’s restaurants, but would lose their place in the evacuation queue. Although electricity has been intermittent in the town, services such as Internet cafés and Laundromats are still functioning. Child has been able to communicate with people in the UK via text messages on her cell phone.

Shouts were heard during the telephone interview. Child explained: “The Argentineans are playing football in the train station, trying to entertain themselves.”

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1 Comment

# L Johnson says :
29 January, 2010 [ 12:13 ]

Having been to Cusco & Machu Picchu a few years ago, I can easily imagine how very serious the problem is. There is only 1 way in & out.
My congratulations to the evacuation teams, the people who live there & the tourists for their cooperation.

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