We waited at Ollantaytambo in the sacred or Urubamba valley. Before the train came, vendors paced the lines. They raised bright wool before our eyes--sweaters, hats, hangings--and sold them with smiles, and, "Good prices. Baby Alpaca. Very nice." So focused were we on our goal-- reaching Machu Picchu, the old mountain--that there were few takers. Besides, we had enough at home to keep us warm. Later it occurred to me to buy some, for this very reason, and my father showed me how and when to negotiate a decently bad price.
David Ritchie, Portland, Oregon
