On to Aguas Calientes (or Machu Picchu Pueblo)

The day after arriving in Cusco, we left most of our luggage at our hotel and took a 25 minute taxi ride to the train station at Poroy for the 8:30 AM Peru Rail Vistadome ride to Aguas Calientes, which also bills itself as Machu Picchu Village.  The trip took about 3 1/2 hours along a very scenic stretch of the Urubamba river.

The Train to Machu Picchu

Along the Urubamba River

Our hotel, the Tierra Viva, met us at the train with a porter, who loaded up all the arriving guest's luggage on a cart, and accompanied us to the hotel for check-in, pulling the heavy cart downhill.  Two days later, he pulled our luggage uphill to the train station.

Porter With Luggage of Arriving Guests.  My Pink Case on Top

We enjoyed the small town of Aguas Calientes (there are hot springs which give it its name).  It is also called "Machu Picchu Town" or "Machu Picchu Pueblo".  Some travel writers criticize it as too "touristy", but I'm not sure what they expect from a town whose major and almost only industry is serving people coming to visit the Machu Picchu ruins.  The location is gorgeous, in a deep gorge between two rivers.  We had a very comfortable hotel, located along the rushing Urubamba river, and an excellent dinner at an award-winning restaurant with a French cook.  What's not to like?

The Town Plaza

Chickens and Ducks Raised on the River Bank.  The Owners Collected Eggs in the Morning.

Statue of Pachacutec, the Inca Builder of Machu Picchu, Surrounded by the Three Inca Symbols: the Condor  Representing the Gods or the Sky, the Puma Representing the Earth, and the Snake Representing Rivers and the underground.

The Urubamba River Flowing Past Our Hotel (the White Building)