Getting to Machu Picchu

The next day we began our journey to Machu Picchu very early, boarding a train from Cusco at 6:55 am. The train ride to Aguas Calientes (the stopping point for boarding a bus to MP) is three hours long, and as you'll see in the photo of Mom and Gordon, we were not quite prepared for the cold at this hour! We were on the first-class "Vistadome" train, but alas, it does not have a heating system. (The less expensive train is called the "Backpacker." I'm not sure what it doesn't have, but its name suggested to me that it might not be for us!) Fortunately, the mother in a family from Lima seated next to us seemed to have extras of every piece of cold weather gear in her bag; she was pulling scarves, gloves, hats, etc. out of the bag as if it was a magic hat. She insisted we use them to get warm, and we were very grateful; the train also keeps blankets on hand. We were treated to a lovely breakfast on the train, though, and by the time we arrived in Aguas Calientes, the sun was out, we were warm, and ready to go! We boarded a bus and had the amazing view you see in the photo as we took the 30-minute ride to the entrance to Machu Picchu. In Spanish there's a word "emocionante," which is a combination of emotional and excited, and that's the word that kept coming to my mind as I looked out the window.