Aguas Calientes is the last small town on the trail to Machu Picchu. The names means "hot waters", because of the natural hot springs that flow nearby. From here it is a 3.7 mile ascent to the famous Inca sanctuary. Our train pulled into the town around 6:30 p.m. where we were escorted to the hotel arranged for us by Javier. It was our second least favorite place to stay, but with an early departure the next morning, we really didn't care. (Don't you just love the colorful overnight bag I picked up at the market in Cusco for about five bucks? - so Peruvian!) This was a very charming and cozy place nestled among towering green mountains, and I wish we had been able to spend a day seeing the town and perhaps enjoy the hot springs.
Michael chose to eat Llama, a local favorite, for dinner that night, while Bob I chose from a more familiar, but quite different, Mexican fare. After hiking and touring Huayna and Machu Picchu the following day, we returned to a hotel restaurant in town to enjoy another tourist buffet lunch. One of my favorite unusual dishes was a fresh cold crisp beet salad. (I can hear Bob saying, yuck!)
As we went to bed that night, I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve! What surprises would I awake to in the morning?!
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