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Ollantaytambo to Agua Calientes – Views from the Train

Machu Picchu is rather difficult to get to, and there are only 2 ways to get to it – hike for 4 days from Ollantaytambo or take a train from Ollantaytambo to Agua Calientes, the town at the base of Machu Picchu.  As you can tell from the title of this posting, we opted for the train!

Viney Blooms – Crayon

The train traveled thru some very scenic areas and at times, stopped so that I was able to capture some images of flower blooms.  Both of these (above & below) just begged to be photo sketches, so I obliged!

Blooms on the Train Ride – Impressionist

 



In the Footsteps

While on the train, we passed the area where those who chose the 4-day hike would cross the Urubamba River and start following in the steps of Hiram Bingham, the man who is credited with discovering Machu Picchu. I tip my hat to these hardy adventurers!

 

Bridge over the Urubamba River

I can’t recall if the hikers would cross this bridge, but we found it interesting for a different reason.  Check out the right side of the bridge – the white area is actually sandbags piled upon each other to hold up that side of the bridge foundation!  This would not give me a lot of comfort if I were to cross it, as the speed of the rushing river doesn’t really encourage survival.

Follow the River

 

The train tracks followed very closely the bend of the river on this part of our 1 ½ hour journey.  We are heading around a slight bend, so that if you look closely, you can see the train engine on the right side of the image.

Waterfall Along the Way

We did see a lovely waterfall along the way – part of what I like about this image is the blurred vegetation surrounding the waterfall.  It gives you a real sense of our movement on the train.

Rushing Creek

Altho not a waterfall, I liked this image of a small tributary to the Urubamba River – it speeds along as fast as the river, much faster than the train, it seemed!

Fern Close Up

The train made fairly frequent stops along the way for reasons unknown to us at times.  On one of these stops, I was able to capture this image – I love the texture of the leaves!

The Blue Door

I was rather amazed at the very small, run-down shelters (I hesitate to even call them cabins) we saw along the way.  There are no roads along here, and one has to wonder at how the people who once lived here managed on a day-to-day basis.  And, somehow, they managed to get some bright blue paint for their door!

Enjoy!