The Train! The Train!

Off on the Iron Horse. 

I had to catch a train from outside of Cusco as all the Cusco ones were booked full. I don't exactly know if that passes the logic test -- but it is what happened. 

I don't remember the name of this train station, but it was nice. Once again -- Jose did the honors of getting me there. I popped for coffee and croissants as we were early. 

Maybe if I read this timetable I would remember -- but it is too small on the iPhone -- and the Blogger software will not allow photo zooming. 

Off to Agua Calienties! A pretty new train car, vista dome -- nice seats.

The scenery was quite nice. Villages, towns, canyons and white water. 

Before entering the canyon there was a lot of agriculture. A lot of corn, garlic or onion, and saw some squash. 

Most of the fields were small -- half or less of a football field, these fields were tucked in to spaces between houses or roads or such. Not much land was wasted, where there was a strip of land between the fields and let's say the railroad tracks they had cows tethered by nose rings or horns such that they could graze not not wander into the tracks and get hit. Almost all of the land between fields looked manicured as it was neatly grazed flat. 

Panorama shot of the train bathroom. Yeah, I see that -- you try holding the iPhone's arrow tracking the little line while being lurched about. 

Canyon view along the tracks. I was thinking that the destination would be higher that the starting point -- and as the river was flowing with our direction -- I was expecting the train to veer off and climb. Never did. We dropped into what they called a cloud forest -- bromeliads, trees, green! I haven't seen much green this trip so this was nice. Some places everything was covered with bromeliads (auto correct saves my ass with this bromeliads) -- the telephone poles, tree branches, rocks. 

I'm heading to Agua Calienties -- and since the river is still flowing down with the train, and since everthing is getting green -- we must be going downhill. 

 

Kind of ran out of the train to catch a bus -- so let me post the pics I took on the way out and let's pretend they are my 'Welcome to Agua Calienties' photos. 

It's a scenic place located alone a train line in a deep canyon straddling a river. The river splits the town, with several bridges connecting each side. 

Here is a panorama of the town. 

There are hotels, restaurants and shops -- it would be a nice, unusual place to spend a few days chillin'.