We pre arranged a taxi with the hotel which drove us to Ollantaytambo which is where the train left for Machu Picchu, the taxi journey was stunning some of the scenery was just beautiful & such a contrast of luscious rolling green hills with higher snow capped peaks! We had a short wait alongside a lot of other travellers & backpackers for the train, we had pre booked seats with Peru rail a few months in advance to guarantee our arrival to Machu Picchu! The train carriages had huge windows with glass roof top panels which gave you a great view of the hidden valley on the way through the mountains to Aguascalientes. The train journey was just under two hours, I enjoyed a few glasses of fizz & kurt had a few beers we were in holiday mode & very excited we had dreamt of this trip for so long & the train ride was the perfect introduction to the valley. The weather was still really warm & clear which was so lucky for this time of year, the views out of the train were spectacular it definitely felt like a once in a lifetime trip! We arrived in Aguascalientes it was a short hike down to our hotel, we checked in then headed straight out to explore, the village which is at the foot of Machu piccu had the train track running right through the middle. It is obviously geared towards tourism, a bit ramshackled but It still felt vibrant & interesting, there was something about it that we liked. The natural landscape helps, It's surrounded by mountains & next to the Urubama river, with another smaller river running through the centre. Underneath all the tourism you can see a real, working town. We got an early night ready for our trek the following day...