Up early to meet our tour guide for the next leg of the trip.  A nice gentleman from the local office serving Viator tour picked us up in a private car for the two-hour drive to Ollantaytambo.  The drive was magnificent through the upper portions of Cusco then through many small towns, traversing through the mountains down from almost 12,000 foot height of Cusco to a mere 9,353 feet.  In Cusco, we all had become a bit lightheaded with slight headaches but nothing serious.

Ollantaytambo is a quaint little town of less than 10,000 studded with hostels, restaurants, and souvenir shops.  The train station was quite busy but we found that as first class passengers on the Vistadome, we were given access to free restrooms, a beautiful waiting area, and shops.  Rick, Mary Pat and I all bought sandwiches for the train before we boarded a beautiful car with comfortable leather seats and tables.  Large windows, including on the roof, afforded us views of some of the most magnificent scenery in the world.  Mary Pat and I, of course, snagged the window seats.  Shortly after departure, we were served complimentary coffee, tea, and a delectable carrot cake.  After this, Mary Pat and I enjoyed a local Peruvian sauvignon blanc, Intilpaca.  The ninety-minute ride took us through the scenic sacred valley to Agua Caliente where we had reserved a room for the night.

Since we arrived mid-afternoon, we set about exploring the town.  Agua Caliente is at an elevation of 6,690 feet, population of only 1,600 yet it seemed to be a bustling little metropolis as scores of tourists roamed the streets.  Shops selling alpaca sweaters and cover-ups, restaurants, and hotels seem to be the dominant industries.  We stayed at the comfortable Hotel Satay minutes from the train station.  All of us were in the mood for a good dinner and we were definitely gastronomically pleased.  Rick order a beautiful trout dish, Mary Pat ordered chicken, and I had rack of lamb.  We shared a bottle of wine and our total price was only about $50.00!