The small town of Machu Picchu, in the valley below the ruins, was known as Aguas Calientes until the late 1990s when it was decided that the name should be changed to that of the ruins. The town is located in an incredibly beautiful area, surrounded by jungle-covered mountains and next to the wonderful Urubamba River. The town itself is not particularly attractive, although it is quite interesting, mainly due to the railway line. There are no cars in the town, apart from the buses to shuttle visitors up to the ruins, and so the ?main street?, as it were, is in fact the railway line. People wander up and down the track, jumping across the platform of the station, and there are even a couple of fruit sellers next to the line. When a train comes, the bustle on the platform, which is the main street?s pavement, is wonderful. If it were not for tourism, the whole place could almost be out of a Gabriel García Márquez novel.
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