Taking the "Back Way" through the Sacred Valley - Part II

After spending the night in the small mountain village of Santa Teresa, a short taxi ride to a hydro-electric plant brought us to our final trek to Aguas Calientes. We knew we were close. All that remained was a three hour walk along the train tracks in the Urubamba river valley.

It was epic coming upon this sign at the hydro-electric plant. 

Beginning our walk along the tracks. I always wanted to try and jump on a train like they do in the movies... the Peru Rail guys didn't like that.

Here's Matt and Sam. When you take the Back Way to Aguas Calientes, you get a glimpse at the back-side of the "Old Mountain." Also known as Machu Picchu.

It is indeed a rewarding walk... Don't worry we didn't actually walk along the train tracks on the bridge. There was a side-walk area. If a train came, that would be rather bad.

A walk through two tunnels and then the other side is Aguas Calientes.

Aguas... the staging town for Machu Picchu. Built on the very bottom of the steep, Urubamba Valley. 

The "Back Way" we took to Aguas Calientes was definitely an adventure. After dealing with the landslide, the three of us agreed to just give in and buy a Peru Rail ticket back to Cusco. I'm happy we took the bus ride there though. It made the journey to Machu Picchu feel more epic, yes, maybe it was unnecessary, but it was worth it.