In through the Backdoor of Machu Picchu – Part Two

After reaching Santa Teresa, we took a cab ride to the town´s hydro electric plant where we would begin our hike towards the town of Aguas Calentes which sits near the base of Machu Picchu. At the tracks, numerous families have set up shop there to sell the few backpackers that head that way, food and beverages. As we passed through, a group of little children were excited to see me carrying my 30 kilo backpack and formed a parade behind me while tugging at the funny straps that hung down from it. They saw my camera when Eric shot the picture, that they instantly wanted to have their pictures taken and then see themselves on the LCD screen. I´ve never seen such excitement over a picture.

After insisting that we needed to go see the mountain, they waved goodbye and we set out on a 8 km hike along the train tracks. We were following scribbled directions that Eric had found on the internet. Nighttime had set in as we walked blindly over the rough rocks following the two steel rails into the darkness of the jungle.

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