Machu Picchu has been on my bucket list for a while. Once I heard that they were limiting the number of visitors to the site out of concern for preservation purposes, it quickly rose higher to the top although the reality was that with my lack of planning in advance, the likelihood of getting tickets was slim to none. Luckily, my travel companions are planners.
I did not have much expectations, but knew that it was a strenuous hike. It was not easy getting there and with flight cancelation, hectic trains and black outs the day before; they appeared to be some bad omens. We were prepared for winter weather, bringing multiple layers, scarves, hats and gloves. Once we got up the mountain though, we were blessed with a beautiful day (and ended up disrobing rather than layering on throughout the hike). The sunshine, the air, the atmosphere, the picturesque mountains, the sounds of the wind and water falling/flowing and nature in all its glory was a sight to behold.
Although I have traveled quite a bit and have seen and experience many wonderful things, it was easy to understand why this historical site was voted as one of the new seven wonders of the world. The hike to Huanya Picchu to get an aerial view of Machu Picchu is limited to 400 visitors daily. While we toyed with skipping it, luckily my companions and I were all game to complete the mission, encouraging each other along the way.
It was a good thing we did not do too much research about the hike so as not to deter us because it was much steeper and higher than we thought. Ignorance is bliss and we were rewarded with such a spectacular site as well as accomplishment and peace sitting on the top of the world, an inch closer to heaven.
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