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My reason:
Allow me to set the scene. It’s a typical April day, nothing to talk about except coursework deadlines. I receive a text from a good friend of mine, Ben, asking if I want to join him on a trip to Peru.  I don’t hesitate to send an immediate reply. I have money in the bank and time to spare. I’m going to Peru and in just 3 months.

A little history:
It isn’t known what the true purpose of Machu Picchu was, or how or why it was built in such an incredible and profoundly demanding location. Archaeologists have theorized it was a housing estate constructed by the emperor Pachacuti in the 15th century.

Before you arrive:
If you have or intend to visit Machu Picchu in your lifetime i urge you to go at the earliest time slot available to catch the sunrise on your way to one of the seven wonders. In our case a 4.00am wake-up call from our hostel situated in Ollaytantambo. But if you are worried about missing that sunrise due to being half asleep then fear not. The wide load bus creeping around the tight winding roads, no barrier in sight to stop a 300ft fall will for sure awaken you and all your 5 senses. In our case, a recent memorial plague, proclaiming peace to the twelve people that lost their lives, in you guessed it a 300ft drop, only served as a further shot of adrenaline ensuring that nobody would miss the unbelievable scenes that appeared along with that sunrise. I want to keep these blogs personal. With that, I give you my personal view. The two-hour drive up the steep mountains is for me just as impressive as the sight of Machu Picchu itself. Yes I have pictures and yes you can look at pictures all over the internet, but one thing I can promise is the feeling of being in such beautiful scenery could never be captured. i will reiterate that if i can give one tip to people who intend to travel to Machu Picchu it would be to take the earliest bus possible to avoid missing that sunrise over the mountains.

Arrival:
As I mentioned, I want my blogs to be personal, and with that promise to write with the utmost honesty. Arriving at the entrance of the historic site, it was, a sight to behold, and, a site full of tourists. I want you to have a clear picture. Arriving at the site does not give you that sense of freedom, or the images of historic culture. But bear with it, because once you get through the crowd, tour guides offering their cheap services and buses galore, it’s time to enjoy one of the most iconic places in the world. And rightly so.

The site:
We’ve all seen the pictures of the site, and scroll a little further and you can see some of my personal collection. So just like you I had a pre-determined image in my head. The long carefully constructed walls, the bright green grass, and the number of small pristine house-like huts, really helped me to imagine another life that once lived there. It really does heighten your imagination seeing the sight. I’m not the most creative person, my mind doesn’t tend to run away with me but I found it doing so the whole 5 hours we explored the site. I can honestly say it was easy to imagine the life that once pondered the site. It’s very easy to imagine the Inka people running through their daily lives. For me, it is a personal thing and I’m sure if you visit you’ll have your own personal visions in your head but one thing I can say is it is difficult to be in such a village like spectacle without imagining the life that once occurred.
The thing that I found myself feeling more than anything was a sense of respect. A respect that a group of people could survive in such a harsh atmosphere. Every time you turn your head you see countless mountains, higher than any skyscraper you are likely to see. No immediate source of water and while wildlife was obvious the way the Inka people found their way to it through the huge, green patched mountains was something else I found myself thinking.

Tour guide:
A tour guide, like most things in Peru, is cheap. you will have an abundance of guides to choose from whether that be one offered with the tickets (dearer) you buy or whether that be one of the many guides available outside the site (cheaper, and even cheaper with a little haggling). If you want to know all the details and history that surround the site then please take my advice and take a guide. As a group of 6, we took a private guide and it came to £25 in total.

Thank you:
Thank you for taking the time to read the blog, I hope it gives a little insight to one of the Seven Wonders of the World. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me via the blog. Until next time, Chao!