Witnessing Machu Picchu and Crossing it off the Top of My Bucket List

On a hot summer day back in the 80s, my sister and I rode our bikes to the local library. It was the only one in our small Oklahoma town. I was 8-years-old, which would have made my sister around 12. We visited the library once a week during the summers, mainly for the free air conditioning. Once inside, we would split up and go our separate ways. I usually started at the comic book section, then make my way to stories about cowboys, sports heroes, and then to science fiction. On this particular summer day, I stopped by the National Geographic bookshelf.

            Even at a young age, I always loved history. A love that I’ve carried throughout my life. While perusing the National Geographic bookshelf, I pulled out one magazine after another, in search of finding something new and interesting, while soaking in the cool AC. I pulled out an issue with Machu Picchu on the cover, and the skeleton buildings and the aerial photographs of the mountains immediately intrigued me. I sat on the floor next to the shelf and studied the magazine.

            Within the magazine was information about Hiram Bingham’s rediscovery of Machu Picchu in 1911. The history of the Incas was laid out in a timeline that I followed from one page to the next. The Stairs of Death captivated my 8-year-old brain. I didn’t just look at the photos splashed across each page, but I also took in all the words. When I finished reading the magazine, I looked for more. I asked the librarian for information about the Incas, which lead me to the shelf of volumes of Encyclopedia Britanica. I was not a great student, but from that point on, I always aced tests on ancient civilizations.

            Growing up a poor kid in Oklahoma and later Ohio, I never envisioned myself being a world traveler, let alone a travel writer. My world travels occurred in the pages of National Geographic and by watching The History Channel. I dreamed of visiting great places, but never thought I would actually see them firsthand.

            Over the years, I’ve been able to visit amazing places and have shared my journeys on my blog. Even with all my travels, I still never believed visiting the top place on my bucket list was a possibility. Visiting Peru is an expensive trip, and since I’ve got a big family, I never envisioned having an opportunity to see the Sacred Valley. Whenever I attended travel shows, I always made a beeline to the South American section and pitched every tourism company that visited Machu Picchu. My efforts always came up empty.

            Earlier in the year, with my 50th birthday on the horizon, my family told me over Father’s Day they had a big trip planned for my birthday. I was finally going to see Machu Picchu. My kids and their mom (mainly their mom) planned out a 2 week trip that involved the Galapagos Islands for one week and Peru for another week. They booked the trip through Andean Discovery and the two-week trip was placed on the schedule. It seemed too good to be true that Machu Picchu was on my calendar.

            The day of the trip arrived, and we boarded a plane to Ecuador, where we spent a couple of days in Quito before catching another plane to the Galapagos. We had a great time in the Galapagos, but Peru was what called out to me for most of my life. After a week of swimming with sharks, sea turtles, penguins, giant manta rays, and a plethora of iguanas, we stepped into another plane to take us to Peru.

            We arrived in Lima at midnight and stayed in a hotel close to the airport. At 4:30 AM the next morning, we were back up and walking into the airport to fly to Cusco. I’m not a window watcher on a plane, but I consistently looked over my daughter’s shoulder, capturing every glimpse of the Peruvian countryside that I could.

            We landed in Cusco, and our guide picked us up at the airport. With a lot on our Peruvian schedule, we were off and running. We stopped by a llama farm and ate a delicious meal. For the next several days, as we got used to the high altitude, our schedule was similar. We saw magnificent sights and ate delicious meals. But all of it was a lead up to the main event why we found ourselves in South America.

            Machu Picchu arrived near the end of the trip. We took a train to Urubamba, where we stayed the night. Early in the morning, we woke up and caught a 30-minute bus ride to Machu Picchu. Before we climbed into the bus, our guide suggested I sit up front with the driver to get the full effect of arriving into Machu Picchu. With each turn up the long, winding, narrow drive, I would catch small glimpses of ancient Incan ruins until we pulled into the parking area.

            As we walked through the gate, I experienced what children must feel when they enter Disney World. A wave of excitement and awe washed over me as the glorious magnitude of Machu Picchu opened up before me. My feet seemed like they were standing on a conveyor belt as we inched along the ancient buildings that I scanned so often from those early moments with National Geographic.

            We walked up to the bottom of the Stairs of Death, and my 2 daughters asked to stay behind. The skies opened up a bit and rain drizzled down. We gave the girls are heavy packs to watch, and I grabbed my camera and a water bottle to take up the mountain. Shortly after climbing, I realized that with all my readings; I had not grasped how difficult climbing the Stairs of Death could be. Half-way up, I was exhausted. And from the looks of everyone else climbing up and down, they felt the same. My legs were sore. My 12-year-old appeared to have the least bit of difficult, probably because his soccer season that recently wrapped up. We occasionally had to pull off to the side to catch our breath in the high altitude. With each turn up a new flight of steep stairs, I wondered when I would reach the top.

When we ascended to the top of the stairs, I walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. I sat with my legs dangling off and took in my surroundings. What laid out before me made me feel as though I was sitting in a painting. Time stopped. Once again, I was an 8-year-old boy opening up a National Geographic magazine, in awe of an image. I could have sat there for hours.

            We were on a schedule, and we began our descent down the Stairs of Death. The rain had made the steps a little slicker, and we needed to be careful. Occasionally, we, as well as others on the stairs, slipped a little. Finally, we reached the bottom and met up with the girls. They had a great time waiting for us and I was thankful they didn’t come. I love experiencing things with my kids, but it was a right move to have them sit the climb out.

 

 

 

            After we refueled and drank a lot of water and electrolytes, we ascended to another area of Machu Picchu. This area is the one that most of the photographs show. It was in this area that I instantly recalled photos of Hiram Bingham standing. It was another moment of feeling thankful to have the opportunity to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I took photograph after photograph, hoping to capture Machu Picchu’s majesty.

 

 

Our tour had wrapped up after spending around 6 hours exploring Machu Picchu. We once again found ourselves in the bus and then the train to take us back to Cusco. I originally planned on taking a nap on the train, but I was too excited to relax. Instead, I peppered the guide with more questions about Peru, Incas, and Machu Picchu. As our train chugged through the Sacred Valley, I recalled the years of dreaming of what I had just witnessed.

 

 

Often on my travels, a location doesn’t match the hype. And then there are Machu Picchu moments. I wondered beforehand if I expected too much of the trip and would be let down. There was no reason to worry. Machu Picchu was more than I had hoped it would be. It was fascinating, beautiful, and awe-inspiring. It was everything I hoped it would be, and then some.

            The dream started in a library. Libraries matter.

 

For more travel tales, click here.

Social Media Channels:
X (Formerly Twitter): @TheJasonGreene
Facebook: OneGoodDad
Instagram: @TheJasonGreene 
Instagram: @RunJasonGreene
YouTube: One Good Dad
Pinterest: One Good Dad
Tik Tok: One Good Dad