May 12th, 2018 - Dominique Carter

Today was such an incredibly day.  It exceeded all my expectations that I have ever had for Machu Picchu. Ever since I was a kid I had always dreamed of going to visit a Wonder of the World, and today was truly beyond words can put. I was not really prepared to have such a mind-blowing experience that I did, but I keep thinking of what I saw, and I do not think that is an image that I will ever get out of my head. 

Prior to the hike up to Machu Picchu, I was really nervous because I have had a constant headache all week and I did not know how much I would actually be able to accomplish. When we arrived, I remember seeing the site for the first time, and I thought to myself that I do not want to miss out on any of this, because I know that I will regret it.

I have always had a deep passion and fascination for history…all parts of history, and so I was very excited and eager to learn about the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu.  There was so much running through my mind when I first laid eyes on the ruins, some of them including: “I cannot believe that something this perfect and beautiful exists,” “I am literally walking where history was made.  I am walking where so many crucial and beautiful and important historical moments were made.”   I have been reflecting for a while on the right word to describe what was going through my mind while I was walking through the ruins, and I cannot even put into words what I was feeling.  It was such an amazing experience. I have never seen anything quite like it before, and it is still processing with me how it took my breath away. 

It was extremely hot outside and I made the mistake of wearing an alpaca-fur sweater, so I was burning up the entire time.  I got pretty irritable towards the end because I had not eaten anything all day, I was sweaty and gross, I had a headache, and I was burning up.  Despite all that, I knew that I had to keep a positive mindset, because I wanted this time at Machu Picchu to be fulfilling and I knew that I would regret being upset the entire time that I was in such a beautiful place.

To put things into simpler terms, today was such an amazing experience.  I am so so so glad that I was able to travel to see one of the Wonders of the World, and despite it being hot and gross outside, the view was amazing, the history was enlightening, and the memories will be with me forever.