I’ve Been to 60 Countries, but These 6 Changed Me Forever
Peru
One of the drawbacks of traveling a lot is the risk of becoming blasé about yet another stunning view. However, the opposite is also true: When you see something truly stunning, you genuinely appreciate it. That’s how I felt at Machu Picchu in Peru.
It’s an extremely touristy spot, there are heaps of logistics to get there, and a lot of the advice on the best ways to do it is wrong. But when I finally arrived and first laid eyes on the ruins of this Incan citadel, I couldn’t stop the tears from leaking, blurring the llamas posing on the vivid green grass below me.
All of Peru’s Incan sites make the imagination soar. The engineering skill used to create the granite buildings is unbelievable. No mortar was used, and the precisely cut stones were placed so perfectly that a piece of paper can’t be inserted between them. The buildings are also earthquake-proof. And micro-climates created by tiered gardens and intricate drainage systems meant the Inca could, supposedly, grow 3,800 different types of potatoes. My brain still whirs wondering how the ancient stonemasons brought the immense blocks from neighboring mountains without, as National Geographic explains, the use of wheels, draft animals, or tools made from iron. The Spanish conquistadors never found Machu Picchu, and I wonder what other wonders Peru would still have intact had they never arrived.
Beyond the Incan ruins, Peru has the world’s highest navigable lake, complete with floating islands, the fantastic city of Lima, sandy beaches, and the Amazon, which I haven’t even seen yet. And I eat very well in Peru, feasting on more of my favorite foods—ceviche and maracuyá sours, an oh-too-easy-to-drink cocktail of passion fruit, lime, and Peru’s national liquor, pisco. It’s no wonder Peru is one of the most popular travel destinations in South America.
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