JAPANESE TOURIST STUCK IN PERU GETS DREAM COME TRUE, GETS PRIVATE MACHU PICCHU VISIT
So I’ve never been to Machu Picchu. But I’ve got family and friends who have and they say it’s completely amazing. And if I was jealous before, it’s nothing like I’m jealous now. And that’s totally, utterly jealous. Because a nice Japanese tourist got a dream come true. But at first, for him it wasn’t a dream. It was a huge, life dream disappointment. His name is Jesse Katayama and he went all the way to Peru from Japan just to see the ancient, secluded Incan citadel. It’s also a World Heritage site too, of course. But Katayama arrived at the same time as the Covid lockdown. He could never have dreamed that would eventually lead to his own, private visit.
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AFTER TWO YEARS OF DREAM TRIP PLANNING, JAPANESE TOURIST STUCK MINUTES AWAY FROM INCAN CITADEL
So Katayama got to Peru with plans of only stating there for a few days. Mostly just to see Machu Picchu. But while he was in a nearby town, Aguas Calientes in Mid-March, Machu Picchu closed and Katayama couldn’t leave because of Covid-19 travel restrictions. So talk about bad luck! You go across the world after planning for two years with a window of three days and what happens? A global pandemic stranding you oh so close to your dream visit. But yet totally out of reach. Yet Katayama didn’t give up hope. Even months later!
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PERUVIAN GOVERNMENT DOES THE RIGHT THING, GIVES JAPANESE TOURIST PRIVATE VISIT BEFORE GOING HOME
Yes, months. Finally, Katayama was about to be able to go home, just a couple weeks ago. But he still wanted to visit the Incan citadel. So he submitted a special request to the Peruvian government for an exception. Fortunately for Katayama, they listened and were not only sympathetic, but supportive! They granted him access, and how. Katayama was able to visit the ruins in person with the head of the park himself. All alone. That is just so amazing. A dream disappointment, with isolation in a foreign country? Terrible. But realizing your dream? Priceless.
Machu Picchu will open soon, if at a reduced capacity.
