Machu Picchu

Hello all. It’s me, Pablo. It’s been over a year since my last article, and a lot has happened in that time.

In my last article, I was in a cliff hotel. Just a stop in the journey to go and see the great Machu Picchu; however, this journey did not have smooth sailing in mind. We began the hike to Machu Picchu, but after about two hours, the conditions in the mountians became unsafe for travelling. We had to take shelter in a cave we found. We could not head back the way we came either, the mountain conditions were not good all around the Machu Picchu area. Apparently, there were mines scattered throughout the area, and our communication tools were limited so we could not get any information on why. All we had was a radio which our tour guide was holding onto. For the next few months, we would be living life in this cavern we found.

I made some new friends in the cave. The most notable was a llama named Sanchez Ronaldo. Sanchez Ronaldo was the life of our party. We could have met a terrible fate to many reasons, but Sanchez Ronaldo ensured boredom would not be one of them. For months, that llama kept on entertaining us throughout the whole day. It’s hard to imagine how, in a not-so-large-cave, a llama could keep us entertained, but Sanchez was able to it. Everything from singing to dancing, Sanchez Ronaldo was a master of. One day he even pulled out a unicycle and began juggling while riding it. Sanchez Ronaldo was truly a llama who was larger than life.

Our time with Sanchez Ronaldo was not to last. One day, about 7-9 months into our stay, we ran out of food. There were children on the tour, so we could not even go a day without food. We were at a loss on what to do, when Sanchez Ronaldo proposed an idea so radical, it shook the very foundations of the world we were living in. “Baaaaaaa.” Sanchez Ronaldo was offering up himself as sacrifice, for our survival. We weren’t going to allow this, but after a few hours and the crying of the children, we realized there was no other choice. We ate Sanchez Ronaldo, and we made sure nothing was wasted. That night was the hardest night of the whole cavern stay. Except the children, no one was able to sleep. A few days later, when our food supply ran out, we were finally saved by a Peru rescue organization. We continued on our journey to Machu Picchu, after leaving a tribute for Sanchez Ronaldo.

The hike to Machu Picchu was not far from the cave, but I could not believe my eyes when we got there.

Machu Picchu was being stolen! A helicopter just yanked it out of the ground and was taking it to who knows where! No wonder the mountain conditions were unsafe, these vile criminals were trying to steal Machu Picchu for months! I was simply aghast and had no ounce of energy left in me to do anything about it. I was just going to watch as one of our country’s sacred mounument was being robbed. Then, in the sky, I see a faint image of a llama. My eyes were definitely playing tricks on me, but I swear it was Sanchez Ronaldo. He phased into the helicopter, and after a few seconds, it exploded! Machu Picchu fell to the ground, right where it had been for centuries. What I witnessed was something of legends, these are the mythical stories I learned about as a child. The spirit of Sanchez Ronaldo just saved Machu Picchu! I am now working with a local author to write a novel about Sanchez Ronaldo and his legendary exploits.

We also finally got to finally see Machu Picchu. As a Peruvian myself, 4.5/5.