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The Peruvian government decided to reopen the archaeological site of Machu Picchu only to receive a single tourist: Jesse Katayama. The Japanese had traveled to Peru to fulfill their dream of visiting the iconic Inca ruins, but like thousands of travelers around the world, they were caught off guard by the pandemic.
The day before the date set on the Katayama entry ticket to Machu Picchu, the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency in the country and visits to the archaeological site were closed. The 26-year-old Japanese boxing teacher in Osaka had planned to stay only a few days in Peru, before traveling to other countries in South America.
With the closing of borders and an outbreak to enclose the planet, Katayama decided to stay in the city of Aguas Calientes, located at the foot of the mountain range, in the hope of coming to visit the archaeological site. “I’m going to run every morning and I managed to see Machu Picchu from a distance,” he says. CNN. “I thought I would never visit it, because I was hoping it wouldn’t reopen this year. But I was fine with that, because I had a lot of fun here. “
However, 210 days later and with the help of a local tourism company, Andean Roots Peru, Katayama submitted a special request to the government, which was finally accepted. “He arrived in Peru with the dream of being able to enter”, Declared the Minister of Culture, Alejandro Neyra, this Monday, according to the agency. Reuters. “The Japanese citizen entered with the head of the park [em Machu Picchu] so you can do this before returning to your country. “
Almost seven months later, Katayama ended up becoming the first tourist to visit the citadel built more than 500 years ago and to have the archaeological monument almost all to himself. “This is so unbelievable. Thank you“He says in a video recorded on top of the mountain, among the Inca ruins.
In recent months, he ended up making friends in town and even giving boxing lessons to some local kids, Andean Roots Peru says in a Facebook post. THE CNN He confesses that he will “definitely cry” on the day of the farewells to Aguas Calientes. “These seven months have been very special for me. I discovered a new part of myself. “The date of return to Japan is already set: October 16.
So far, Peru has declared more than 33,000 coronavirus-related deaths, with the highest death rate per capita in the world due to covid-19. International flights have recently resumed, but only to seven Latin American countries (Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay and Uruguay), although the country remains in a state of emergency.
On October 15, seven archaeological sites in the country reopen to the public (Sacsayhuamán, Pisac, Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Moray, Pikillacta and Tipón), but Macchu Picchu will remain closed. According to the Minister of Culture of Peru, expected to reopen to the public in November, without specifying a specific date, and only with 30% of the usual capacity of 675 people per day. “We are still in the middle of a pandemic,” he recalled. “It will be done with all the necessary care.”
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