I Finally Saw Machu Picchu—It Wasn’t What I Expected

When I was ten, I stood in front of my class with a poster board covered in printouts of Machu Picchu. I talked about lost cities and ancient stones, convinced I’d go there someday. Seventeen years later, I finally made it. The air was thin and cold. I kept waiting for awe to hit me, but mostly I felt small, a little out of place. The ruins were real, but so was the ache in my legs and the quiet in my head. I realized I’d built this place up for years, and the real thing was quieter, stranger, less like a dream and more like a fact. I took a photo, then put my phone away. Some places don’t feel like answers. They just exist, and you do too. #ExpectationVsReality #TravelConfessions #GrewUpTraveling #Travel