Peru's ancient Incan settlement of Machu Picchu was opened on Saturday for a single Japanese tourist who had waited seven months, stranded by the COVID pandemic, to see it. The Cusco tourist authority got wind of Jesse Katayama's plight and opened the wonder, which has been closed since March, just for him, AFP reports.

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マチュピチュキタァァァァァァァァァァァァァァァァァァ‼️‼️‼️ この前の新聞見てくれて「頑張って」「応援してる」「なんでも頼って」「マチュピチュの俺の家タダで使ってええよ」「マチュピチュ開いたらタダでガイドしたる」「マチュピチュ村の村長に行ける様に言っとくわ」ペルーの人達、ペルーに住んでる日本の人達から沢山メッセージもらいました😂 もう行けへんやろなと思ってたけど、皆さんが村長、政府に頼んでくれて超特別に行かせてもらった👏🏽笑ペルーの人達みんな優しすぎるぅ〜くぅ〜本当にありがとうございます！！村長と一緒にマチュピチュいった人今までおらんやろ笑閉鎖後、1番最初にマチュピチュ行った地球人は俺だぁぁぁぁぁ🔥🔥🔥 #世界一周 #バックパッカー #27ヵ国目 #ペルー #マチュピチュ #貸し切り #村長のガイド付き #村長ごっつ男前 #トムクルーズ似なんよ #ミッションインポッシブルなんよ #peru #machupicchu #lastsamurai

A post shared by Jesse Katayama (@jessekatayama) on Oct 12, 2020 at 4:18pm PDT

Wrote Katayama on Instagram: “The first person on Earth who went to Machu Picchu since the lockdown is meeeeeee!!! I thought that I wouldn't be able to go, but thanks to all of you who pleaded with the mayor and the government, I was given this super special opportunity.”

Machu Picchu is scheduled to reopen to visitors in November, AFP adds: “Just 675 tourists a day will be allowed in, 30 percent of the number allowed before the pandemic, with visitors expected to maintain social distancing. Since it first opened to tourists in 1948, it has been closed just once before, for two months in 2010 when a flood destroyed the railway tracks connecting it to Cusco.”