Day 37 - Forced to Wee Behind the 4X4!

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Poor Chris had a bout of altitude sickness this morning - the man who never gets ill and thought he was invincible!

Our first stop was a rock that looks like a tree... apparently! There were lots of random stops like this throughout the day - 3 lakes, middle of nowhere towns with no-one living in them, lots of rock valleys and herds of vicuñas and llamas (vicuñas are related to llamas, but don't look that similar, their bodies are more like deer or gazelles. They are much smaller and less woolly, and all the same browny colour. They are a protected species, like their closer relative the guanaco, who are slightly larger and more orange in colour. The 4th member of the family is the alpaca).

I don't know if the altitude makes you need the bathroom more frequently, but it was an embarrassing day for me - everywhere we stopped I went in search of a bush or rock, and when there were none I had to tell everyone to get in the 4X4 and not get out while I went behind it!

At lunch I got my first taste of llama meat - yummy! And that night I slept a lot better (aside from Raphael and Gilles' snoring) at a more bearable altitude of 3600m (still pretty high!)

Chris's Corner

Despite the fact I slept well, I woke up "calorfrio," having to strip almost instantly to cool before needing to warm up again. The resultant fact, before I even contemplated breakfast I was sick in our rather public toilet (only a wooden slatted door separating it from the dining area!)

Once on the road, sat next to a working window just in case, I succumbed to Sophie's offer of a paracetemol, something I never normally take. Within half an hour I felt fine and have so far since.

At the hostel that evening (owned by Colque Tours, our tour company) I felt refreshed after a shower and shared a beer with Gilles and Raphael... much better!

Footnote
Weeks or months later I discovered that one of the side effects of my altitude sickness pills (acetazolamide) is "increased urinary volume" - they are a diuretic! No wonder I had to go to the toilet every hour! They did work wonders for my headache though, which was un-curable with conventional painkillers. - Sophie

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