Blogs from Peru, South America - page 24

The air is thin and breathing is difficult. For the adults. The children, six-year-old Ty and ten-month-old Nathan, seem unaffected. Our research suggested altitude sickness can start once you ascend quickly to heights greater than 8000 feet (2500 meters) above sea level. Our plane had just deposited us at 11,152 feet (3,399 meters). To add insult to injury, it was a steep walk from the tarmac to baggage collection. With laboured breaths, we drag ourselves into the baggage collection area wondering what folly we had gotten ourselves into this time. CUZCO. Peru. High up on the Peruvian side of the Andes Mountains, it once served as the esteemed capital of the great Inca Empire, before the marauding Spaniards, pursuing gold and spreading Christianity, drove the inhabitants into extinction. But let’s backtrack. Two days prior, we had ... read more

Today we began the last full day of touring at Lake Titicaca. This is the highest, navigable lake in the world. At over 12,000 feet the rarefied air can be taxing. Last night we were in Puno and I went to bed about 11:00 PM local time. I have not had any breathing problems at all so far but tonight, I woke up and felt that all the air had left the room. I really was huffing and yet no air filled my lungs. I have to say my heart was racing and I became a little concerned. I opened the hotel window to get some air, even though it only had 60% of the oxygen I expected, it helped. My heart stopped racing, I breathed much better, but now I could not fall asleep. It ... read more

Today was almost a vacation day. We were allowed to sleep in as the four of us decided to skip the morning optional tour and opted for our own privately booked tour this afternoon. For experienced travelers you should be aware that there are options to the expensive tours offered by your tour company.Gate 1 is an excellent tour company with well trained guides, knowledgeable day guides and a well organized team of professionals. But, as all things in life there are options. One option is to book a private tour. Sounds expensive right? Actually no. For example, Gate 1 offers a tour in Cuzco which covers the major attractions, Colonial Cathedral,Temple of the Sun,Sacsayhuarman,and then off to the market for an hour of shopping. Cost $75 dollars. We contacted a local tour company via the ... read more

An unexpected change in our travel trajectory brought us out (of the airport) to explore Lima. Our 9 AM flight out of Cusco, on Avianca Airlines, was delayed as the printer had failed! Boarding passes could not be printed and the poor, understaffed airline crew had to hand write every single passenger's boarding pass information. Online check-in facility was not available either. To add to our woes, passengers of an earlier outbound flight were still being attended to. It was a foregone conclusion that we would miss our next connecting flight out of Lima Eventually, our 9 AM scheduled Avianca flight took off, after 11:30 AM. Since we were early in line, we boarded the aircraft and waited for the rest of the passengers to come aboard. But what I found bizarre was the pilot’s announcement ... read more

Today began a little on the rainy side. We are relatively high in the mountains so it was clod, foggy and a constant but light drizzle. Glad I brought my Walmart rain suit! I enjoyed a light breakfast of some fresh fruits, breads, coffee and, of course, cocoa tea. I learned to chew the leaves after you make the tea. They are much easier to make a proper mush and they taste far better when boiled, rather than stuffed dry in your mouth. Today we began with an optional tour of a local salt production collective that had been operating since the days of the Inca rulers. We drove high into the mountains and entered the salt mine area. We learned this was a collective with 400 families participating in the process. The process was labor ... read more