Today is the start of our third full day in Cusco, the ancient andean capital in what is now Peru. At over 10,000 ft (3200 m), we had expected to feel some of the effects of altitude and planned these four days to acclimatise before our trip to Machu Picchu.
As we got off the plane from Lima, the first of those effects was unmistakable - shortness of breath. Just pushing or carrying our carry-on luggage up the hardly steep ramps between floors at the airport left us unexpectedly breathless. We arrived late at our hotel and without any problems, thanks to a pre-booked taxi. Our room and bed were a welcome sight after day ‘flying’, we were looking forward to good night’s sleep.
Sleeplessness. Another of those symptoms of mild altitude sickness. The symptoms of the lack of sleep now combined with the breathlessness caused by the thinner air, left a feeling of total lethargy. That first day we wandered around, apparently aimlessly. We did set out with some things to see, but I couldn’t focus enough on finding the route. We ended up seeing what we’d set out to, but we went a long way around it. At the end of that second day we were even more tired out than from flying, but not much sleep that night either.
Even last night sleep wasn’t exactly restful, but better than it has been. Today there is still a feeling of breathlessness in everything we do. Right from the start I’d opted for the ‘Mate de Coca’ at breakfast. I’d just tried it for something different, but it turns out that they mostly offer it at hotels as a mild relief for the effects of altitude. Glad I’ve been taking, however mild the relief may have been.
One consolation is that Machu Picchu, although itself on a ridge, lies in the valley about one thousand feet below us. Hopefully that drop in altitude will give us a little perk-up for our ‘trek’ around the citadel.
We are not sure what to expect from our trip to Machu Picchu as everything is a bit controlled these days. I am sure there were times, not so long ago, when you could wander aimlessly throughout this ancient citadel. Today you don’t just purchase a ticket to visit you also must choose a timeslot and a particular route. There’s a choice between three distinct areas and then in each area there are three or four distinct routes. Even confined to this small area of the total, you must also suffer a guide. No aimless wandering and wondering.
All of the tickets for the ‘classic’ routes, presumably that can also be read as ‘best’, were sold out. We are confined to ‘Circuit 3 - tour of the lower part of the citadel’.
