Friday, July 19
After three flights, I arrived at the airport in Peru and
went through the visa process, which was surprisingly easy. I also exchanged
money and hired a taxi, again very clear and easy. On the way to the hotel, the
taxi guy gave me lots of tips (all in Spanish) about what to visit and where to
eat and drink. Since he was an ex-police officer, he also gave me plenty of
warnings about safety especially around idle people. At that moment, I was glad
that I was only spending one night in Lima. I arrived at the hotel and checked
in, but there was no packet waiting for me. So, I went up to my room to find my
roommate for the night, Andrea. There are three of us sharing a room on this
trip, so we rotate rooms where one person has a night to herself. Andrea did
inform me we had to be ready to leave the hotel at 7. I took a lukewarm shower
and fell into bed. But I didn’t sleep peacefully because of all of the street
noise.
Sunday, July 20
I woke up early and met our guide at 7. Everyone was already
on the van and I was the last one. I guess this group runs on time. We drove to
the airport and took a flight from Lima to Cusco. Cusco is at 3,399 and this
elevation is no joke. I felt dizzy and in a fog for most of the day. After the
flight, we rested for a bit and then headed out to dinner and take a tour
around the city. Cusco is a quaint city in the Andes which was once the capital
of the Inca Empire. According to the Peruvians, the Spaniards came in and
destroyed everything and brought Catholicism. Then, we explored the city, got a
few necessities and went back to the hotel. The hotels here are FREEZING! Of
course, it is winter here and there is no heat in the hotels. I have never slept
with so many blankets.
 |
| Inca Museum |
 |
| The Inca flag is rainbow. |
 |
| Alpaca steak |
 |
| The desserts here are amazing. |
 |
| Eating guinea pig is a thing here. |
 |
| Plaza de Armas |
Sunday, July 21
Today was a hard day for me. The altitude got to me and I
struggled on the hike to Rainbow Mountain. It started at 4,326m and climes to
5,200m. I made it all the way up to the summit (about 4,900m), but after so much
dizziness, nausea, and nearly freezing to death, I decided to call it a day.
Almost everyone in our group made it, but I just couldn’t do it anymore. I had
hiked 8 miles and that was enough for me. But I did get some pictures from the group.
Most of us had an intense headache and some had nausea. It was a tough day for
all. We should have taken more time to adjust. We had gone from sea level to nearly
5,000m within 24 hours, which is definitely not recommended. I learned a lot
that day. I learned to trust my limits and to pay attention to my own body. I
feel sad that I didn’t get to see the amazing sites, but I am happy that I
listened to body and turned around.
 |
| These are pics from a friend in the group. |
On the way down from the mountain, we had a small accident.
All of a sudden, we head something loud hit the van and glass shattered
everywhere on us in the back seat. One of the local guys had thrown a stone,
supposedly at a horse, which broke our window. The stone was quite large and
thankfully, it didn’t hit anyone. But glass was everywhere. We had to drive
with an open window, along with the perpetrator to his uncle’s house so that he
could pay for the window. When we stopped for lunch, the guides fixed the
window with plastic so we could drive the other two hours home. Thankfully, no
one was hurt…well, except for the local guy’s wallet.
