Every time I climb the seeming 15 stories up to my room, I am reminded of how high up we are. Upon entering our Cuscoan equivalent of a penthouse apartment, I practically need to lay down on the ground to regain my breath. I knew we’d be hiking on this trip, but no one told me I’d be hiking to my room every single day. My tiny flatlander respiratory system is just about useless up here.
Before coming to Cusco, I had thought that the altitude would be similar to that of Aspen, Colorado. It wasn’t until I got here that I realized that we were quite a bit higher, about 3,200 feet higher to be exact; it was then that I also realized why several people had recommended altitude medicine. I got sick in the first week in Pisac from the altitude, but have felt fairly okay since.
The moral of this blog is to take altitude medication when advised and to stop skipping steps when walking up the stairs. Coca and oxygen bottles aren’t mandatory, but having some mate to sip on and oxygen to huff on would definitely be high on my life-at-altitude list.
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