Peru Day 7-9 Cusco

Acclimatization in Cusco Peru

Plaza de Armas

At 11,340 feet high with thinner air than North American countries. It makes one non-Andean like me to slow down or aged three decades for four days. So we need to acclimatize in order to go back to normal breathing and pace. 

We left Arequipa on Sunday the 25th at 8:30 pm via Exclusiva Bus co. since all direct flight to Cusco is fully booked. We want to be in Cusco early to properly acclimatize before the start of our 4-day trek on Friday. The bus ride took 11 hours and the seats recline to 180 degrees. It was our bed for the night.

On the bus, Tina complained of a headache and she is not feeling well and so she decided to sleep it off. I wondered if this is the effect of the high altitude. I already started taking my Diamox tablet in Arequipa per my travel clinic instruction. Tina has not taken hers yet as her instruction is different from mine. We had a bit of a debate on this but decided we follow what each of our health practitioners advised us to stop the debacle. Diamox tablet is acetazolamide that is used to prevent and reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness. According to my research, this medication can decrease a headache, tiredness, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath that can occur when you climb quickly to high altitudes (generally above 10,000 feet / 3,048 meters). 

As per my instruction, to prevent altitude sickness, start taking Diamox 1 to 2 days before starting to climb. Since we are four days away before climbing the Inca Trail, Tina wanted to wait. In my defense, even though we are not physically climbing, we are gaining an altitude of 1,064 meters. We are coming from 2,335 meters going to Cuzco's 3,399 meters. I began taking the tablet on day 1 in Arequipa. I've discussed my full itinerary with my health practitioner and this is what we've concluded and what I am following. 

One of the drags on taking Diamox is making you pee a lot. I am not sure of the time but during the night on the bus, I wanted to pee but I couldn't open the sliding door to go to the toilet on the other side (a door is between us and a small corridor that leads to the driver at the front of the bus and stairs on the right leading to the upper deck), so I went back to my seat and waited until somebody would go out. Then suddenly Tina bolted up to go to the washroom. I followed her so I can keep the door open so I can get through the door. She started climbing the stairs but I told her the toilet is just right down by the door on the left. She heard me and turned around, and the next thing I know she fainted and fell on the floor. I saw her head hit the edge of the stairs and I freaked out. I couldn't move to help her because she is blocking the door. I grabbed her arm to pull her up and tried waking her up. I was about to yell for the bus attendant (I couldn't believe nobody heard my commotion to help me and I was not quiet. Where the hell is the bus attendant?) but Tina got up and rushed to the toilet. She didn't bother to close the door but I just held on to the door for her in case she passed out again. Then she went back to her seats and I followed her to make sure she is all right. 

I went to the toilet but I couldn't sleep anymore after that. I was so worried. I keep checking on Tina in case she gets a concussion and looking for a sign or bump on her forehead. She got annoyed because I was making a fuss. We even argued but I didn't care at that time if she was angry at me as long as she is responding then I know she is okay. All through the night, I was thinking of what would have I done if it turned out for the worse. I was making a mental step by step of what would I do in a bad situation. I somehow feel responsible if anything happens to her especially she is not just anybody. She is a mother and a wife of a prominent family in the Philippines. I may have touched a nerve on Tina and I became more anxious after that. High altitude is not a joke especially since I am feeling the difference...... what a big difference as soon as we arrive in Cuzco. 

It was dawn when our bus pulled into Terminal Terreste - Cusco's bus station. We gathered our belongings and entered the building where we waited to collect our luggage then stepped out to a throng of taxi drivers waiting outside the station. We went to one and gave our hotel's address. We are staying at a modest Hostal Inti Wasi near Plaza Mayor. As I entered the taxi, a streak of morning sun is peeking beyond a nearby mountain casting a reddish shadow in the city. I felt a slight trepidation and elation at the same time. The entire trip so far has put me in this euphoric state. I am living a dream... that's why. 

It was early for us to check in but the hotel gave us a room without extra charge but we paid for breakfast. Going into our hotel room on the second floor was a struggle. I am breathless and my head feels heavy like I am walking on air. The room is basic and small with two twin beds but the ambiance is nice, clean, and very colonial. I have stepped back in time. After breakfast, we stayed in our room and tried to catch some sleep. We bought large bottles of water at the front desk as I constantly feel thirsty. 

At lunchtime, we stepped out of our hotel building and turned left into Plaza de Armas, and what a beautiful sight. Plaza de Armas is Cusco's main square. In front of us is a well-kept colorful garden and water fountain. Across it is a beautiful Cathedral. Tina looked for the restaurant recommended by our hotel staff. We are walking slowly unintentionally but we started drinking coca tea and it is supposed to help combat altitude sickness..... but I think it is making me high along with the Diamox tablet that I am taking. We also stop drinking alcohol from this point on.

After lunch, we walked around the plaza and checked some of the shops. We also checked some travel agencies near our hotel and there are lots of them offering many excursions and tours. Tina and I originally planned to go to the Amazon area after the trek but we also considered doing the rainbow mountain. So we are checking fares and packages but we made up our mind to decide after Machu Picchu. We also checked different money changers and we found that if you exchange big bills like $100, you get more which we did. 

There are lots of people handing out tour flyers and selling all kinds of souvenirs as well but so far it didn't bother me since they back out if you politely decline. For me, this crowd makes the city alive and a happy place in general. We found a place where we bought a small oxygen canister called Oxishot. I was flabbergasted that you could buy oxygen in a small container. We both bought one of each. Then we went for a massage in one of the inner courts for 30 Soles. They are good and it is a similar massage style that the professional massage therapist I used in Canada for $85.

On our second day in Cusco, we walked through a crowded rally on our way to our Inca Trek tour operator - Peru Trek. The railway employees are having a strike so there are no trains operating on that day. We didn't plan to go anywhere that requires transportation anyway as we planned to take it easy. The Cusco area is hilly and some streets go up and down so we couldn't go very far. The walk to Peru Trek's office goes out of the inner city through cobbled stones street and red bricks medieval buildings. We are at a different time in Cusco. It feels like we are in a movie set, so surreal. I was out of breath just climbing to the second floor of the office. It really feels like we aged a decade and out of shape. We are okay walking but climbing is a struggle. 

Our instruction when we booked the trek is to check in with the Tour Operator two days before the trek to pay the remaining fees and pick up our duffel bag. (The cost of what we paid is itemized below). 

Inka Trail Standard 4 day Group Trek as of 2016

The price per person is US$625.00 plus 

Services of a half porter $80 and maximum of 6 kg per person, plus

Sleeping bag rental for the 4 day trek $25

Total US$730 

Price includes a private bus to Ollantaytambo (start of trek) and a bus from Machu Picchu (end of trek) to Aqua Calientes then train back to Ollantaytambo where our private bus will take us back to Cusco. Since Tina and I are staying another day in Aquas Calientes, we have to pay a public bus back to Cusco from Ollantaytambo.

 

After our business with Peru Trek, we stopped for lunch around the corner in a small family restaurant called Punto Marino de Astrid and the food is cheap and delicious. We ordered about 5 dishes listed on the blackboard menu plus two bottled water and of course pisco sours. We only paid about $15 in total including tips. 

After lunch, we booked an afternoon city tour. The owner tried to sign us up on cheaper tours but we opted for the English-speaking guide and he told us that we have to pay more and more is not that expensive. We paid about $20 each for the city tour. 

The English-speaking guide is a professor and wrote several books about the Incas. We first toured The Cathedral in the plaza before boarding a bus that takes us outside the city center. We visited Koricancha Temple and Santo Domingo Convent, then Saqsayhuaman fortress outside Cusco. Then to Q'enco which is used to be Inca ceremonial cult center and to Tambomachay was the real start of the Camino Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. 

The Incas have an extensive history and most of it is tragic in the hands of the Spaniards.... but then again during the colonization era, the Spaniards were brutal, imposing Christianity on people, and those who didn't conform faced death. Despite the horrific stories, these beautiful facades and churches won't be here today without the Spanish occupation. The country became civilized and modernized. A lot has been preserved centuries after which we all enjoy now.