Travel E-mails
An archive of e-mails from my Centeral/South America trip.5/10/2006
I think you've got an altitudinal issue
Well. Not too long since the last e-mail I guess, but there's an upcoming adventure and who knows what might happen.
On the 18th I landed in Lima, Peru. I had the false impression that all of Peru would be a lot like Centeral America, which was quickly shattered when I realized that I was landing in a barren wasteland full of shantie towns and... well... sand. The west coast of Peru is mostly desert, hardly a plant grows through most of it, other than the few oasis's and mountain streams that provide for the cities and villages that dot the coast. In lima I headed to Miraflores-- kind of the rich district. I hit up some 'street meat' in the form of a pork sanwich... it was awsome. Spent the night there and the next morning took a bus to Nazca -- home to the Nazca Lines. I got settled into a hotel and took it easy... the next day I got a flight over the nazca lines -- quite impressive stuff, I can't even begin to speculate on it... all I can say is there were some BIG pictures and LONG lines in the desert. Crazy Nazca's must have spent a long time putting them togeather... I think the desert must have gotten to their heads, because it was only day 3 for me in the desert and it was already getting to me! So, that night I came here, to Cuzco. Cuzco is the origonal home of the Incas, and it's not far from Machu picchu. It's also not far from the clouds -- hitting an incredible 3.2 kilometers of altitude... Considering that I came in on an overnight 12 hour bus, then suffered a bad bout of altitude sickness, dehydration and insomnia, I'm not quite feeling par right now, which kind of concerns me considering I start the 4 day hike of the Inca Trail tomorrow morning, and it hits altitudes over 4km! But the trail is setup for tourists, and it's a slow hike of about 10 km per day. Day 4 is Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. For those of you who don't know of it, it was the last refuge of the incas when the spanish came. Tucked away on a mountain top, the spanish never found it, nor did anyone else until the mid 1900's. It has been restored and is an incredible place (so I've heard and seen in photos). After that I will return to Cuzco and rest for a bit... yes indeed. Then, who knows... I am considering heading to Lake Titicaca (the highest navicable lake in the world). Then heading to Bolivia and checking out the amazon for a few days, then back towards lima for my return flight to Panama City.
Back to Cuzco... Finally out of the desert, the mountains are quite beautiful. Cuzco is tucked away in a mountain valley and is full of sights and shops, plus it's in the middle of a ton of anthropological sights. I'm staying in a hostel that's uphill (you can't imagine how hard that small hill can be) but has a most rewarding view over the main Plaza del Armas and the rest of the city. Many people wear traditional clothing here. and the scene reminde me of Guatemala... lots of people hasseling you for every penny, steep prices for gringos, friendly folks in general, and very beautiful sights. I get offered cigarettes about 20 times per day by street vendors.. when will they learn that smoking at an altitude where oxygen is a precious thing is not a good idea? ESPECIALLY for NON-SMOKERS! I can just see myself hacking my lungs up trying to get precious O2 after a puff of a malbro or demaurier... hah!
Anyhow... that concludes this mass message. I have an idea brewing and perhaps will have it sorted out for next e-mail.. Sure to be interesting.
Anyhow, Best to all!
Zac
On the 18th I landed in Lima, Peru. I had the false impression that all of Peru would be a lot like Centeral America, which was quickly shattered when I realized that I was landing in a barren wasteland full of shantie towns and... well... sand. The west coast of Peru is mostly desert, hardly a plant grows through most of it, other than the few oasis's and mountain streams that provide for the cities and villages that dot the coast. In lima I headed to Miraflores-- kind of the rich district. I hit up some 'street meat' in the form of a pork sanwich... it was awsome. Spent the night there and the next morning took a bus to Nazca -- home to the Nazca Lines. I got settled into a hotel and took it easy... the next day I got a flight over the nazca lines -- quite impressive stuff, I can't even begin to speculate on it... all I can say is there were some BIG pictures and LONG lines in the desert. Crazy Nazca's must have spent a long time putting them togeather... I think the desert must have gotten to their heads, because it was only day 3 for me in the desert and it was already getting to me! So, that night I came here, to Cuzco. Cuzco is the origonal home of the Incas, and it's not far from Machu picchu. It's also not far from the clouds -- hitting an incredible 3.2 kilometers of altitude... Considering that I came in on an overnight 12 hour bus, then suffered a bad bout of altitude sickness, dehydration and insomnia, I'm not quite feeling par right now, which kind of concerns me considering I start the 4 day hike of the Inca Trail tomorrow morning, and it hits altitudes over 4km! But the trail is setup for tourists, and it's a slow hike of about 10 km per day. Day 4 is Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas. For those of you who don't know of it, it was the last refuge of the incas when the spanish came. Tucked away on a mountain top, the spanish never found it, nor did anyone else until the mid 1900's. It has been restored and is an incredible place (so I've heard and seen in photos). After that I will return to Cuzco and rest for a bit... yes indeed. Then, who knows... I am considering heading to Lake Titicaca (the highest navicable lake in the world). Then heading to Bolivia and checking out the amazon for a few days, then back towards lima for my return flight to Panama City.
Back to Cuzco... Finally out of the desert, the mountains are quite beautiful. Cuzco is tucked away in a mountain valley and is full of sights and shops, plus it's in the middle of a ton of anthropological sights. I'm staying in a hostel that's uphill (you can't imagine how hard that small hill can be) but has a most rewarding view over the main Plaza del Armas and the rest of the city. Many people wear traditional clothing here. and the scene reminde me of Guatemala... lots of people hasseling you for every penny, steep prices for gringos, friendly folks in general, and very beautiful sights. I get offered cigarettes about 20 times per day by street vendors.. when will they learn that smoking at an altitude where oxygen is a precious thing is not a good idea? ESPECIALLY for NON-SMOKERS! I can just see myself hacking my lungs up trying to get precious O2 after a puff of a malbro or demaurier... hah!
Anyhow... that concludes this mass message. I have an idea brewing and perhaps will have it sorted out for next e-mail.. Sure to be interesting.
Anyhow, Best to all!
Zac
# 1:05 PM 
Archives
