Saturday in Cusco

It takes about an hour and 20 minutes to fly from Lima to Cusco – from sea level to over 12,000 feet in altitude.

We had dinner with one of the NG team, Josef Razim, who warned us we would be feeling the effects as soon as we get off the plane.  He said your lungs feel air hungry; that you want to take deep breaths to try to get more oxygen.  Everyone recommends drinking the mata tea made with coca, which helps with the acclimation to the altitude.  He said that you should have the tea as soon as you get to the hotel, and then drink it frequently.

"The solution for high altitude sickness"

It wasn’t quite as bad as predicted, likely, in part, because we’re taking acetozolamide.  That has it’s own challenges – causes numbness and tingling of the fingers and toes and around the mouth.  I felt it as soon as I took the first dose in Lima.

Our group took small vans to the Monasterio hotel, where we checked in and received our room keys.  It was a surreal experience.  The hotel is converted from an old monastery and is beautifully decorated and faithful to it’s historic style.  The check in process was surreal.  Employees of the hotel greeted us dressed as monks offering cups of mata coca tea.

Mike with mata coca tea and a bowl of coca leaves

The grounds of the hotel are gorgeous, as are the rooms.