Off to Cusco

We start out early today (at least by our standards), and by the time I normally get my posse out of the hotel, we’ve already made our way to the airport, boarded a flight, flown an hour, and are touching down in Cusco. It’s a much different feel than Lima, with things seeming to move much more slowly (although that could just be lack of oxygen to my brain). Incan influence is far more prevalent here, with narrow stone streets and meticulously carved walls, many of which have simply been incorporated into newer construction.

After checking into the hotel, we step out to get a lay of the land, and find some lunch. Since we don’t have anything in particular to do, our outing is quickly hijacked and turned into a shopping extravaganza. Without mentioning any names, suffice to say the majority of our group is beyond bored from looking at scarves and sweaters.

The combination of early morning and high altitude has us dragging a bit, so after a few hours we head back to our room for nap. While this would often be the end of the story, today the fun is only beginning.

While catching up on a few emails, Sammy wanders by on his way to bathroom looking a little green. This is soon followed by him screaming in pain, and when we come around the corner, a skin tone normally reserved for dead people. He’s completely inconsolable, and when he says he can’t see, Mom comes unglued.

An ice pack on the neck seems to bring him back around a bit, but by then a doctor is already on his way and quickly diagnoses altitude sickness. The treatment (aside from the medications that he started the day before) is an evening with an oxygen tank, which I think Sammy finds kind of cool. It also means we’ll be taking it easy for the next day or two, so thankfully, our tickets to Machu Picchu are not for another 5 days, which should be plenty of time to acclimate.

Keeping our fingers crossed that all is back to normal in the morning.