Initial acclimation to the altitude proved not to be as big a deal as we'd feared. There are a wide variety of reactions which can include such discomforts as headaches, but other than a bit of "sleeping like a pancake" (flipping over and back again during the night because the air seems a little thin), we were in pretty good shape. Before we embarked upon our hiking adventure, we had the sense to book 2 nights of lazy time in Cusco just to get used to the altitude; after all, it's a long way up to the Andes from Greenville, SC.
Luckily our hotel offered option the option of oxygen pumped into your room to accomodate lowlanders such as us. Some hotel, too; the Hotel Monasterio started out as, you guessed it, a monastery. It was originally constructed in 1595 and underwent extensive renovation after a major earthquake in 1650. It's a truly serene and peaceful place, counting impressive architecture and original paintings from the Cusquenian Art School among its charms.
Courtyard at the Monasterio:
One of the original paintings in the chapel at the Monasterio:
Unfortunately, the tiny chapel at the church was the only house of worship we visited that allowed photos. The Catedral del Cusco in particular was quite imposing and impressive, with an astounding array of shrines and art.
Getting around the historic center of Cusco was pretty easy, and very tourist friendly, especially to those like us who speak a bit of Spanish. (OK, my expertise en Espanol is mainly limited to ordering food and beer, and asking how much something costs, an essential tool in opening the doors to a bargain!) The further away from the plazas we got, the more English became a luxury vs an expectation. We did pretty well, though. Although both of us took some Spanish in high school, I'd love to give a conversational course a try. Seems that would come in really come in handy for just such occasions.
On the second night in Cusco, we met with our trekking tour group at Green's Organic, a nice spot we'd end up visiting again before we headed home. It was here we had our first taste of two of Peru's specialties: ceviche and the Pisco Sour. The former we'd had before, only Mexican style; the latter is a delicious cocktail featuring Pisco, a brandy distilled from Peruvian grapes. We found the Peruvian food in general to be quite appealing, with loads of fresh veggies, fish and meat. The ceviche at Green's is a good example, loaded with explosively fresh pink trout, onions and mango.
Our 2 guides got everyone introduced and began the process of mentally prepping us for our trek along the Salkantay Trail, which would take us as low as 6,600 feet, and as high as 15,200. Mountain Lodges of Peru has 4 lodges along the trail with limited accomodations. Our group (a full house) was only 12 tourists, plus the 2 guides and our mule porters. There are Mountain Lodge employees staffing each of the lodges. With such a small group, we'd soon get to know the others- from Phoenix, Alabama, Kansas City and Cambridge, MA- within a day or so.
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