Simply BreathLESS!

Cusco, Peru:

A city with so much culture, history, and beauty. It was one of the two imperial capitals of the Americas at the start of the Spanish conquest. Cusco has been an area of conquest for centuries between the Spanish and Inca cultures.  The city itself still has a lot of Spanish influence with the quaint stone alleys and baroque churches. However, the villagers still wear their colorful Inca native dressings.

 Cusco is a stunning city that literally takes your breath away! Mainly because it is sits high in the mountains at 10,912 feet! Talk about short, shallow breaths. Whew! Immediately upon landing today, I could feel the effects! We walked up three flights of stairs and had to stop for rest in between. Altitude sickness, or soroche, is a big problem for tourists- it includes high fevers, shortness of breath, fatigue, tachycardia, headaches, and other horrible symptoms. Extreme altitude sickness can lead to pulmonary or cerebral edema! Unfortunately there is no way to prevent it, except for Peruvians sware by the infamous Mate de Coco. Hopefully it works for all of us.  I think we'll acclimatize in no time!

Amber and I in Cusco, Peru

Today we spent most of the day relaxing in our hotel, drinking Mate while looking out at the city. We walked around the city, enjoying the beautiful Plaza de Armas, or city square.  It was an overload of photo opportunities!  The cathedral, convent,  baroque buildings and the gorgeous native people were an amazing sight to see.  We ended the night with a delicious dinner at Pacha Papa (Translation: Potato of the Earth) where I had the most amazing quinoa and potato soup of my life.  Quinoa is considered a sacred grain to the Incans and is one of the most protein-rich grains in the world. I also learned that there are over 300 types of potatoes here! So far, the food has yet to disappoint me and I haven't gotten "Montezuma's Revenge." According to Amber, it will happen.  I'll just enjoy the food for now and hope I don't get sick!