6 day peru trip

[bonniejoy03]

Hi Danaa....Great post. Thanks for your input on Inkaterra and their properties. How did you acclumate to the height? How did the rest of your party fair with the altitude issues. How many days did you go.



Thanks again....

[danaa70]

Hi Bonniejoy,



We were in Peru a total often nights. We stared low,( Amazon), working our way up - ending in Cusco.

I read about preparing for altitude sickness quitea bit (Trip Advisor has quite a forum on this)

and as my husband has climbed several mts in the past, he was quite familiar with it and its' effects.



So..we followed what we read...start slow and low, don't rush to Cusco; rather spend time acclimating in Sacred Valley (or the Amazon like we did) go to Machu PicchuBEFORE spendingtime in Cusco. since we did land in Cusco we did spend a few hours there, but were in a car with a driver and did not walk. those hills (and there are many!)



Drank very little alcohol (which does something to your blood, but a doc would have to explain that oneJ Drank Coco tea though I did not like it , so we felt very good through the trip.



HOWEVER, after leaving MP, we spent one more night in Sacred Valley at the Inkaterra villas. Lovely spot with enchanting gardens and environment. We arrived late as we had attended a local festival in Ollaytaytambo (if you saw the video there are many shots of it) INK's villa has a housekeeper who cooks dinner for you. I had inquired what she would serve (as I am a bit particular about food) They kept insisting not to worry; she would shop. I knew with our late arrival that would not be possible, but decided I was on "vacation" and go with the flow. As soon as she served us I knew the food was "off" and took one, maybe two bites and put it aside. My husband ate it all. (chicken)



The next day we drove to Cusco with a driver. I felt strange, but thought it was the alititude. I managed to spend several hours in Cusco walking slowly and enjoying the city. That night at dinner I knew I was physically sick and dashed (ran!) back to our hotel (Monasterio) Sure enough I was sick all night. My husband was fine.

He spent the next day exploring Cuso while I recuperated in the room. Felt like I had the flu - vomiting, etc.



THAT night he became very ill andit went on til the next late morning when we called a doc. Thoughthedoc said the altitude exacerbated our problems, he felt it was food induced.



Because my husband was severly dehydrated and had to be taken to the clinic we stillthought it was altitude. But going over our records we had to send to our insurance company it stated that he had "intestinal infection" soapparently we picked up a bug somewere (that chicken!) which unfortunately does happen in a foreign country. We were prepared for altitude but not poorly prepared food!



So...I would advise the following: take it slow and low the first few days, watch what you eat and drink. Take the diamox with you just in case. One does not know if they will be affected; it just happens. All the hotels have cylinders of oxygen if you feel light headed or get a headache. That can help.



BUT, DONOT eat anything that is not prepared by a restaurant or your lodging. That was our mistake. Once you become ill, the body is in a state of stress and will not be able to handle the high altitude.



In a previous post I described what my husband went through with the doc and clinc; it turned out well and we were able to make our return fight. Intervenous anti-biotics, fluids and several hours in a oxygen tank saved the day. I dont want anyone else to have to go through that. It could definitely ruin a trip, so please be careful with any food offered.



Hope this helps. Don't freak out; these things can happen when traveling; just know in advance and have a plan (and TRIP INSURANCE!)



Are you going?? It's wonderful , and even with all the medical problems I'd go back!



Dana

[bonniejoy03]

Hi Dana. Absolutely fantastic post. Thank you. Wow. Thanks for the tips. We are not sure if we will be heading to Peru....it is still on our "wish" list. At first I thought we only wanted to do the Orient Express hotels. However, after reading your posts (and others) on Inkaterra, I think we would consider using them. About two years ago I had spoken with them on their toll freee number and they were quite helpful to me. Thanks Dana...(ps-where to next??)

[danaa70]

Bonnie, I am glad you I could answer some of the questions for you.

Next trip?? - whew, we are constantly thinking, looking, planning...Argentina is definitely on our list;we loved South America;Wish LL hadsome better offerings

Going back to Africa; my fav so far... I have it all planned out, just waiting for the market to come back!



I peruse all LL packages to get ideas; we really like to experience the culture, be active and not just go to a beach. It gives us great ideas!

How about you - what's the plan?



Is there a page where LL community members talks about where they might go and why and then offer suggestions? I do find it a bit difficult to navigate this particular forum for some reason.

Any help would be appreciated! (for instance if I type "Inkaterra" in the search function, it starts out back in 2007! It should be more current I would think...but then again I am not in the biz.



Plan your trip to Peru - I think you will find it amazing.



Dana

[bonniejoy03]

Hi Danaa...We are heading to Mustique and Barbados next week. (And then back to Guatemala in February.) For trip ideas, many times there are threads of people's wish lists. Also, check out the travel blogs. I have gotten a lot of great trip ideas from the blogs. Great travelling to you!

[omegaet]

rosalita106....you should look at the new Mystery Auction posted for South America.....you might want to see if you can "steal" these extra two nights....I'm pretty confident of my guess for the hotellocation in Aguas Caliente. Good luck....

[rosalita106]

Thanks --will do