I Need A Doctor...

Today my head was on the brink of exploding....and Jenesa was dizzier than normal (haha).  Nobody cared to warn us that Cusco was 12,000 feet above sea level.  What does that mean?  It means if you are one of the 70% of people who are effected by altitude sickness....you´re screwed!  Lucky us!  In high altitudes the air is thin and dry.  And, because of this, you have to breathe at short intervals.  Breathing this way causes you to lose more water exhaling than you gain by inhaling.  So you wind up dehydrating yourself very quickly by just breathing!!!

Unfortunately, there is no "cure" for altitude sickness....other than descending back down to normal elevation.  For us....that wouldn´t happen for another 3 days.  The next few days would take us through Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and then Machu Picchu.

How we survived a 5 hour city tour today.....I have no idea!

The city of Cusco (or Cuzco) is said to be built in the shape of the puma, a sacred animal for the Incas. The head is represented by the fortress Sacsaywaman (Sexy Woman), the heart by the plaza of Huacaypata, and the converging Huatanay and Tullumayo rivers represent the tail.  This is where your history lesson ends.....

.....and I´ll let our photos do the rest of the talking.  The Incas were so far ahead of their time in technological advances (roads, buildings, agriculture, and calendar) that it boggles your mind when you see it up close and in person.  I´m not going to bore you with all of that information.  Our current technology of 2015 allows you to do your own research.  Just Google those crazy Incas and find out for yourself what we are spending 3 days learning and seeing.  www.google.com  

 Plaza de Armas (Cusco)

 Sacsaywaman

 Puca Pucara

Koricancha "Sun" Temple