We left our cozy jungle home Tuesday morning and headed back to Puerto Maldonado. The first part of the journey was by boat and the second part was a very bumpy van ride on a dirt road. We had a long, hot wait at the airport since only a few planes actually arrive and depart (at their leisure) each day. We flew to Cusco (the ancient capital of the Inca Empire!) and were greeted by a completely different landscape and climate. It was mountainous and much cooler. And higher. The elevation is 11,000 feet. Cynthia, our fantastic Cusco guide, picked us up at the airport and immediately briefed us on the symptoms and treatment of altitude sickness which is very common there. Luckily there are coca plant remedies everywhere you look. I experienced some various sicknesses over the next several days but it's hard to pinpoint the exact cause...altitude, bumpy rides on curvy roads, heatstroke, dehydration, more curvy roads, bad queso, etc. And those cooler temperatures were deceptive...we all had sunburns by the end of the week. Darn that thin atmosphere.
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| The view from the bumpy back seat of the van. |
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| We passed by this family...who says you need a minivan? |
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| I'm pretty sure we never stopped at a stop sign. |
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| Bathroom signage. |
Motorcycles were the family vehicle of choice in China--nothing like a mom holding a baby side saddle! It just brings balance to the world of babies rear facing for two years in five point harness car seats, right?
ReplyDeleteWhat an adventure! There's really no room for confusion with bathroom signs like that. How funny!
ReplyDeletethat looks like so much fun
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