Popping Pills with Ipi

My first day in Peru consisted primarily of traveling. Since my first planned activity was to complete the Inca Trail trek, I buzzed through Lima (after a night at one very questionable "transit hotel" near the airport) and boarded another flight (this time on Peru's national airline, LAN Peru) bound for Cusco, Peru's primary tourist destination and self-proclaimed "gateway to the Inca Trail." Importantly, I arrived in Cusco a full two days before my Inca Trail trek, and with good reason; the trek involves climbing to some truly breathtaking (quite literally) altitudes. Even the city itself registers at a full 3,300 meters (approximately 10,900 feet) above sea level. If one has any prayer of surviving the trek, it's essential that one first spends two full days in Cusco acclimatizing to the altitude. A portable medicine cabinet of altitude sickness medication also helps; I threw those back like a late seventies Elvis.

Fortunately, if you've got two days to burn, you could certainly choose worse places than Cusco. Cusco is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and rightly so; the little city is steeped in history. Cusco has been a thriving city for at least 1,100 years. Initially, the city was occupied by the Killke civilization. The Killke weren't masters of Cusco for very long, however. By the 13th century, the Inca Empire had handed the Killke their eviction notice, and immediately set about sprucing up the place; they built roads and, rather than bother with building bridges, they re-routed two rivers (which had originally traversed the city) around the city. I suppose the Incas were better at digging than at building bridges. For another 300 years or so, the Incas had the place to themselves. On November 15, 1533, however, the Spaniards came knocking. During the 16th century, the Spanish had a reputation as terrible houseguests; as was typical, they sacked the place, molested the women, plundered whatever natural resources they could, and refused to leave after they'd worn out their welcome. The Spaniards also brought terrible house-warming gifts (e.g., smallpox). Oh, and it generally wasn't advisable to "call out" the Spaniards on their unwelcome behavior; that would get you an appointment with another Spanish introduction, the gun. Luckily, the Spanish didn't last even as long as the Incas. By 1824, the Peruvians had shown the Spanish the door, and Cusco began life as part of an independent Peru.

Today, Cusco is well-known as an adventure destination. In addition to the Inca Trail and Lares treks, you can go water rafting, paragliding, and all sort of other things that will void your life insurance policy. And, if you're in the mood for a nasty sunburn, Cusco is the place for you! In 2006, scientists determined that Cusco is the one place on Earth with the highest level of ultraviolet light. Soak up those rays!

However, there are less damaging activities to pursue, including historical tours of the nearby Sacred Valley, visiting numerous galleries and museums, or simply wandering through the picturesque city. On my first day, I decided to get the abridged version of all of the above by taking a one-day city tour. This is where you get on an overcrowded bus, piddle about the city, and watch your tour guide (Ipi, prounounced "Eepee") take personal calls on her mobile phone. I didn't learn terribly much about pre-Colombian civilizations, but I did learn that Ipi's sister prefers Tide to other brands of laundry detergent and that Ipi would go buy some just as soon as the tour was over, so stop calling already.

While Ipi was prattling away on her mobile, I met some pretty cool new people. First was Sandra and her mother from LA, though originally from Taiwan. I immediately endeared myself to them (and puzzled them) by explaining that I would be visiting Taiwan soon. Sandra later endeared herself to me by buying me an inedible ear of maize (but I appreciated the gesture). I also met Dan and Linda, a brother-and-sister pair from Sydney. They were loads of fun. In fact, through a bizarre coincidence, they appeared again the next morning when I set out for a rafting trip. This turned into a good evening; after bonding by enduring a rafting trip full of shockingly boisterous Brazilians, the Australians and I shared a dinner at the Plaza de Armas (see picture at left) back in Cusco.

That dinner didn't last too long, however. The next day (New Year's Day), I was scheduled to meet my trekking group at 5:45 am to begin the Inca Trail trek. And, with that, I completed my two days of altitude acclimatization in Cusco. I did not, however, finish off my altitude-sickness medication; I had five more days of pill-popping to look forward to.