CUSCO, Peru-Cusco, the golden city of the Incas, sprawls across the hillsides of the high Andes Mountains. Its historic architecture - from the colossal, Inca-built walls to the dazzling facades of the Spanish-colonial Plaza de Armas - makes it an archaeological dream.
With all this grandeur it's strange that the main topic of conversation among the travellers who crowd the narrow, cobbled lanes is how to cope with altitude sickness - at 3,500 metres Cusco is the sixth-highest city in the world.
Simply put, altitude or mountain sickness is caused by the low air pressure found at high altitudes (typically above 2,400 metres). As barometric pressure decreases, each breath contains fewer molecules of oxygen.
While not everyone suffers from the effects of being high up, many do. After flying to Cusco from Lima I suffered consequences that varied from shortness of breath to headaches to sleeplessness. Others mentioned nausea, dizziness and loss of appetite. Over my five days in Cuzco, then on to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca, I heard of many remedies.
A well-travelled Dutch couple at my breakfast table at Hostal Marani swore chewing cocoa leaves helped them. Some people try breathing pure oxygen, which most Cusco hotels advertise they have available. I tried it one day, sitting in a sunny courtyard feeling headachy and slow. After 20 minutes I was still lethargic.
The more I toured, the more advice I heard. It's universally accepted that you should limit your physical activity (not easy in Cusco as it's very hilly), move slowly, drink plenty of water and eat less than usual. (Two other good pieces of advice were not to take sleeping aids and not to consume alcohol. Both have more potent effects in the thin air.)
The guide on a city tour advised sleeping with raised feet. I was also told to sleep with my head higher than usual. I tried to picture finding sleep nirvana in this hammock-like position. One local advised that upon arrival, I should lie down for six hours, which seemed a waste of time, having spent many hours and big bucks to get here.
An Englishman and I compared our sleeplessness each morning. When he occasionally did drop off he had frightful nightmares. Someone had told him to put eucalyptus leaves in boiling water in his room, but he said it hadn't helped. Another Brit swore the best ritual was a big shot of whisky before bed, his theory being that no matter how bad you felt, it would knock you out.
Aside from taking the prescription drug Diamox I found the best remedy was to get out of Cusco. A day trip to the Sacred Valley (some 800 metres lower) was therapeutic in every way.
In retrospect, I would heed the recommendation to gain altitude slowly and I'd suffer the long (17- to 23-hour) bus ride from Lima, rather than flying in. Then I'd spend three nights in the lower and lovely Sacred Valley - Pisac and Ollantaytambo are both delightful - followed by two nights in Cusco. It pays to acclimatize.
ACCESS
For information on travel in Peru visit the Peru Export and Tourism Promotion Board website at www.peru.info .
PHOTO CAPTION
Boys pose for a picture between classes at Lima's Puericultorio Perez Aranibar orphanage. Volunteer vacations let visitors give them the one thing the orphanage doesn't: individual attention.
Photo by Judi Lees/Meridian Writers' Group
Volunteering puts a unique twist on a vacation
Meridian Writers' Group
LIMA, Peru-Three sets of tiny hands grasp at the nursery-rhyme book I hold and three sets of luminous dark eyes look up at me. " Escucher, escucher ," I murmur and they giggle at my Spanish. "Listen" is a well-used term at Puericultorio Perez Aranibar (PPA), South America's largest orphanage, housing and educating 540 children, from infants to 17 year olds.
This is day three of my two-week stint at the orphanage and often I am overwhelmed by the challenges. My Spanish is minimal, but there's still plenty I can do. I spend mornings in a kindergarten class of 18 rambunctious five-year-olds where the room vibrates with kinetic energy, doing everything from sharpening pencils to helping children with their work.
Some nights I tuck toddlers in. Although mayhem rules, eventually, I read a story and watch as eyes get droopy before I tip-toe from the dormitory.
I am part of a Global Volunteers team, a St. Paul, Minnesota-based organization that sends willing workers to 19 countries. Volunteers pay and give time to support non-profit projects. In Lima, we stay at a comfy, three-star hotel and are bused to the orphanage for a full day's work. We also explore Lima - the tourist sights plus the poverty-ridden townships - and dine at excellent restaurants.
I soon recognize some of the orphanage characters. There is the ring-leader, Jeison. A ham, he works quickly, then has time to entertain the others behind the teacher's back. (I later learn that before coming to the orphanage, he was doing manual labour.) Alexandria has remarkable sleight of hand and can pocket your eraser undetected. Vanessa is lazy but has a pretty smile, which she uses liberally. Angel (pronounced "Anhel"), an adorable little guy, frequently cries, which I decide is his token move for attention.
Alongside two other volunteers I spend afternoons with either Grade-3 girls or Grade-4 boys. Through games, we familiarize them with English. With this highly energetic group we play soccer, basketball and skip-rope. We teach them hangman and run rowdy games of bingo. It's exhausting, but there are rewards: a shy boy high-fives you after scoring a basket, a sulky nine-year-old girl lights up when you play skip-rope with her.
I had few expectations when I arrived at PPA. I did anticipate seeing unhappy children, but most reminded me of kids at home, having their ups and downs and occasionally conniving for attention - a surprise considering that some have been abandoned, others given up by parents who cannot support them or removed from their families because the conditions there were unsafe.
As volunteers we often felt we weren't doing enough, but during our discussions we decided that what we give them is individual attention, the one thing the orphanage doesn't supply. The children are well clothed, fed and cared for at PPA, but undivided attention is scant.
I have many happy memories: seeing dozens of three-year-olds celebrate their birthdays at one big party; passing popcorn among teenagers who loved their Friday afternoon movie; and tucking in the smiling toddlers.
ACCESS
For more information on Global Volunteers visit its website at www.globalvolunteers.org .
