Today we had a red-eye flight out of Santiago, Chile to Lima, Peru and then finally to Cusco. Now of course we had seen the Andes Mountains in Chile, but that was from a distance. Even then they had been impressive, but the Peruvian Andes are really something else. As we flew from Lima to Cusco, most of the hour and a half flight was over the Andes, which tells you how wide the range is. We saw a few foothills, but then the peaks seem to multiply expotentially in size, until they crowd each other and overlap. The peaks are massively tall. The plane actually had to go AROUND a few, because they were to tall to safely fly over. The Andes make the Rockies look like an anthill.
I don't know how the first Incas, Peruvians, and other cultures in the area ever made it into the middle of the mountain range to build cities and villages. I would say the Andes are a young mountain range, since the peaks are still jagged and very steep. These are not the gently rolling, eroded, round peaks that you find in Japan, South Africa, or Scotland. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to transport goods through the Andes. It's no wonder Machu Pichu stayed hidden for so long.
Altitude is an ever-present thing once you enter the Andes. Normally, mountains have discrete valleys and peaks, so if you feel sick you just climb down into the valley. Here, that's not possible. As I said, the mountains pile up and run together. This results in a plateau of sorts that sits many thousands of feet in the air, and the peaks rise out of the plateau instead of the ground. The "valleys" where cities like Cusco sit are still 8-10 thousand feet in the air. So all you doctors out there, quit telling people in Peru who get altitude sickness to " go down the mountain," because they can't, except by commercial flight.
Altitude sickness result from the lack of oxygen in the thin air, and symptoms include breathlessness, rapid heart rate, splitting headaches, vomiting, and some severe signs like pulmonary edema and neurologic disturbances. Interestingly, a common preventative medication (which we are also using) is acetazolamide, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. The local people use a tea made from coca leaves (i.e. a very, very dilute cocaine tea).
Anyway, the city of Cusco is a nest of walled, narrow streets that wind up and down hills. Bright blue storefront doors pop up out of nowhere, spilling colorful hats, mittens, and art onto the sidewalks. The central square, the Plaza de Armas, is ringed with museums, a carved stone cathedral, and beautiful arched promenades filled with the fanciest restaurants and shopping in town. The Peruvians in Cusco are a short, stout, happy people with dark hair and brown, weathered skin. They are very proud of their heritage, and will readily explain to you that there are many distinct native Peruvian cultures.
One thing we have noticed as we travel is that the happiest people always live in the mountains or on very small islands. That trend is true here as well, although local attitudes are slightly colored by the huge tourist market. The friendliest, happiest people we have met so far are the Berbers in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Maybe the openness is a result of the small-town effect, or maybe shared difficulties of farming and transport, etc. Whatever the reason, these cultures set a good example to follow. Nothing ruins your impression of a location like rude locals, not that I'm naming names (cough, cough, Australia, cough). We are looking forward to a few more days in Cusco, and then we will begin the 4 day hike along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. - Anna
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