Moving to new accommodations

Accommodation disasters

The temperature was cold, and the air was thin. I woke early, showered, packed away my things, and by 8 am I was downstairs and online trying to book new accommodation as I was not prepared to stay another night in the same apartment. By 9am, searching online, I had found what looked to be a fairly decent single room at a nearby hostel. Booked and paid for through an online app I made my way to the address given, deciding to walk as the trek appeared to be downhill, or at least level and not upward. I found the street, and then started to search for the house number. I finally managed to contact the ‘manager’ of the hostel/apartment, and was given new directions. When I finally arrived at the location, it was a spot I recognized as having passed by several times in my search. I contacted the manager through Whatsapp again, asking to be let in the front door. I was asked in return if I could please come back at 2pm to check in. I asked why, since I was already at the location, and I would at least like to deposit my luggage so that I didn’t have to carry it around with me. The answer back was a few minutes in arriving. I would have to come back at 2pm, because the ‘manager’ was in class at the university until that time.

Front entrance – somewhere in Cusco

The front of the ‘hostel’ was a closed steel door, with no signs, only a small number. As a resident came out I passed inside since I had no key to get in. The entrance led to a parking space, filled with construction materials, a parked motorcycle, an uncompleted, and what I assumed would eventually be a reception counter, and a staircase to the floors above. Climbing the stairs I soon saw that the building had been converted into individual apartments or rooms but that construction was still ongoing. I turned around after the third floor and made my way back down. Luckily I had noticed that the door could be opened without a key from the inside. I went back out again, and set to work on finding an alternative room yet again. I finally did find another suitable hostel, some 3 kilometers across town, and slowly walked back through the alleys and streets of Cusco. I settled in and took stock of the situation, and went to solve my issue with the booking site which had already charged me for the accommodation. It was nearly noon before I finally was able to walk back into the city centre and go in search of a lunch at the market.

So much chocolate to choose from…..

Chocolate

Having already spent more than a day wandering around the streets and alleys of Cusco, I was looking forward to the following day, when I would set out on my trip further south; Cusco was becoming expensive. The weather remained good, and I made better time walking now as I was a little more used to the altitude. I had noticed a day earlier some small shops selling ….. chocolate…. And I ventured my way back to the displays and had a difficult time making a decision, there was so much to choose from, but the space in my bags commanded the number of bars I could buy. Satisfied with my hoard, I returned to retrieve my laundry, then spent a little while ruminating in a coffee shop, just enjoying the sunshine and the view of the city square. There was not much I wanted to do that evening, I simply wanted to relax, and have a good night’s sleep before the early morning departure for Ollantaytambo and points beyond. I had arranged to keep my main luggage at the hostel for the next few days, as I would be returning to Cusco after my trip to Machu Pichu and before setting out for Puno. I settled in for the night, read for a few moments, and went to sleep.\

Over looking Cusco, on a cloudy day.

Altitude panic

At 1 am I woke up; I could barely breathe. I tried to breathe deeply, and for a moment panicked. A heart attack in Cusco would not be a good thing (a heart attack anywhere is not good….). I forced myself to sit up and focus on breathing. There was no chest pain – check off the list – so not likely a heart attack. Slow, deep breaths. Panic attack? But there was nothing to be panicked about. I had no idea what could be happening to me, but I kept focusing on my breathing. My heart rate slowed down, my breathing became easier, and after I while I felt much better and less disoriented. I snapped up my phone and went online, checking the symptoms of altitude sickness. There it was, an entire laundry list of possible issues related to altitude sickness, including shortness of breath, panic-like feelings, and disorientation. I tried to go to sleep again a little while later, but had to sit up again within a few minutes and focus on breathing again. For the next few hours I tried to sleep while remaining seated, and by morning was thoroughly exhausted, but happy that I had survived the night. I was on my way to lower altitudes that day and the next…