Alpaca Farm, Cusco->Puno
Originally uploaded by Vincent Ma.
When: Day 11
Location: On the road, from Cusco to Puno
In the itinerary, this day, we “enjoy spectacular views of the countryside of this full day of travel through the high Altiplano from Cuzco to Puno.” That’s it, that’s all the description for day 11. While we did spend the whole day travelling in a mini-van, I didn’t get to see much spectacular views as I was feeling sick the whole time.
A fellow tour member knew it first thing in the morning when he saw me. He asked me why did I do everything slowly. I didn’t know it at the time, but I hardly had the breath to answer him. A couple hours into travelling, my stomach hurted so bad, I couldn’t even say a word to anybody. Our tour guide saw me not doing so good, so he stopped the van and let me out for a breather. I thought I felt a bit better and got back on the van and continue the ride. Next thing I know, I started throwing up. The driver stopped the van right the way and let me out (or maybe more like kicking me out), falling on my knees, I let it all out. Last time I vomit, it was probably back in HK when I was a kid. Anyway, I felt much better after all of my breakfast and the dinner last night came out; I could speak again. I asked for some wet napkins and sort of clean up.
The floor near the driver was a mess; I guess it was good thing that I sat in the front at that time. A little easier for the driver to clean up; it would’ve been real ugly if it was at the back of the van. I didn’t vomit for the rest of the trip, but my stomach still hurt quite a bit, and I kept wanting to go to the toilet, thinking it may relieve a bit. That’s why when we got to the Alpaca farm, I spent the whole time in the bathroom. I’ve gotta say, they have the nicest bathroom the whole countryside. Reason being, the Alpaca farm is really catering to Japanese tourists, selling some nice alpaca products. So while I was struggling in the bathroom, rest of the group were having some fun with the alpacas there.
Two things I can blame my misfortune on: High Altitude and Tiramisu; the whole way between Cusco and Puno is at high altitude. Cusco is at 11600 feet altitude, and Puno is at 12628. In fact, we took a brief stop at the highest point of the whole trip, 4335m, or 14222 feet. Thanks to the tour guide, I managed to get a photo of me standing next to the sign.
 |
| From Puno – Lake Titikaka |
It was my lowlight of the trip, but it was definitely an unforgettable experience. I will definitely be more careful of what I eat while travelling (what was I thinking, Tiramisu in Peru?) Peru’s highland region really does have some nice countryside views, too bad I was holding my belly most of the time, instead of my camera.
 |
| From Puno – Lake Titikaka |
