Temple of the Sun at OllantaytamboWe took the 7am flight from Lima to Cusco on TACA airlines. This morning got to a bit of a rough start for me (Amy), as I had some issues with altitude sickness when I arrived in Cusco. I decided to try to sleep it off in the hotel for the day. Our tour guide took my boyfriend out for a brief tour of the city while I attempted to rest. (note: I did take the altitude sickness medication, but I still had some issues). By 8pm that evening, I was not any better (still had a splitting headache), so we called our tour guide, Marco, who immediately arranged for a doctor to come over to the hotel. The doctor arrived promptly and after some half english/half spanish conversations, he diagnosed me with altitude sickness, gave me a shot of pain killer and had the pharmacy deliver some medication and oxygen immediately to the hotel (and it was very inexpensive - less than US$100 for everything). I have to say this was WONDERFUL service - I was so worried I was going to have to sit in an urgent care clinic and wait my turn. I finally got a good night's sleep that evening and was so grateful that everyone was incredibly helpful and understanding.
I'm only mentioning this to let fellow traveler's know that the unexpected can happen, but the team of people including our guide, the doctor and the staff at the hotel were all extremely helpful in getting me back on the mend right away. Altitude sickness happens often there, so everyone is prepared to handle that situation which is nice peace of mind to know. The only thing I would have done differently in hindsight is to call the doctor earlier in the day so I could have started to get better sooner.
