Touchdown in Cuzco

Hola,

I'm still a bit jetlagged from Europe, but I returned for 1 day to recuperate in NY, say hi to my family and repack before hopping on another long flight down to South America. This time, the destination is Machu Picchu.  I'm here in Cuzco after an overnight double connection flight from NY.  My first test here was to see if toilets really flushed the other way in the Southern Hemisphere and -- to my disappointment -- they do not! In fact, I don't know if there's any rhyme or reason to which way the toilet swirls, but I swear the one I have at home goes counterclockwise and so does this one at my hostel. =T

Anyway, I arrived early this morning in Cuzco and the first bit of bad news I got was that my travel companions, Cindy and James, were stranded in NY. Their overnight flight had been canceled due to "mechanical failures" so now they are arriving a day later than scheduled.  They say that it's essential to have at least 2 days to acclimate to the high altitudes in Cuzco (which is at 11,500 ft) before beginning the 4 day trek up the Inca Trail so I hope they'll be alright. My hostel promptly served me a cup of coca tea when I arrived, which supposedly staves off altitude sickness.

Altitude sickness can hit even the healthiest, physically active people. So far, I feel a slight sinus pressure and I'm a little short of breath but that could just be that my hostel is located on the top of a hill...after a whole day of sightseeing, still being jetlagged, I hope I'll fully adjust by tomorrow. <cross fingers>. My doc also gave me some acetozolamide to combat the altitude sickness during the hike.

I even got myself a bunch of travel guidebooks