Hi Katia-you are very welcome.! I'm so glad what you bought there helped prevent you from getting altitude sickness. And yes, Cusco is a beautiful city. I like to say that it's the real deal in terms of experiencing Peru.

Hi there I am going to cusco in 3 weeks and slightly worried about the altitude How long did it last for you?

Es correcto. Tambien es importante saber que la digestion en altura es mas lenta por eso se recomienda comer cosas ligeras y no abusar del alcohol.. Por lo demas el cuerpo necesita un perido de aclimatacion..asi q nada de sobreesforzarse durante algunas horas

Thank you!

Thank you so much-I hope the information helps.

You're welcome!

Thank you! Yes, altitude sickness is definitely something that can hit you there.

yes - a lot of people say that @@AndysAwesomeAdventures

+Katia Thor You're welcome Katia!

If I were you, I'd change plans. I traveled to Peru last June and get so sick that I had to abort my trip. It ruined my vacations. I'm from Brazil. I've had done everything they told me to do: I've had taken coca tea, soroche pills, lots of water. If I stayed, I think I could have died.

Go to Tambopata in Puerto Maldonado it's 9 hr drive or 1 hr flight from Cuzco, you won't forget it.

You're welcome-glad it was helpful.

Thanks-glad they were helpful!

Cusco is quite beautiful-I really enjoyed it there.

roarpony You're right about me saying coca tea wrong. In my Sacred Valley video, I also mispronounced coca tea as coco tea and put up a graphic saying I had pronounced it wrong. Yes, Machu Picchu is not as high as Cusco-MP is about 7,900 feet above sea level-Cusco about 11,200 feet. Thanks for the additional advice about preventing altitude sickness.

Why do you say stop eating after 5pm, what does that do?

@@donesy125 Helps with sleep

Thank you-hope they help.

Thanks and have a great time!

That's good advice.

Good luck and enjoy!

You're welcome-my girlfriend and I loved Peru!

That’s no going to happen lol. I rather walked around on a space suit. Lol.

This is too funny. Your top floor is 100 to 300 ft from sea level, not 11,000 feet. Find out if your building is swaying. Many high rises are designed to sway with the wind. Structure is flexible. For example, Bank of America tower at 1 Bryan Park, New York, NY was very uncomfortable for me. 32nd floor was swaying and computer monitors were shaking ever so slightly. Some people noticed and many others had no problem.

Your appartment is 11,000 feet!? 😂

I honestly don't know.

How did your research go?

My wifes will love this

Thank you Andy for your advice. I am 73 booked my trip to south america. Travelling alone. This is my last wonders of the word in my bucket list. I am looking forward to my trip. Thanks once again Andy

Best of luck. Drink a lot of water and rest on your first day in Cusco.

Thank you for your comment. In the United States we use feet so that's why I use feet.

USA is always apart of the woeld

As he said, Diamox is a diuretic, so you will be going the bathroom alot, diuretics make you pee not poop :)

Oh I thought "diuretic" like diarrhea. But pissing constantly is an annoyance as swell, especially in a county like this.

briantravelman Caffine is a diuretic too. I drink two pots of coffee a day, and piss like seven times. :)

Like anyone who was born or lives at high altitude for a long period of time, their bodies get acclimated so they don't suffer any ill effects.

+Andy's Awesome Adventures ok

I would not say we don't suffer any ill effects, anyone that grew up up would not, but I have been living in the Cusco region for over 5 years, and I still get out of breath quickly, the big advantage is I don't have to worry about altitude sickness when I leave and return.

You're not definitely going to get sick and if you've ever been to Cusco or Machu Picchu, you'll know why so many people visit despite the relatively high altitude.

so you're guessing I'm lying. the fact is that I traveled to Peru in June / 2018, I did everything they taught me to avoid soroche: I drank coca tea, I took soroche pills, I avoided moving around a lot, I drank a lot of water and even then I was very sick of soroche. I had severe headaches, nausea, stomach pains, dizziness, hallucinations, 7 days without sleep and eating properly, my pressure fell to 8/7 (usually it's 13/8). Soroche ended my vacation. I had to return home in the middle of the trip, otherwise I think I would have died. In fact there are people who die because of the soroche, only that the tourist agents do not speak it. Who wants to believe me, great. Who does not want to, good luck. But you're sure to remember me a lot when you're there at the mercy of Soroche.

Not accusing you of lying at all. I said there's no guarantee that anyone will definitely get sick. Are you saying you got sick from the Sorojchi pills? There's a lot of aspirin and caffeine in them. As with any medication, different people have different reactions. The high altitude itself probably contributed to your illness as well.

Not everyone gets sick at high altitudes m8. I was in Cusco few years ago and first day was the only day I felt actually sick. I slept quite a lot and next day I just felt light headed and a little nauseated. On the third day my body had adapted to the low oxygen levels and felt absolutely normal. Can't remember if I took some pills to help but I drank a lot of water and coca tea and I found that to help quite a lot. And the point of traveling is getting new experiences right? And seeing new places?

Are you a doctor? Perhaps you can give us better medical advice, given that these remedies have worked for people for years?

I am a retired credentialed healthcare provider. Are you sure you want my insight?

Yes, given that drinking water prevents dehydration, inhaling oxygen helps attack the #1 reason for altitude sickness, lack of oxygen, and Diamox is a prescription medicine from medical doctors, etc., I would like your insight. When you say healthcare provider, did you work for a medical insurance company or were you a doctor or nurse? Thanks.

OK. My background is US Military and civilian Anesthesia. I was hyperbaric medicine trained and made frequent altitude chamber rides to maintain airborne status. I have not summited Mt. Everest. I do get the climbing calling and challenge. For the venue of Peru, you were not too far off, but everyone today is looking at the Death Zone altitude sickness (AS) on Mt. Everest, so I'll use that as the focus. At around 26K' the oxygen (O2) content of the air is reduced to about 1/3 of at sea level(ASL). More importantly, the atmospheric pressure is at about 1/3 of ASL. AS is a complex event and there is no one cure to the problem, simply adding O2 touches only part of the problem. What kills in AS is the cerebral edema and pulmonary edema which are both a result of the lower atmospheric pressure, 5 psi-V-14 psi at sea level. Because of the multitude of contributing factors in AS, it is difficult/impossible to predict just who will be impacted by AS. A climber's overall health over the length of the climb also plays a big part in who will feel AS effects. Something as simple as fluid intake plays a role too. With the lower pressure, serum from the blood begins to leak into the alveoli, the tiny air sacs in the lung. This produces a chronic cough with some frothy, even bloody sputum. This is pulmonary edema and it further reduces the amount of O2 delivered to the blood.The coughing can result in rib fractures, again there is 1/3 the pressure on the rib cage as well. Rib fractures usually happen at about the mid-arc portion of the rib, where it is less well supported by surrounding muscles and tissues.The real killer is the brain involvement. The addition of O2 helps in a small way, but not enough to prevent AS. Because of the lower pressure brain swelling can result. With the swelling, cerebral edema, behavior begins to change from confusion to right out combative behavior. This can be a deadly event on the mountain. There is one last event that the lower pressure causes. O2 is carried in two ways in the blood. One way is combined with the red blood cells. Acclimatization helps increase the number of red cells, so that is a good thing. The low side of increased Red cell count is thicker blood. This can contribute to blood clots, especially worrying in the face of dehydration. O2 is also carried dissolved in the blood plasma. With the reduced pressure, less O2 is dissolved in the blood. Adding O2 during the climb, and in the Dead Zone does help to a degree, but not totally, and not for long.All of these things combine to present the clinical picture of AS. How do you treat it? The only real answer to AS is to return the climber to lower altitude or death will result. Diamox, a diuretic, can help some with the pulmonary and cerebral edema, but at the expense of more dehydration. It can also lead to blood clots due, in part, to the increased number of red blood cells. I would use diuretics with caution as it can cause other problems as well. One thing that may be of value is Cortisone, or Decadron to reduce inflammation. The best answer for everyone is to check in with the docs at base camp, and higher camps if they go that high. Let them decide about diuretics and steroids. There are things you can do in breathing that can help a little with pulmonary edema. The only real answer is to move climbers with pulmonary and cerebral to a lower altitude as fast as possible. Anyone in the Death Zone who stays there long enough will die, it is just a matter of time. Eventually, pulmonary and cerebral edema will happen and the climber will no longer be able to maintain consciousness, they will go to sleep and die. One answer to the problem of AS is the use of a pressure suit. Astronauts that do EVAs and who have walked on the Moon all wear pressure suits. If you could design a pressure suit that you could climb with, Altitude Sickness would not be such a problem. I hope I have been able to shed som light on the issue of Altitude Sickness. It is the result of lower O2 content, and lower atmospheric pressure. In the Dead Zone, both are about 1/3 of what it is at sea level. Oxygen alone will not solve the problem. Steroids and cautious use of diuretics may help, let a doc at base camp decide that for you. The only real answers are, bringing the stricken climber down as fast as possible. If you can design a pressure suit for alpine climbing, AS will be solved ;-) Questions???

Thanks for the info! Yes, Cusco at 12,000 feet is a lot different than altitude at over 20,000 feet.