Getting High in the Andes

We found the Uruguayan beaches too crowded and expensive (given that every one from BA vacations there) so we decided to cross the continent ASAP to the beaches south of Lima, Peru.

Besides a lack of availibility of buses, the Andes stood in our way. We found a bus from BA to Jujuy (north of Argentina) that would take two days to get us over the mountains to Chile and then follow the coast to Lima.

We were warned of the effects of high altitude. I´d heard the word ´vertigo´, but always thought it meant something like a mental illness. Now I know better. Our first lunch stop was just before the Chilean boarder (which is the highest point at that latitude) where we queued up for lunch as normal. I had to sit down before I ordered. My head was spinning and standing was just too much effort. Rach could see that all the color from my face (there´s always a lot) had disappeared and the sweating began. I couldn´t tell whether the diahrrea or vomiting was next, so I prepared for both. The food server tried to tell me to snort rubbing alcohol, but I thought she meant to drink it – I did – and that didn´t help things. What did help was the oxygen the bus drivers had ready for sick ones like me. After a few minutes, I was fine for the rest of the trip. Half of the bus also suffered symptoms at altitudes as high as 5200 meters. And that´s the story of the absurd picture.


Our time in Punta Hermosa, at the beach, was exactly what we wanted: attempting to surf, but basically just beaching it. The week provided much needed relaxation from the hustle of BA and the trekking in Patagonia. A few days in Lima got us ready to be back on the road. We saw the sights – the public water fountain park was interesting, as you can see, and we were lucky enough to be downtown for the city´s birthday festival.