So we spent the first part of the trip up in Peru\u2019s northeast, near Iquitos, and then we focused on the area in and around Cusco. Now we\u2019re in the south, not far from Bolivia.
(Central Intelligence Agency public domain image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve just arrived at Puno (at nearly nine o\u2019clock at night) after a long drive that began early in the morning in Cusco. \u00a0We took several lengthy sightseeing breaks, and, anyway, the roads in this region of Peru are slow and only double-laned. \u00a0Not exactly superhighways or the German Autobahn<\/em>.<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Moreover, we have an early start tomorrow morning. \u00a0So my blogging may be limited tonight.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
We stopped by several fascinating sites on which I\u2019ll need to write something later, because I\u2019m really tired right now. \u00a0Among other places that we stepped out of the van was the mountain pass of Abra La Raya, which is 4335 meters above sea level, or roughly 14,223 feet. \u00a0That makes it the highest place on earth that I\u2019ve ever stood, except for the time, when I was a teenager, that I climbed Mt. Whitney, in California, which is the highest peak in the contiguous United States. \u00a0It reaches 14,505 feet above the level of the sea. \u00a0(Curiously, the lowest place in North America,\u00a0Death Valley\u2019s\u00a0Badwater Basin, is just 84.6 miles to the east southeast of Mt. Whitney. \u00a0Badwater Basin is \u00a0282 feet (or 86\u00a0meters) below sea level.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
We\u2019re now on the shore of the famous Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America. \u00a0Mostly owned by Peru but shared with Bolivia, it may well be the highest navigable lake in the world, at 12,507 feet above sea level.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Plainly, people hoping to do this trip need to be prepared for high altitudes. \u00a0Since leaving the Amazon rainforest, we\u2019ve spent almost all of our time between about 8,000 feet above sea level and about 12,ooo or 12,500 feet.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some who come here develop altitude sickness. \u00a0I didn\u2019t on my first brief trip to Peru, and I\u2019m pleased to report that I haven\u2019t on this visit, either. \u00a0You definitely feel the altitude, though. \u00a0Climbing a gentle hill or a couple of flights of steps can leave you feeling just a bit more winded than such exercise normally would. \u00a0The air is thin here, but the night sky is absolutely beautiful with stars and planets and the Milky Way. \u00a0The constellations are, of course, not those that we see in the northern hemisphere.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Posted from Puno, Peru<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00a0 \u00a0 We\u2019ve just arrived at Puno (at nearly nine o\u2019clock at night) after a long drive that began early in the morning in Cusco. \u00a0We took several lengthy sightseeing breaks, and, anyway, the roads in this region of Peru are slow and only double-laned. \u00a0Not exactly superhighways or the German Autobahn. \u00a0 Moreover, we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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