Oh Peru! Part 3 Hot-springs, Hummingbirds and A Head-on Collision with Mountain Sickness!

We arrived at The Colca Lodge exhausted from our 2 day canyon trek and soaked our aching muscles in the natural, lush, hot springs…heaven!

We were mesmerised by a little hummingbird who was buzzing around in some flowers just feet away from us- The wildlife of Peru is diverse, plentiful and leaves travellers like us in wonderment!

Despite living on the gorgeous TIKA, we have been in the 3rd world now for over 2 months and it was really nice to be engulfed by a little luxury at this 5 star baby!!  Our super early start and ascent up the canyon plus the altitude of the Peruvian Andes (the lodge sits at 3500m) put us in a dreamy state…The hot spring soak, a long lunch complete with Pisco Sours and a massage in the spa for Russ had us literally floating by the time we walked into the fire-lit dining room for dinner. …

We ordered a nice bottle of red and some really good food as the dining room slowly filled with a bus load of tourists who had arrived late in the afternoon. We heard accents and languages from around the world and found ourselves relaxing into the meal and sweating slightly as our table sat next to a roaring fire!

Russ said he wasn’t feeling great and stepped outside for some fresh air. Although I didn’t think much of it, a few minutes later I had a thought that I should check on him as it wasn’t usual for him to be unwell. At that exact moment I heard a loud bang and a collective gasp from most of the diners who had a visual of the doors to the al fresco area. I knew instantly that it was Russ and that he had passed out.

I raced outside to find him still out cold with a waiter holding his head. He came to and I asked him if he wanted to sit up but instead he rolled over and puked up his hideously expensive dinner…. He eventually sat up and the waiter brought oxygen and he seemed to perk up. He had stomach cramps but to my surprise (or not) he was keen to head back inside and eat his dessert Not a good idea! It was hot inside and he soon started to look like he was seconds away from passing out again. We asked for the oxygen once more but had to wait a few minutes as someone else was using it (it is a common problem at 3500m apparently)

Even after oxygen the Captain still did not look right at all so I asked the manager to call a Dr from the local village. They got him back to the room on a golf cart and the Dr soon arrived, diagnosed mountain sickness (his oxygen saturation level was only 80. At altitude 90+ is healthy and normal range at sea level is 98) A noisy oxygen machine that was to be our room-mate for the night was ceremoniously wheeled in and Russ was plugged into a nose tube ready for a night of oxygen-induced sleep.

Apparently you cannot predict who will or will not suffer from altitude sickness and it can hit a person of any age or fitness level at any time. You can go up to altitude 10 times and the 11th time you can suffer. We attribute Russel’s bout to many contributing factors including a huge day with a 4am start and a 1300m ascent, alcohol (he had a cocktail at lunch and had just finished his first glass of wine at dinner) and of course altitude. 

So, our one decadent night in a luxury lodge was a bit more dramatic than we had planned….but thankfully Russ bounced back quickly (albeit up to his eyeballs in drugs and saturated with oxygen!) We learnt a thing or 2 about mountain sickness and well, he couldn’t have chosen a more comfortable place to keel over…

Next post: Roasted Guinea Pigs and Skulls in the Kitchen!