Today was a travel day. I had a short but good sleep and got up at 3:30 a.m. local time in Asuncion, got ready and my pre-arranged ride was already waiting. There was next to no traffic at this time, so the ride to the airport was quick. The first plane left on time and arrived early. The second plane left a little late and arrived on time. The third plane left on time and arrived on time. My flights were Asuncion –> Lima –> Santa Cruz –> La Paz. Now, a little bit about high altitude travel. It takes some time for us lowlanders to get used to the elevation which is part of the reason I’m in La Paz so long (10 days), so I had a few days to acclimatize. I’m pretty sure the plane started acclimatizing everyone after take off from Lima because I could feel the difference, and of course, the pressure would have to be equalized with outside before the doors could be opened. After landing in La Paz, I was definitely feeling it; I felt a little weak and lightheaded; all of the normal feelings one gets with elevation. After a bottle of water, I felt better, but it is still difficult to go up hills and stairs, and there are a lot of them in La Paz. The good news is that I remember it being worse in Cuzco; maybe I wasn’t in as good condition. I had some dinner at a local restaurant which looks very much like a museum inside with all sorts of artifacts attached to the walls and ceilings. The dinner was nothing special; I just needed something to eat. It looks like my schedule may have been unintentionally perfect because in two days (when I should be jogging around the hills here), they are having Carnaval here. There are many opportunities to go on day trips and things to do in the city, plus I already have a trip to the salt flats booked. But first, I’m going to relax for at least a day.
