Recovery from altitude sickness and acclimatization

Our first day back in San Mateo really was mainly a rest day. Elke still had fever the night before and was regenerating from feeling ill so many days. Therefore, our first day was spent sleeping, chilling, or doing groceries to mainly regenerate and get some strength back.

The next day, we went on a small hike onto the slopes surrounding San Mateo as a way of getting out of the noisy city and doing some elevation training. The slopes around the city were much prettier and greener than the view from the valley would lead you to believe. Hand-built stone walls surrounded fresh green fields and the cool mountain air carried the enjoyable scent of eucalyptus trees. Unfortunately, the sun wasn’t shining (i.e. it was cold) but we still had a nice view across the town and the train tracks. The latter we found more interesting. Partially, because San Mateo isn’t much of a sight to behold, but also because we could witness one of the rare maneuvering tactics of the FCCA trains to navigate the mountainous area despite their technological limitations.

We picnicked on the mountain slopes before heading back into town. We did some last essential groceries and then headed to the warmth of our beds. That night as we lay in bed we were happy to be gone the next day as Saturday evenings are proper loud in Peru. They party like there is no tomorrow and burn up one firecracker after the other. The noise, which the single-glassed and badly sealed windows barely managed to keep out, was staggering and made sleep difficult.