As soon as you check in at the hotel in Cusco they give you a cup of coca tea. This apparently helps with the affects of altitude which can vary greatly from person to person, and can be quite severe. Generally it's just a headache and maybe a light headedness. At 11,000 feet it can certainly be felt here.
I had heard of this tea, and expected something coffee like, thinking cocoa/coffee, who knows. I was wrong. When it came it was hot water with some large green leaves floating in it, and tasted somewhat like you had cooked vegetables and were now drinking the hot water. Not very nice. I said to a fellow tourist, I think the locals just do it as a joke and are laughing at us.
I'm not sure if it was the tea or it just affects some people, but I feel ok. The only time I notice it right now is climbing stairs, becoming breathless fast. It should take a few days to get used it in time for the 4 day hike to Machu Picchu.
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