Every one of us wants that picture-perfect scene: us perched on ancient stones at Machu Picchu, seeing the morning mist unfurl to reveal the sacred Inca citadel, glowing with morning sun. It’s the ultimate travel cliché on the modern wellness-aspirationalist’s to-do list, offering views, perspective, and history all in one go. Behind that calm and collected snapshot is often a logistical nightmare that can decimate your nervous system before your feet even hit the soil of Peru.
Missed Flight Connections
Having booked connections of less than two hours from Lima to Cusco allowed a small delay on the tarmac to morph into an overwhelming surge of adrenaline. Sprinting through a crowded airport in a state of panic not only exhausted us physically and put us in a state of high brain fog, but it also nearly cost us our passports at security.
Tap Water Incident
A single minute of lost caution over our drinking water was responsible for giving us Giardia and Cryptosporidium to deal with, causing such intestinal damage that all of our sightseeing in ancient cities was nothing but a quest for a bathroom.
Ignoring Circadian Rhythms
Jet lag’s assault on our internal body clock led to a disconnect between our biology and the local solar cycle. Our efforts to get to sleep involved long hours in harsh fluorescent lights, shattering our restorative sleep and physical recovery.
Forgetting Deep Breathing
With increased elevation, our breathing naturally quickened and shallowed. This triggered fight-or-flight hormones, which consequently increased heart rate and fear. It wasn’t until we practiced relaxed diaphragmatic breathing that we felt at ease.
Train Luggage Limits
The trains to Machu Picchu restrict luggage to 11 lbs, which we, unfortunately, failed to check before the trip. We had to re-pack our entire loads on the train platform, causing a pulled lower back muscle and seriously threatening our mobility.
Panic over Losing a Train Ticket
Since Machu Picchu has rigid, non-transferable, timed train tickets, the brief disappearance of our tickets to the fortress prompted a near-meltdown of catastrophic thinking and immense muscle tension brought on by psychogenic stress.
Ignoring the Present Moment
On our last trip, we were caught up in “going to the next event” (lines for the bus, charging cameras). We totally forgot about the amazing cloud forest, so we made a conscious effort to “be in the moment”.
Caffeine Overload
Desperately trying to fight off jet lag and early mornings, we pumped ourselves up with about 5 shots of espresso. While they work by blocking the action of caffeine antagonists in the brain, their other effects as diuretics and vasoconstrictors contribute to both dehydration and headache.
