Air Heads

Well we arrived in Cusco yesterday, we'd been warned what the altitude would be like but it´s another thing to experience it. At around 3,500m the air is thin and suddenly you know what it feels like to be be very old indeed - all we can do is simply crawl along through airport arrivals.

Fortunately Susanne and Carmen are there to meet us and we greatfully give up all thoughts of chivalry as they insist on carrying all our luggage to the taxi. Taxis here are tiny, Peruvian equivalents of Austin Metros only half the size and its suprising there is enough room in them to carry all our baggage.

We take Liz from head office´s advice and.. rest all evening, drinking lots of water and cocoa tea, with neither of us having the strength to venture out of the hotel all night. Altitude is a bit like a bad hang over, except you haven´t had the fun.

Today we visited an advocacy training project for community leaders. As part of the day they act out a senario where a guy has to use all his negotiation skills to ask out a girl who has taken his eye whilst also getting the approval of the father and appeasing the ex-boyfriend! Its clear that they are having great fun as they are having hysterics for most of the time. There is a serious side though as they learn about conflict and power relationships and how to achieve meaningful change. They all go away much more effective negotiators.

Speaking of which Id better go and negotiate my way home through all the street hawks.

Please write us some comments on our trials.

Graham