Altitude and children in Cusco! A heady mix…
“It’s not altitude its attitude,” my youngest says, as he runs up the narrow streets with me out of breath lagging behind. Both Him and his sister have been quite taken with the people and culture of the Andes. Their sheer excitement for adventure has made the trip varied and memorable for us all, particularly our stay at Machu Picchu.
It is as magical and captivating as I imagined, although my mental image never featured the steep terracing around the site with no barriers! Nonetheless the children were smart and cautious with a little encouragement from the grown ups.
On the second day at the site the children wanted desperately to walk to the Sun Gate steps, the entrance to the city from the Inca Trail. My son with boundless energy at 7 years led the way, followed closely by his 9-year-old sister. Towards the top of the trail many people passed us surprised to see the children let alone on this high path that clings to the mountain. It was only a matter of time when we realized why, the last section being precariously narrow with steep steps and a handrail!
“Stick to the wall and slow down!” I shouted, ever the voice of parental control. Meanwhile under my breath it was a different story. A constant muttering of, “Easy girl, you can do it” calmed my jangling nerves until we reached the top.
Our reward was a spectacular view and a gratifying sense of achievement, the children mesmerized whilst sitting on the edge of the high terrace and asking a million questions about this ancient city and civilization. If only they took this much interest in history classes at school…
Travelling with a family can be a challenge at times, but the benefits that I know the kids will get from our experiences make the effort worthwhile. I have to say that things would have been much harder without the assistance of Escaped to Latin America – they took care of all the logistics, leaving us to enjoy our vacation.
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