Friday, February 22, 2013

High up...

...on Ecuador's roads the blue truck is breathing kind of heavy and its power is very limited, so is mine. The lack of the usual quantity of oxygen lets all physical activities become hard work, not just for my truck.


I have more than just one friend who suffered from altitude sickness when travelling at those kind of levels. For my US American blog readers, 4'200 meters are about 13'800 feet. In Ecuador you can drive on paved roads (Garmin thinks different about that pavement) up to over 16'400 feet (over 5'000 meters). So please prepare accordingly and stay safe. When you do not feel comfortable at the altitude you are at, the best advise is to descend to lower altitudes and take time to adjust accordingly. Don't forget it is kind of normal that your blood pressure rises too as you climb to higher levels, you may need to think about that should your blood pressure be an issue back down/home already. 

CLICK HERE to read more about Altitude sickness, how to prevent an treat it. And enjoy being up there!



1 comment:

  1. I've been sick with altitude sickness five times now in Ecuador and Peru alone. Mostly because we were rushing along and didn't give ourselves time to acclimate. Luckily it hasn't been too severe, but now I know I need to REALLY take my time in Bolivia!

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