May 2012 trip

Arlene P wrote:
Anyone going on the May 22,2012 trip? There are many styles of Merrell water shoes. Any suggestion on which one is best. I looked at the Women's Barefoot Water Swift Glove shoe. Not sure which one to get for my husband. What about altitude pills. Any suggestions on that.
Heard great things about this trip and really looking forward.
Arlene P

Comments

  • Hello. My husband Larry and I will be on the May 22 trip, looking forward to it as well. Re the altitude medication, my doctor gave me a prescription for ACETAZOLAMIDE 250 MG TABLET (1 tablet orally 2 times a day 24 to 28 hours before ascending and 48 hours after descending) -- hopefully, they'll work! I also plan on drinking the coca leaf tea and trying the candy.
    About the water shoes, I had planned on taking our old Keens, but maybe I should look into the Merrells as well. We should prob. have something that dries quickly or we'll be squishing around for a while.
  • Ladies,

    We took this trip last year. It was fabulous. You'll have a blast. About the water shoes, there are lots of different things you can do regarding the "wet landings". My husband and I brought the regular old water shoes that are made by Speedo. But I think we only wore them once. What most of us ended up doing was carrying the shoes we wanted to walk in and deal with the "wet landings" barefoot. That seemed to work well. Otherwise, you're right, other shoes were sloshing around and your feet were slipping around inside the shoes. For this reason, the plain old water shoes worked well when you were going to be walking on sand. When it was rocky, hard soled shoes, like Merrells or Keens (what I wore) are best. Your director will tell you what kind of landing (wet or dry) and what kind of terrain you'll encounter the night before, so you'll know exactly which footwear to bring.

    I took the acetazolamide in Peru and was fine. My husband chose not to take it.... and he regretted that decision. He did get sick at Machu Picchu. It only lasted a short while so it was no big deal, but I'm sure he would have rather just taken the few pills. The only problem with the pills is that they are mild water pills (diuretics), so they may make you have to go to the bathroom more often (which is why my husband didn't want to take them). I didn't really have any problem like that though. I'm not sure the coca leaf tea, candy, or chewing the actual leaves did a darn thing, to be honest.

    All in all, it was amazing. You WILL love it. Enjoy!

    P.S. Bring LOTS of STRONG sun screen. You WILL need it! And bring a hat!
  • Thank you so much for the information. I started packing already! I better go buy a hat.
  • to AHeltsley regarding acetazolamide dose, see ref www.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2012/ about altitude illness. " the dose is 125mg every 12 hours, beginning the day before ascent and continuing the first 2 days at altitude, or longer if ascent continues". I believe this traveler stated a dose of 250mg. Better check it out. Also, if he/she is already taking another diuretic, what to do. Travel safe!
  • trvlgm -- Thank you for noticing this, you're right! I checked my husband's prescription and his is 125 mg.
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