There has for sure been an eye-opening experience to deal with the higher altitudes along the Andes. I was at first not aware of the effects of ascending or staying at high altitudes, neither on my bike nor on myself. I have therefore come to learn (through experience) more than I have cared to learn. :)
Altitude sickness:
At higher altitudes (+2,500 masl), although the 21% of oxygen in the air remains the same, the air density decreases. This means that the lungs absorb less oxygen than it would normally, which makes any physical activities harder to perform. (Ex. Walking up a set of stairs). Aside from this, further side effects may include head aches and stomach pain, which may show up to 12 hours after the actascent. However, higher altitudes may for some people not be a problem at all, and for others (like myself) be a pain in the @ss.
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| Enjoying a cup of coca-leaf-té in the morning sun at Lauca |
It was in San Pedro when we went to see the Geysers (at 4,500 masl) that I first started to appreciate the effects of high altitude. Just walking briskly had me catch my breath. We had prepared some hot water with coca-leaves before we left, which is suppose to help against head aches and stomach pain (you can even chew on the leaves). - When I later went to Lauca National Park at 3,000 to 5,000 masl and stayed for a few days, I got really bad, piercing head aches (which I first thought was the effect from the first night´s party). But some head ache pills helped to alleviate the pain a bit.
It is important to drink plenty of fluids, even start a few days before the ascent. Furthermore, it will help to ascend slowly, spend a day or so at lower heights (2,500 - 3,000 masl) before continuing. Also, if needed you can descend a bit if the symptoms become to intense. Keep in mind to maintain a low pace, take it slow, walking as well as just moving around.
Have a read at wikipedia:
Riding a bike at high altitudes:
As I approached San Pedro (at 2,500 masl) earlier on my trip, my motorbike started to ride both slower and weaker. Without much thought to the matter, but rather focused to arrive at my destination before sunset, I turned up the accelerator. In this manner did I not only use up way above avg gasoline / km, but also (according to my Honda mechanics at 2nd service) busted a vale in the engine. :S ..ops!
Like us humans, the higher altitudes makes it harder for the engine to perform physical labour. The carburetor, which is responsible for the air and gasoline mix that enters the engine, will mix air with less density then normal, hence with less oxygen and relatively too much gasoline, the engine will lose power output. Now being aware of this, I don´t turn the accelerator to maximum believing that it will generate maximum power, but notice instead when I force too much gasoline into the engine, and release the accelerator to arrive at a optimal balance and power output.
I came across a video that explains very well how a carburetor works and what it actually does.
It can be a good point to ask the service mechanics about this, if you are heading up into the mountains. And if you have not been at high altitudes before, remember to ascend at a cautions rate, especially if you intend to stay at this altitude for some time. - Good luck and let me know if the post is useful!!
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