I’d been in Bolivia for a couple of weeks and it was every bit as grand as I’d dreamed. Admittedly, I was very nervous about how I’d handle the high altitude there. Much of what I read about what happens to some people at high altitude was sketchy and inconsistent. Some of it was downright terrifying. I mean, your brain swelling inside your skull and shutting down vital organs and such.

At the same time I knew that Bolivia was a popular country to visit and that if the altitude was really all that dangerous I likely would’ve heard more about it.