Resting in Cusco

Its 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I'm lying on bed and my heart is beating hard. I can feel it in my head as its thumping. I have just walked up the flight of steps into our hotel room in Cusco, south America. The altitude is around 11,000 feet above sea level, and we can definatly feel that we are not getting as much oxygen as what we are used to. We were told to expect shortness of breath, getting easily dehydrated and numerous other side effects. They say to spend the first day testing do that we wouldn't get sick. Which could feel kind of like the flu. Which we are really trying to avoid. So after arriving and a long lunch. We walked half a block to see a few sites and I immediate could feel that we needed to go back to our room and rest. My head felt a bit like u was getting a sinus infection. It felt stuffed up and just.... Not right some how. What a unique feeling. So we rest, drink lots of cocoa tea. Which is very similar tasting to green tea. It is supposed to help with the side effects of altitude sickness and also good for digestion and everything else that ails you. Our itinerary has today a day of rest, and that's what we will do.