Keep in mind before visiting mountainous Mexico

[DonJuane]

Yes, true, altitude sickness is something I've never experienced and I was not meaning to lead the interpretation of what I wrote as only pertaining to that specific area of sickness, head aches, etc, upon the initial assent to high altitude. At the same time I also sympathize with anyone who experiences this type of illness. As recently as 3 years ago I spent time at Wolf Pass, CO and had no symptoms of altitude sickness. However, when it comes to physical activity at altitude that is when it walks its walk with me personally. I've also found that unless you have been personally compromised with altitude issues, they are often hard to communicate to others who are unfamiliar.

Still the sole message I am trying to communicate here is that everyone is different and altitude can create issues for certain people. As one who is a recent victim I serve as my own best witness and informant. At bare minimum, high altitude can effect you and to any extent, and even it if is a slight physical "slow down" over time, you can observe that your lifestyle has been limited. And GTO is a great example of this. Unless you have the budget to live in the city center and never venture out much to the higher stair-access only areas of the city, over time you may not realize it but you go out less, maybe skip meals or trips to the grocery store because you just don't want to battle your hundreds of stairs to reach your destination. This is never more evident than if you spend a little vacation time in Chapala, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Morelia or other popular cities at higher elevations but less of an incline where you may find you are getting out more often and doing more, in spite of the increased altitude. When you have altitude and you add the constant requirement of climbing in order to explore, the two can be a toxic mix for those in less than perfect health.