Puno
Trip Start
Mar 27, 2008
1
10
42
Trip End
Jun 30, 2008
Puno,
Peru
Sunday, April 13, 2008
As I write this in my Puno hotel, there is a huge thunderstorm outside, quite spectacular. No photos though. You have to be either really lucky, or really persistent to get a decent photograph of a lightning strike - Iīm neither Iīm afraid.
The bus from Bolivia took around 3.5 hours to get here (itīs a distance of over 100 miles from Copacabana). The border crossing was a breeze, and I spent my last 1.5 Bolivianos on a shoe-shine while I was in the Passport queue (repairing the damage from Isla Del Sol). I love leaving a country with none of their currency left in my pocket. I know that in most places itīs probably just a few pence, or a couple of quidīs worth at most, but coming out with nothing makes me feel as though Iīve beaten the international foreign exchange system for some reason
Welcome to Peru! The Bolivian border
. Pathetic really.Passengers on the bus were about 75% backpackers/gap year students. Don`t get me wrong, I have no problem with them whatsoever (theyīre a friendly bunch) and vice versa, but sometimes they just make me giggle. One character sitting adjacent to me closed the curtain, completely blocking out his view, and settled down with a copy of the Lonely Planet Guide to Peru. I couldnīt help thinking "Peru isnīt in the guide-book, itīs on the other side of that curtain" - but each to their own I suppose. Also, travellers here think that ethnic headgear is cool, and theyīre all wearing it. Believe me, a grown man dressed up as a pixie, or worse still a Smurf, is not a good look.
The journey down from Copacabana was interesting. Although on paper Peru is a richer country, it looks poorer than Bolivia, or at least this part does. Houses are mainly of abobe construction, with corrugated iron roofs. In some places theyīve put thatch on top of the corrugated iron, for insulation I suppose.The main crops are very similar to Bolivia - maize, potatoes, quiņoa, and more broad beans than is entirely necessary. You also see more donkeys than llamas, as they are stronger and better pack animals (but llamas are tastier).
Arriving at the Bus Station in Puno is a bit of a nightmare. Everybody wants a piece of you, but I managed to negotiate my way through the throng eventually, and booked myself into the Hotel Colon in the centre of town
Hotel Colon Inn, Puno
. In my particular case, Hotel Distended Colon would probably have been nearer the mark.Public transport here is quite interesting. They have buses (mini buses in fact) and taxis just like anywhere else, but also Moto Taxis (like tuk-tuks), and Trici Taxis (like cyclos). There are some photos further down this entry.
Just when I thought Iīd completely acclimatised, I had a massive nosebleed at breakfast this morning (a symptom of altitude sickness, although I must admit Iīd been picking it with a croissant). All a bit embarrassing really - it must have looked like a scene from the Great Strawberry Jam Disaster (2008).
And for dinner.........alpaca. It was OK, but not as good as llama. Anyone who has a passing acquaintance with Peruvian cuisine has probably guessed where this is going. Iīll take a photograph, I promise.
Monday 14 April
Today I went to Uros, to see the floating reed islands. This is a deeply touristy thing to do but it was no less interesting for that, and if you`re in Puno itīs compulsory. At Uros the Aymara people live on several dozen islands built entirely out of reeds and they float in the lake. Theyīre pretty substantial too (maybe 10-20 families to an island), and around a couple of thousand people live here all told
View from my room, Puno
. It isnīt an easy life, as the reeds at the bottom are constantly decomposing, and new reeds must be cut and laid on top of the old to keep everything dry. It isn`t particularly healthy either - life expectancy is less than 60, mainly due to the damp. There are compensations though - if you fall out with your neighbours, your house (also made of reeds) is so light that you can just pick it up and move somewhere else.On the way out to Uros, the boat passes "El Yavari", one of two gunboats built in Birmingham in 1862 and transported to Lake Titicaca. They were built in kit-form, freighted half way around the world (no Panama Canal in those days, so you had to sail round the Horn), and then transported 350 Km by mule. The route crossed the driest desert in the world, went along passes higher than the highest mountains in Europe up to the altiplano, more than 2 miles above sea level. The whole journey took 6 years in total, and after all that, the boats still had to be assembled. El Yavari was finally launched on Christmas day 1870.
I was deeply saddened to hear about the 5 British girls killed in Ecuador a couple of days ago in a coach crash, but not too happy with Simon Calderīs "3rd world country" comments, which were picked up on over here, and don`t help anyone (even if they are true). This type of thing can (and sadly does) happen anywhere, although I freely admit that South American driving isnīt exactly the best in the world. Iīve got an 8 hour coach journey ahead of me tomorrow morning - que sera sera, and all that.
On a lighter note, apologies to James, who posted a question about llama foetuses in the La Paz photo section "what are they used for?", and didn`t get an answer. Basically they are good luck charms for expensive stuff. If you build a new house for example, you bury a llama foetus under the doorstep
Puno Cathedral
. You can also use them if you buy a new car, but I don`t know how this works. They`re clearly too big to hang from the rear-view mirror (like fluffy dice), so maybe you keep one in the spare-tyre well (must scare the living sh*t out of the Kwikfit fitter). Not too sure really. In terms of career opportunities though, there canīt be many countries in the world where "Llama Abortionist" is an option. Hmm.....whatīs the worst job youīve ever had?
......must dash, as it`s thundering again outside and starting to rain heavily - Moto Taxi time! Iīll catch you in Cusco.
Alguien ha abortado mi llama!!
Comments
new career?
Am enjoying your blog so much and seeing details of your travels - very entertaining! I see a new career coming for you - Simon Calder eat your heart out! Keep up the good work.
Re: new career?
Thank you. Iīm touched (or so Iīm told).