Copacabana - Puno - Cuzco
Trip Start
Jan 2003
1
177
200
Trip End
Dec 2003
Cuzco, Peru
Monday, December 1, 2003
While the cuisine (amongst other things) in Bolivia has left more than a little to be desired, the country has been memorable for a number of positive reasons too. It's blessed with such natural beauty, you can't help but feel that if the tourist board's PR department got its act together or if it wasn't accurately perceived as a poor country, then foreign visitors would arrive in droves. As it stands, you get the impression, unlike in other places we've been to, that life would go on without tourism. The population is indifferent towards foreigners (apparently many are scared that every gringo is working for the American DEA) which makes interaction difficult but there also exists the more appealing side to this: you're not constanstly hassled by locals seeking to screw you for every penny. Well, not constantly.
Summing up, Bolivia is high (goes without saying really), striking (the landscape is spectaculat and needs to be seen to be believed) and colourful - the traditional dress would be considered gaudy at home and even the lakes vary in their hues. It's been tiring, at times hard work, but also immensely rewarding and I know it will rank near the top of the ocuntries we've visited.
First impressions of Peru suggest a much lower ranking with our journey into the country rivalling the worst we've experienced. The Bolivian side of the trip ran smoothly and we reached Puno, on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca on time and in comparatively good spirits. Unfortunately we had to kill four hours here before out connecting bus to Cuzco - we had miscalculated how long this would be because of the time difference and the lying piece of scum in the Bolivian office. After what felt like twenty four hours of elapsed time we settled into the luxurious seats we had paid extra for and finally began this second leg. A few hours later, just as we were dozing off, the bus stopped and the real problems began.
Various locals were trying to get on the bus either for a seat or to sell their wares. Allegedly somewhere amongst this lot was a family who had booked seats which we were sitting in. The bus company representative commenced her (eventually successful) mission to oust us with vigour and before we knew it we were having full scale row in Spanish. After arguments I always think of numerous witty put downs I wish I'd come up with but this was multiplied in this scenario. Not only did I think of many one-liners I wish I had thought of but I also managed to translate the usual rubbish. Instead, during the debate, my Spanish failed me and I could barely say anything. Kirsty fought our corner with valiance but it was always destined to be a losing battle and after creating a scene, we left our comfort and moved to the cheaper seats.
Obviously we stewed on the whole episode for a while and it was a couple of hours later that we finally managed to get to sleep. Perhaps exhausted from this, we slept soundly, despite having to piss while the bus was stopped with loads of locals looking through the transparent toilet window and woke up at 05:30. At this time we realised we were the only people left on the bus and that we had arrived in Cuzco an hour earlier. Evidently the bus company's staff didn't see it as important to wake us up but at least our bags were still there. Not the greatest introduction to Peru but if I was to mention that the next 24 hours contained the Rugby World Cup final, you'll recognise why our moods improved so dramatically and so quickly.
