Roadtrip Peru, Bolivia & Chili - Part 2
Journey to Puno in Peru – Monday 04-09-2023
Up at five this morning. A home-made breakfast and off to Peru. We are going to the town of Puno. It is a joyous day of celebration!!! It is Lara's birthday today 🥳🥳!!!
We take a taxi to the local bus station. Transport is by minivan and fortunately it is not crowded and we have nice space. The trip goes very smoothly.
After a two-hour drive, we reach the border. Passport checks and luckily no check of our luggage. It all goes very smoothly. We exchange money and with the necessary Sols in our pockets we take a TukTuk, very cramped with two large suitcases, to the bus station.
Here we check in again, have a cup of coffee and head for Puno. Our seats are great. At the top of the bus at the front so we have a great view!
We arrive in Puno around 1.30pm. Soon we found a taxi and drove to the local port Kalapajara Chulluni. We sent our host an app so he can pick us up with the boat. After 15 minutes, the boat arrived. Not with senior Miguel but an elderly lady.
The water level of Lake Titicaca has dropped the last years by five metres. This makes it impossible to use the motor in the channel to the port. They have to push the boat by a long stick. We feel really burdened when we see how this old lady has to work very hard to get the boat forward. However, we are not allowed to help her. After about 250 metres, the engine can be started and we sail to our hotel Uros Titicaca home lodge.
Arrival to Uros – Monday 04-09-2023
We are warmly welcomed by the entire family!!! Because it is Lara's birthday, they have completely decorated our cottage!!! Rose petals everywhere, flowers, other decorations and a delicious bottle of wine!!!! On the terrace of our beautiful thatched cottage, we drink the wine by a beautiful sunset and celebrate Lara's birthday!!!!
In the evening it is freezing cold and we crawl into bed early with two lovely hot water bottles. They don't do heaters here 🤪🤪. Around 10pm, Lara wakes me up. Our cottage is completely lit up by a huge blaze!!! Everywere big flames an enormous fire!!
On arrival, we had seen more fires but all at a great distance. Now the fire has approached 50 metres and with that a boat also catching fire we decide to pack our bags ahead of time so we can leave immediately!!!! How!!! No idea because all the boats are gone. These were used by locals to get to the fire. With might and main, they work to put out the fire close to the cottages. After more than two hour, they manage to put out the fire close by. Surely it was a couple of very adrenaline-inducing and exciting hours.
But the cold overcomes and we crawl back into our warm beds with several kilos of blankets and our two hot water bottles.
Isla Taquile – Thuesday 05-09-2023
Despite all the consternation, we slept very well and wake up when a delicious breakfast is served in our cottage. After breakfast, Miguel takes us to another little port where we transfer to a larger boat. It is about a two-hour sail to Isla Taquile. The weather is beautiful with a fresh breeze. Once on Ilsa Taquile, we have to hike up a small mountain. Climbing at an altitude of more than 3800 metres remains a challenge for me but as long as I take it easy and stop regularly to take a photo 😜😜 it's fine. Every day I take my altitude sickness medication and it works very well with some side effects. The side effects are insomnia and occasionally tingling fingers. But this is fine to live with.
The island is beautiful and Inca traditions are fully maintained. Outside influences are kept out. For instance, outsiders are not allowed to buy land on the island. But we end up in the tourist heartland. The costumes are very pretty and the local customs are nice to see. But the tourist sauce is not necessary for us. After some locale dances, we go for lunch. The meal is excellent like all the food in Peru. After lunch, we unfortunately only get half an hour to walk around. Lara and I would have liked more time for this. However, the boat leaves at two o'clock so we'd better be on time. Around half past four we are back at our hotel. Miguel offers us more luxurious accommodation so we move. Afterwards, we enjoy the sunset over a delicious glass of wine. This evening is again freezing cold so we crawl into our beds early and keep each other warm!
Sillustani & Puno - Wednesday 06-09-2023
We have asked for our breakfast to be brought at nine o'clock so we can sleep a little longer. But we awake early and enjoying a beautiful sunrise. Right from our bed. We have a beautiful view over Lake Titicaca. Very nice!!!!
At 11am, the whole Miquel family takes us to the port where we are picked up by guide Ceasar and taxi driver Couscous. They drive us to the historical site Sillustani. And after Sillustani we visit Puno and finally we be dropped off at our Hotel Hacienda Plaza de Armas.
Sillustani is breathtakingly beautiful. Besides the fact that this historical site has a lot of beauty and uniqueness to offer, our guide Ceasar knows a lot of history and background information. The views are truly fantastic. After all this beauty, we head to Puno.
In Puno we visit a 40-metre-high statue of a Puma. Also, this point offers a nice overview of Puno. After this we go to the local market. What a colourful place!!! Very photogenic. After this fantastic visit, we drive to the bus station as Ceasar does not know our bus company Trans el Cisne bus. After some detective work, this turns out to be the head office of Trans Titicaca. We immediately arrange the tax. Surely very handy this investigation it saves us tomorrow morning a lot of detective work.
We are neatly dropped off at our hotel. A beautiful hotel in the centre of Puno on the square where the large cathedral is located. We check in and immediately set off to explore the area. We are in a very beautiful part of Puno. Plaza de Armas, Limastreet and the immediate surroundings. At seven o'clock we settle down in café bar Casa del Corregidor. A very cosy place with fantastic food. Tired but satisfied, we go to bed around eleven o’clock.
The city of Puno
Puno, also known as Punu in Aymara and Quechua, is a city in southeastern Peru. It sits on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. Puno is situated at an elevation of 3,830 meters above sea level, making it a city nestled between the lake and the surrounding mountains. Puno is an essential agricultural and livestock region, with llamas and alpacas grazing on its vast plateaus and plains. The city’s access to Lake Titicaca is surrounded by 41 floating man-made islands, where the Uros people maintain their unique way of life.
Border Peru – Bolivia & Isla del Sol - Thursday 07-09-2023
At a quarter past five, the alarm clock rings again. Packing everything, an early breakfast and off to señor Couscous who is waiting for us to take us to the bus station. Today we are going, via Copacabana in Bolivia, to Isle del Sol. The bus leaves nicely on time but as we approach the border it turns out in a mess. The bus cannot continue because a big market has been organised at the border crossing. We manage to charter a man with a trolley for our suitcases and we bravely facing the madness of the Peruvian and Bolivian border. But, the control at the border again goes smoothly.
After the border, it is about half an hour's drive to Copacabana. Here Arthur is waiting for us. By internet we have arranged tickets for the boat to Isla del Sol. A bit more expensive, but we are assured of a place on board. We have an hour to have something to drink and eat and then board. The crossing to Isla del Sol takes about 1.5 hours.
Then, when you think you are arrived we have to face a little challenge. We picked a beautiful hotel only this one is on top of the hill. They don't do motorised transport here. So we look for another solution to get our suitcases uphill. We manage to snare a donkey man to carry our suitcases and then up the hill along a very uneven, stony path. The gentleman with his donkeys goes like a rocket. Lara and I have to take it very easy. The climb is from 3800 metres to 4019 metres. A bit of a struggle. After an hour of scrambling, we arrive at our Hostal Wara Ata.
After checking in, we go for a nice walk. We find a sacrificial site, have a cuddle with a Alpaca and find a nice little place in the middle of nowhere where we have a drink, a nice snack and enjoy a beautiful sunset!!!!!
