Blogs from Puno, Puno, Peru, South America

(Post by Mike) Hi all! I know it has been a while since I last posted. We have been in some locations with dodgy or non-existent Internet connections, and also doing a bit of trekking which by design is sans Wi-Fi. But now that Jess and I are comfortable in Cusco for the next couple of days, I am going to try to get some posts in highlighting some of the most memorable components of our trip. After some incredible experiences in Bolivia - salt flats, silver mines, watching a city festival in Sucre, relaxing in a beautiful little home facing the beach in Copacabana - it was time to cross the border over to our 2nd country, Peru. Our bus stopped at the border and left us to walk over after a brief chat with ... read more

Travel Surprises Spongy walks on floating islands, mythical Lake Titicaca, a wild ride to an archaeological site, the infamous Bolivian protest blockade, the kindness of strangers, and a meeting with a Travelblogger--Puno wasn't as boring as I thought it would be. I was in Bolivia and had planned to stay until my visa expired. However, a message from a Travelblog friend changed my plans, and I was to float to Peru. Brendan Vermillion, bvchef, had written that he would be holidaying in Peru, had an actual travel schedule and wondered if we might meet. Realizing we could meet in Puno on Lake Titicaca, a lake shared by the two countries, I cut short my Bolivian sojourn. After all, I've got time and could return to Bolivia later. A Nefarious Journey I was in La Paz, and ... read more

We knew we were in for an adventure when we got to the train station and walked into the waiting room. The chairs were comfortable c hairs, think of a Lazy Boy without the retractable foot rest. We sat down and waited for our train. Apparently word has gotten out amongst the Condor staff that the Steinbrechers require their own bus for their luggage as we rode over from the hotel in our own 10 person bus. We purchased a bag just for souvenirs and assorted things…so now we are up to four bags and counting. We had hoped to leave South America with only two but you know the TUPAS stores just have a way of calling out your name! We met our Australian friends and boarded the train and found out we were sitting ... read more

Hi again, Last time we blogged we were still in Rio. Matt was hoping to go hang gliding, but unfortunately wind conditions didn't allow him to. Instead we decided to go and check out the National History Museum which was really interesting. We also visited a Cathedral and Monestry before going to another permanent market full of fake merchandise! We then caught up with a few girls from our last tour for dinner. The next morning we made a quick visit to Copacabana, where we went to the beach and bought a few pairs of Havaianas. With that, it was time to say goodbye to Rio and hello to Peru! We arrived in Lima in the early hours of Thursday morning ready for our next tour to begin on Thursday night. By the time we got ... read more

Vanoggend uitgeboek en taxi gevat na die Terrapuerto (bus stasie). Bagasie ingeboek en toe 'n lekker ontbyt geëet by 'n klein winkeltjie op die stasie. Die busrit was nogals hel gewees vandag. Dit het gevoel of dit nooit gaan eindig nie. Toe ons uiteindelik stop na 5.5 ure, was dit in so 'n shithole van 'n dorp. Gelukkig was dit nie Puno nie. Maar ongelukkig was dit nog 40 min op die bus! Maar dit is seker maar alles deel van travel. Eventually kom ons toe by Puno uit, en boek by ons hostal in, ons kamer is op die 4de verdieping! En dit sonder 'n lift en met high altitude. Ons het al hygend horgend bo uit gekom, uitasem, en ons harte wat uit ons borskaste klop! Ons het toe die strate ingevaar met die ... read more

Early start with a motor launch from our hotel which was right on the lake.We were joined by our guide for the day Luis and some tourists from Italy including a charming honeymoon couple from Rome. Our first stop after about ten minutes was to the floating reed islands which are unique to this part of the world. We were taught a greeting which meant how are you to which we replied Waikiki which means well. The Uros people are very gentle and welcoming and taught us how they made the reed beds their houses were built on. It was an odd sensation walking on the floating island a bit like walking on marshland but it was dry. We were invited into the house which was dark and had flies in but they have solar power ... read more

Day 294 Tuesday 31st July Back for our final stint in Cusco, and the town is now as familiar to us as some parts of Sydney. Would be lovely to spend the day just relaxing in town but we had plans to head off for the day again. Today we wanted to return to the small town of Chinchero that was about an hours drive from Cusco. We had been there at the end of a day tour through the Sacred Valley back in March and on that day we were rushed through and didn’t have the time to shop at what looked like some fairly good markets. Since that day we had vowed to return to do some shopping and also to revisit the amazing church there. From the Lonely Planet we knew that collectivo ... read more