Beautiful Lake Titicaca and the Wretched Underbelly of Puno

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So last night Brett and I went to dinner at a small Italian place near the main square and had some pasta and some Cusquena. There was this crazy television program on during dinner that was called Reinvent Saturday and it was like American Idol for South America but there were people on beds fighting each other and these old S American singers were brought back and they sang all their old songs, it was pretty ridiculous and nothing like I had ever seen. After dinner we wanted to get a few drinks to loosen up and try to go to bed early since we had to get up and go on Lake Titicaca the next day at 6.30. We went to this place called the Rock Pub and it was dark and dingy but very old and cool at the same time. It was kind of haven for ex pats it seemed like since there were pics and money from all over the world dotting the bar. We stayed there for too long and drank the bar fresh out of Cusquena. The bartender was pretty cool and we were just jamming to rock and talking to him till like midnight, so much for going to bed early that’s for sure. We spent all our Soles on beer and I didn’t have my ATM card so when we woke up we were in a bad place, hungover and broke! Hahah. I had money I just couldn’t get to it in time since the bus came so early. We got on the bus that took us to the port and we boarded a boat bound for the floating islands. These islands are made out of reeds that are thatched tightly together and people actually live on them! They are so poor out there it was ridiculous. These huts they live in on these islands are not to be believed. The ground is damp and soggy and all these people do all day is create tourist trinkets for the people that come visit the islands. We spent an hour there or so and I was ready to go. We set off to Isla de Tequille, a large island that was 2.5 hours from the floating islands. We went up to the top deck of the boat and it was sunny and the fresh air felt so nice compared to the disgusting smog and industrial waste of Puno. Everyone ended up falling asleep on the boat as you can see and it was pretty funny to look at. We got to the island and had to hike yet again up more steps! These steps are following us from the Inca Trail! We could feel the altitude immediately and we walked with two Belgian girls who were also on the boat, we were talking about lots of stuff including their travels and plans for the future. We made it to the top of the hill and finally got to the main Placa de Armas, which was the smallest dirt plaza I have ever seen! It was pretty anticlimactic after the hike but still something to see I guess. The view from the top was great of the lake, which was pretty amazing considering we were actually on an island in the middle of Lake T cock (or so Brett and I call it). I certainly never thought I would be there that is for sure. After buying a bracelet and looking around a little we made our way to lunch which was at a restaurant and everyone from the boat ate at the same place. The menu was 18 soles which was expensive considering I only had American money and Brett had limited soles as well. We had trout and sat with some people from Colombia and two Americans that had been teaching in Chile. Lunch was great however when I went to pay with my American 20 bill the guy wouldn’t accept it because of the small tear in the top of the bill! I was pissed and I didn’t know what I was going to do until the American guy stepped in and said he could spot me till we got back to the mainland. That’s my good karma coming back to me from when I helped out Rick Snell at the Pariwana hostel with getting his money from home. Thank god for good karma. After lunch we hiked down the other side of the mountain where the boat was waiting for us to head back to the mainland. We were ready to leave the small island, and I was ready to hop this bus for Arequipa. We sat up on the top deck again and this time others joined us. A couple from Chile who were doctors, the two Belgian girls, a Colombian guy, and two Argentinians from Mendoza were all accounted for. This was by far the best part of this excursion. We sat on the deck and talked for the entire 3 hour ride back about life, the differences in culture, the monies of different countries, our future plans, our past excursions, women, men, tourism, current events such as the tsunami and earthquakes. It was wonderful getting to share all this with these people and Brett and I left really fulfilled. We got off the boat and walked with Dave and Alyssa, the American couple, to the ATM so I could get them the money I owed them from lunch. We parted ways and Brett and I went back to our hostel where the luggage was being stowed to clean up (kind of since we were getting on a filthy bus for 7 hours) and go get some dinner. We walked to the main strip and tried to find a restaurant and ran into the two Belgian girls from the boat and we all went and ate pizza at this place called MacchuPizza. Clever. Dinner was good but as we were pressed for time we went back to the hostel, got our things and headed out of the wretched underbelly of Puno, Peru. On the way out I took some photos of the side of this school which had Inca history mixed with cartoons, pretty surreal as are many things here! I was so happy to be leaving that cold, dark, dirty place as we arrived at the bus station. We got to the bus station and had to wait for a while to board, we were sitting on the curb and I realized that my fleece had soaked up some nasty water that was on the ground and it was soaked on one side of it! Brett said that was Puno giving me one last Fuck You! Hahahah it’s true. We got on the bus amidst a bunch of Peruvian highland women carrying SO MUCH SHIT! What on earth could they be taking with them! It was ridiculous. This one woman just kept walking back and forth through the aisles and brushing against me. It was pretty nasty. The seats were alright and I slept some on the trip until around 3am a bus passed us on one side and another came immediately in the other direction, the bus swerved and lights and horns were honking, Brett and I were slightly concerned because we were pretty sure that was a near death experience on the highway late at night. We arrived in Arequipa at 4am and getting our luggage out of the bottom of the bus was pretty crazy. The driver was just tossing shit out of the baggage onto the ground and people were yelling and grabbing stuff and it was just a pure and utter shit show after a long ride on the bus. We got out stuff and a taxi and headed to the hostel we had reserved. It didn’t exist. The address just did not exist. So there we sat at 430a with nowhere to stay in Arequipa, the cabbie however, knew a place to go to and we went there however they had not rooms, we finally arrived at the place we’re at now and thankfully they had a room which was cheaper and we got in right away and fell asleep. So here I sit typing this, its beautiful outside today and I am thankful that the trip went as smoothly as it did, even considering the little hiccups that occurred. Today we’re going to explore some of Arequipa, I’ll keep you posted. Take care.

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