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Published: March 31st 2007
Catedral by Night
Cusco is very pretty at night, especially around the Plaza de Armas. Our last day in Cusco was spent ambling around the city once again, simply enjoying the beautiful setting and trying our best not to get collared by the many irritating touts and salespeople. We spent a few happy hours again in the souvenir markets, picking up presents for friends and family back home but mindful of the fact we were going to have to carry everything for another 2 months!
We rounded off our stay in Cusco with a slap-up meal in our favourite vegetarian restaurant, the El Encuentro. We have eaten there every single night since we arrived in Cusco although usually we opted for the incredibly cheap 'Cena' (set menu). Tonight however, we went nuts and ordered some fake steaks, savoury pancakes and fried babnanas with a beer to wash it all down. Even with this splurge, it only cost us 25 Soles, about £4.00!
Today we found ourselves on a bus again, this time heading to Puno, a small city located on the shores of Lake Titicaca. There is no Cruz Del Sur service from Cusco to Puno, so we booked our bus through the hostel instead. US$11 got us seats on the Imexs bus
Merry Christmas
Ok, so it´s not really Christmas but those twinkling lights on the surrounding hills andthe chilly night air certainly set the scene perfectly. service which was reasonable although the on-board toilet was appalling and the tv screens had been ripped out. The badly cracked windscreen and smashed front indicator light didn't instill us with confidence but 6 hours later we arrived in Puno, safe and sound. Although we had been told there would be no food or drink served on the bus, a lady did come round with some delicious lemon cake and a small cup of Fanta around lunchtime, which was a welcome surprise.
Before arriving in Puno, we dropped off a few passengers in a town called Juliaca. Boy are we glad we're not staying there. The town was almost completely flooded by recent heavy rains and the dirt roads were churned up into something resembling a muddy assault course. It must have been awful for the local people to slip, slide and wade in order to go about their daily business. Still, one thing we did like about the place and later discovered was also prevalent in Puno, were the many Batmobiles we saw driving around. Actually, they would be better named Batmobikes as they were essentially motorised tuk-tuks with huge Batman logos worked into the plastic screens at
Fountain of Youth
The fountain in the centre of the Plaza de Armas the back. Glynn was a happy bat!
At the bus station in Puno, we allowed ourselves to be led to a taxi by a female tout, something that we would never normally do. We made sure she understood we already had a reservation and 5 minutes and 3 Soles later, we arrived at the Los Uros Hostal with no hassles at all. Our room is small but cosy with en-suite bathroom and a wet floor that never dries because of the low temperature here. It's not as nice as the usual rooms we book but for 40 Soles (less than £6) for a double, who's complaining? For a further 8 Soles per night, we rented a heater, which proved to be a godsend as it's very cold here at night. The concept of central heating hasn't arrived in Peru yet and no amount of blankets can make going to the bathroom in the middle of the night a pleasant experience!
Quick Note: I´ve added a few extra pics from our time here in Cusco. Hope you like them. If you get a chance, please send us messages - we need to know you´re all still alive out there!
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uli
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Hi!
Yes, we are still alive. Nice Lama.................