Cusco to Puno
We left Cusco for the last time on Saturday 4th December. It was sad to say goodbye after the time we have spent here but deep down I was glad to be moving on. The bus from Cusco to Puno took six hours and we were transported in real luxury - "Royal Class". So much so that Mike took it upon himself to use the oportunity for a wash on the bus!!:
The journey was also interesting as soon after leaving Cusco the scenery changed from the Andean mountain scape to the Altiplano - which is a large expans of flat land formely part of Lake Titicaca. It was a refreshing change from the mountain scenery we have been used to. The altitude is still high with Puno at approximetely 3600 meters. We arrived in Puno at 4pm and after checking into the hostel we hit the town.
On Sunday we left the hostel at 9am for a boat trip on Lake Titicaca to visit the famous floating reed islands - Los Uros. There are approximetely 40 floating reed villages each one containing about ten families. It was quite touristy but fascinating to see how people live in this environment. Each village sits on a reed base which is anchored to the lake bed to prevent from drifting off. Here are some pictures of the floating villages and a reed boat we took:
Floating island
Reed boat
Relaxing on the reed boat
Puno to Copacabana (Bolivia)
We left Puno at 7:30am on the bus to Copacabana (not the famous Brazil beach). The journey took us around Lake Titicaca to the border between Peru and Bolivia. After the usual officialdom at the border (two of our group had overstayed their visas!) we arrived in Copacabana. It was a good feeling to be in another country and have a new stamp in the passport. Everything is so cheap here, 1 Boliviano is about 6p. A beer and hambuger set me back just 1 pound!!
Copacabana is small town on Lake Titicaca with a real seaside feel to it. After checking into the hostel we took a boat trip out to Isla Del Sol - which is an island on Lake Titicaca reputed to be the birthplace of the first Inca leader. The boat journey was quite long but the weather was beautiful so it was nice to be out on the water.
Copacabana
Copacaban Cathederal
Taking the boat to Isla Del Sol - the island is ahead of us
We arrived back in Copacabana in time for sunset and a group of us climbed a nearby hill for some amazing views of the sunset over the lake:
Copacabana to La Paz
We had a free morning to relax in Copacabana before catching the 1:30pm bus to La Paz. The weather was great so I just went to the waterfront to chill out for the morning. The bus ride to La Paz took about 4 hours including crossing part of Lake Titicaca. The scenery changed from the shores of the Lake to snow capped mountains. We arrived in La Paz at 5pm and had fantastic views of the city:
Our first view of La Paz
La Paz
La Paz was a bit of a shock from the places we have been used to in the past few weeks. It felt good though to be back in a city with all the hussle and bussle that involves. I even had post waiting for me at the central post office (thanks Sara!!). There is much to explore here including the famous Witches Market selling all manner of potions and spells. After checking into the hostel we went out for dinner and then onto the Sol y Luna bar for cocktails late into the night.
On Wednesday I spent the morning going to the supermarket getting provisions for the three day Choro trek we will be starting on Friday. It is amazing how similar supermarkets are to back home, I could have been in the local Tesco!! A group of us also booked up for a full days mountain biking on Thursday. In the afternoon I visited the Coca Museum which is dedicated to the coca plant . This includes everthing from the plant´s history to cocaine production and its uses for medicine. It was really interesting and well done. I also spent the afternoon having a wander around the local streets and the Witches market.
On Thursday a group of us went mountain biking in the Andes. We decided against the "Most Dangerous Road In The World" route in favour of a trail called "The Zonga Valley". This route starts at 4600 meters and drops to around 1500 meters. The entire route is down hill on a gravel road so it was pretty easy riding. It was fascinating to see how the scenery changed from high Andes cold and cloud to a warm high vegation area. It was a great ride although we could have done with better bikes to avoid sore the bottoms. Here are some photos of the day:
Preparing for the off
Me on the trail
Our lunch spot by a waterfall
The end of the trail
In the evening we all prepared for the next adventure!! Over the next ten days we are treking the "Choro Trail" and then going to the Amazon basin to trek in the jungle!! I will send my next update out when I return back to La Paz. Stay tuned for more .................
0 comments:
Post a Comment