Day 12: Puno

Changed my mind at the last minute and decided to stay an extra night in Arequipa, which turned out to be a good idea. I needed a day to stay in a semi-familiar place and sort things out. It also turned out that Puno is full of travelers, and finding available rooms was difficult -- much better to wander around with a backpack at 2pm (when I arrived yesterday) than 10pm (which is when I would have arrived if I had left Arequipa on Tuesday). The first of many good decisions, which would be written inside of my fortune cookie if they did that here.

Puno is a small city on the edge of a big lake, nestled into some low hills and alternately smelling of fish and domesticated animal doo-doo. I will not stay long here. Tomorrow I will get an early bus for the 7 hour trip to Cuzco, which I have been promised many times is the best place for tourists, a nomenclature I grudgingly accept.

The bus ride from Arequipa to Puno was uneventful and far superior and far cheaper than the bus from Lima to Arequipa. The only bad part was that I got a nosebleed as we were coming up into the mountains, and had to use a glove to mop up the mess (OJ Simpson style). Had a pleasant chat with the lady sitting next to me -- who, by the way, slept silently. Arrived in Puno and searched around for a hotel before settling into the luxurious Hostal Florida. I use the word 'luxurious' here to emphasize the sarcastic tone I would be using if this were an oral communication rather than a written one. The Hostal Florida reminds me of Tijuana. My room, a single, is for some inexplicable reason, shaped like a fat oblong pyramid. I smelled the bed, and decided to sleep in my sleeping bag on top of the covers. The pillow seems to be filled with old, torn up books. The shared bathroom is also a shower, but there is no separation. You can literally sit on the toilet (balance yourself, I should say, because there is no seat), take a shower, and wash your hands at the same time.

Today I booked a tour for Sillustani, a site a little ways outside the city famous for its Pre-Incan towers. Pictures of that, and a few of the Puno harbor at sunset, should be up in a few days.

I unfortunately did not bring my camera on the morning walk in which I discovered the great Puma of Puno! It is a huge concrete mountain lion in a park on top of a hill overlooking the city. It is so huge there are stairs which go under its legs and its front paws are like concrete love seats. Best part of Puno so far!

Second best part, at least in entertainment value, was when I was sitting by the marina and was approached by a man I can best desribe as a transvestite candy salesman. His hair was bleached blond and tied up, and he wore what looked like balloons in the breast and ass regions under his rainbow-colored smock. Very friendly guy, unexpected in this fairly conservative area.

Ya for today.