Photo: Ship in Puno harbor
Thursday, May 29, 1997 In the morning we again had breakfast at the Vegi cafe. I found a cooperative van going to the Peru border about 9:00 AM. Customs was easy, and I was surprised to see PC computers used there. A young woman exchanged our dollars for Peruvian soles at the door of the Peru customs office.
We then had a two mile van ride into Yunguay, Peru and took the first bus to Puno. In Yunguay there appeared to be much building construction taking place. The cars, vans, and trucks on the roads were more numerous and modern than in 1992. We arrived in Puno about 1:00 PM.
Photo: Puno Patti
A travel agent, PanAmericana, sold us airline tickets from Juliaca to Cuzco for the next day, a van to the airport, and a hotel for the night with breakfast in Puno (Hotel Margarita), all for $50.00 per person. We had decided to take a plane, because there was no train on Friday, and an overnight bus from Puno to Cusco took 14 hours. After checking into the hotel, we had lunch at a fancy looking restaurant.
Bernie and I had haircuts from Puno Patti, a hair stylist. We then walked down to the Puno port. Unlike the clear waters on the Bolivian side of the lake, the Lake Titicaca shoreline In Puno resembled a waste dump. Although, Puno is somewhat on the sleazy side, the shopping areas in downtown were very attractive. Dinner was at a pizzieria, where we celebrated Josh's 19th birthday.
Map of Peru/Bolivia trip
