Last day in Arequipa, bus to Puno, first day in Puno - we just want some coffee for the love of...

After our Colca Canyon excursion, we took it easy for our last day in Arequipa.  Mostly just some shopping without buying much.  We went to the big market where they make it very easy to find what you are looking for.  Whole sections of Sombreros for example.  

We had some Queso Helado (Cheese Ice Cream) which is better than it sounds.

It costs quite a bit to enter the Santa Catalina Monastery but we found a free section that was all about the local Saint.  Apparently the convent is very beautiful so I snuck some inadequate photos through an open door.

Saint/nun stuff

Then we just wandered around for a while.  I took pictures of doors because why not. 

Cat in a bookstore.

 The next morning we took the 8:30 bus to Puno.  We cheaped out this time and got the upright seats on the top of the bus because we discovered, if you ask, there are 'sale' seats up there.  It was a six and a half hour trip.  And again, gorgeous scenery.

Just as we were pulling out of Arequipa, Volcano Misti finally revealed itself.  Usually it overlooks Arequipa but it was shrouded in clouds the whole time we were there.  This is an over the shoulder, through the bus window shot so not great.

Some other volcano, who can keep track, there are so many here.

I kind of became obsessed with clouds.

Then we arrived in Puno.  We had kind of thought Puno was a small town that filled with festival revelers for the week of Candelaria.  But it is big, as we saw during the long descent down the mountain into town.

I had high hopes for Puno. As  mentioned a post or two ago, I had hurt my back on an overnight bus/overstuffed backpack situation.  We were booked for six days in Puno so I figured I would have time to heal a bit.  We took a taxi from the bus station.  And arrived at Ollanta Hostel.  It was just a door and a stair case.  So, I lug my pack up to the first floor (which in our world is the second floor) and find a gross reception area.  Good start.

The very disinterested desk person (I think she may be the teenage daughter of the owner) took Val upstairs to see the room.  It was on the FOURTH floor.  God is trying to kill me.  So up we went, pack on.  The room is crap.  Not much more to say about it.  (Actually, just this minute, Val found a watch under my bed so who knows how long its been under there, uncleaned.  If anyone is interested it is an OTS watch which can be purchased on Alibaba for $8.)

Oh, and just to annoy me further, the wifi was out of order that first day!

We didn't venture far that evening.  We didn't really know where we were so we went out to find food. We couldn't even find an open restaurant so we bought some street chicken.  Have I mentioned the heavy reliance on carbs here.  Our fried chicken came with rice, potatoes and spaghetti, all without sauce of any kind.

We went to bed so early that night.  Again, we were freezing.  And we could hear drums on the street below,  maybe something to do with the festival?

Next morning, we set out to find the Plaza del Armas.  Once we got ourselves oriented (by the way, shocking news - I am the navigator on this trip.  I actually generally know where I am which is not my normal state).  We had a hard time finding a breakfast place that served coffee.  Eventually we just went in somewhere and ordered toast and juice,  and as it happened, they had some instant coffee on hand.  Not great but we were getting desperate.

We found the Plaza.

And we found a decent restaurant called Inkacafe which serves good coffee.  And has a nice view of the plaza.  We wanted to ask some tourist places about a tour of Lake Titikaka.  I noticed a Tourist Police office so we started there.  Our tourist cop was very nice and suggested we just go to the dock to ask a boat captain about getting to the islands.  It will be way cheaper, she said - music to our ears.

So after our good coffees, we set out to find the dock.  Easy, straight down the road from the plaza, about a kilometer.  So many distractions!  A market.  So many birds in the harbour and the marsh.

But first, to find a captain.  Also easy.  Our captain explained that this is NOT a tour, his boat is transportation.  Tourist cop was right, it was cheap. s/ 8x3 for entrance fees for each island, plus s/30 for the boat.  Plus we would get to stay on one of the islands, Amantani Island, with a family for s/50.  We upgrades to s/60 for a private bathroom.  We paid for the park entrances and the boat (not a tour!) and that was that, be back at 7:45 next morning.  Ok!  We will pay the host family directly.

Then we walked along the Malecon which separates the protected lagoon from the lake.  On one side, the lagoon, on the other, marshes.  Marshes full of birds.  So many birds!

The Malecon, lagoon side

Fluffy baby Ruddy duck

Rusty boat which may or may not still be in use?

the protected lagoon had fun boat rides.

I could post a million bird pictures but if you really care, you should go to my Birds I've Seen post. I put up pictures of birds I've seen there (in case the title wasn't enough for you)

OK, if you insist, here are a couple

Ruddy duck, such a great blue bill deserves a better name

a guinea-bunny!

Then, to the market!

Val trying on a alpaca wolf head/hat.  Amazingly
she did not buy it but we haven't left town yet.

Multitasking at it's finest, manning the shop,
knitting and taking a nap all at once

So much stuff!

I didn't buy much.  Some warm gloves and a little thing for my mom to take to her kindergarten kids for show and tell.

Back to our favourite restaurant for an late lunch/early dinner.  As you can see by my picture, the clouds were rolling in.

Afterwards we found the touristy street and stopped in and looked at the expensive shops.  I don't think we bought anything

We didn't quite make it back to our hostel before the rain started but it wasn't too too terrible.  But it did keep us in for the night.

I will do the lake and islands tour (not a tour!) in a separate post.  We leave Puno tomorrow morning for Cusco.

And here, as a bonus, from Val's camera so it didn't make it into the last post, me on the bus from Colca Canyon: