01&02.07 - Day 12&13 - Machu Picchu to Puno, PER to La Paz, BOL




Machu Picchu to Puno, Peru
Thursday 1st July 2010


Our regular early morning departure (including me forgetting my towel) and we settle on to a luxurious Marcopolo bus for the six hour ride to Puno. Uneventful journey; vast expanses of valleys and mountains for the view with scattered pockets of Peruvian poverty and we pull into Puno – expecting a seaside resort (granted albeit on a lake – Lake Titicaca) – instead a conglomeration of half built brick houses and businesses covering the port and reaching up the mountainside. A grim grey picture.



After being collected at the bus station by the hostel in a taxi, including the hostel lady in the boot of the car we check in to a very helpful and friendly Walk On Inn, and assess our timings: as we fly out of La Paz on the 7th July we decide to skip Lake Titicaca island tours and book a ticket for the following morning to La Paz. The town of Puno hardly exerting a pull on us to stay longer.

The Americans we met on the bus Ravi and Chris, UCLA law graduates join us for Pisco Sours on the main strip and display the better side of the American population. 11pm to bed.




Puno, Peru to La Paz, Bolivia
Friday 2nd July 2010


Early start of course this time to catch a 7:30am bus to La Paz. Following the edge of Lake Titicaca we cross the border into Bolivia – for this we all have to disembark the bus, get passport stamped by the authorities on the Chilean side, walk 200m over the border and get stamped into Bolivia. Unexcitingly there are no men with guns or barbed wire separating the countries.


We stop at Copacabana for two hours to change bus and eat lunch; where we watch Holland overcome Brazil (Quarter Finals, 2-1). Copacabana was everything we had originally expected from Puno – small seaside resort town, picturesque in every way Puno was bland.




Back on the bus for a further five hours including a crossing of Lake Titicaca (£0.05) where bus and passengers go on separate barges at San Pedro. The countryside appears to be a bit more developed in Bolivia than Peru – fewer deserted buildings, people going about their business with a bit more purpose. 

We arrive at the crest of La Paz which began life at the bottom of a valley but has sprawled and spread its influence up the valley sides and over the lip. We hop in a taxi to Wild Rovers Hostel (with quite the youthful party vibe) and discuss our plans for the next four/five days. 

We realise that if we wish to see the Salt Flats near Uyuni our only option is an overnight bus leaving in four hours. We book the last two seats through Honey Tours – if only for the name.

Explaining to the hostel why we’re checking out only two hours after checking in is a little confusing, but by 9pm we’re onboard the overnight bus. Soon after the airline style meal the seats are reclined and sleep sets in.