Into Peru and on to Puno

ihana.com - big trip - diary - peru - may 2003

Border in Peru

Puno

Main shopping street

Cathedral

Wednesday 21 - Thursday 22 May

Exiting Bolivia into Peru we were expecting trouble as we never got round to getting the landy import papers sorted out as there wasn't a customs office at the Chile border nor in Potosi. The passports were stamped out with no problems then T was directed to the customs office, no way we could just drive across and forget about the papers as there were plenty of cops lazing about and a barrier across the road. After a bit of a debate, the customs guy saw sense and realised that if the landy never existed in Bolivia officially then nobody would notice its leaving. A successful end to a fantastic time in Bolivia.

Puno hadn't changed much since we were here in 2000, there's a few more tourists about and maybe the internet is cheaper but the nights are still very cold at this altitude. The floating reed islands of Uros are still there but we've seen it all before and its all documented in this part of the site. Passing an insurance office we decided to buy the obligatory $45 SOAT insurance for Peru, valid for a year. Normally we haven't bothered with insurance, to T's great cost in Venezuela, but we thought it might be a good idea as T once got stopped by the cops in a hire car in 2001 and had to pay a bribe (being pissed didn't help!). The insurance salesman assured us it was a good idea too (what a surprise) as we were bound to get stopped on the way out of town.

We hadn't seen Sillustani before so we took a short detour on the way to Arequipa.

Steps up to...

...precolombian funeral towers...

...at Sillustani

A Chullpa

Lake Ayumara

Traditional house nearby

As we arrived a busload of tourists was just leaving the carpark so we had the place to ourselves, apart from the cows chilling in the lake. Its a interesting site with various structures to explore, the impressive stonework still largely intact or restored on many of the towers. There's a great view of the countryside from the top of the hill too. Just as we were heading back to the landy another tour bus turned up, good timing.

Wicked stove

Some food and spices

Grinding work

Mattress with a difference

The residents

Straw

On the way back to the main road to Arequipa some campesinos waved us to stop by their dwellings. They live mainly in traditional style, with a eye to a few extra soles earned from passing tourists and hence are very friendly. They showed us around the various aspects of their lives and offered us some food cooked on an earthen stove. Boiled potatoes are eaten with the skin on and dipped into a sauce made from mud. It was actually quite nice.

Inca style tools for tilling the soil

Style

We spent an interesting half an hour checking out their agricultural methods and bought one piece of hand woven textiles each to keep them happy, promising to show them around our houses when they next pop over to England.

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