Puno, Peru

Bright and early last Monday morning, we embarked on a Turisbus bus ride from La Paz to Copacabana in Bolivia, hosted by our Tour Guide Marcel. Our first fabulous stop was a hilltop overlooking the breathtaking and famous Lake Titicaca which is located on the border of Bolivia and Peru. As Lake Titicaca sits at about 3,800 metres above sea level, we were able to see clearly the spectacular snow-capped Illimani Mountain which sits at about 6,420 metres above sea level. We learnt from Marcel that Lake Titicaca is about 18 metres deep, housing Trout and Kingfish and observed that there are gumtrees and eucalyptus trees everywhere, reminding us momentarily of Australia.

Not so long after the first stop, we reached a quaint coastal town called San Pedro where we crossed Lake Titicaca by ferry. We then continued our bus ride to Copacabana, which is a larger coastal town off Lake Titicaca and can more or less be likened to Williamstown in Melbourne. According to Marcel, Copacabana is a very religious place, so much so that people make the four hour pilgrimage from La Paz to Copacabana by foot. During our approximate two hour interlude in Copacabana, we enjoyed a beautiful walk through the little streets laden with signature colourful markets and visited the landmark Cathedral, before enjoying a phenomenal lakeside lunch at Kota Kahuanta Restaurante which is part of the Hotel Rosario chain in Copacabana. For about AUD$10.00, I had the most amazing baked trout with two cheeses accompanied by pilaf rice with chestnuts from Beni and sautéed vegetables.

After lunch, we transferred to luxury bus Peru Tour where we had front seats on the top level of the double decker bus and thoroughly enjoyed the picturesque mountain views all the way to Puno in Peru. At the Puno Bus Depot, we were met by our Personal Guide Ivan, who informed us that the population of Puno is about approximately 250,000, notable tourist destinations include the main downtown square and that the local currency is soles, which is in the process of being shifted from paper to plastic notes as we speak. Apart from the fabulous Floating Islands of Lake Titicaca, Puno is really nothing to write home about with bedlam and pollution everywhere. However, our hotel for the night Eco Inn was unbelievable. Eco Inn is ironically an ecological establishment complete with an alpaca farm and lovely organic cuisine (including alpaca). Our room overlooked Lake Titicaca and we enjoyed a delicious dinner at the hotel restaurant. For about AUD$8.00, I had a very non-Peruvian spaghetti Bolognese, that was cooked perfectly al dente.

My highlights of Puno were indeed:

• The scenic route to get there, especially Lake Titicaca;
• The little surprises along the way such as the amazing lakeside lunch in Copacabana and street-side markets; and
• Our stay at Eco Inn

The following phrase springs to mind when I think of Puno:

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not” – Ralph Waldo Emerson.            



The view of the lovely Lake Titicaca



A lakeside shot of Copacabana

Enjoying the view over a spot of lunch at Kota Kahuanta Restaurante in Copacabana

The unforgettable baked trout with two cheeses accompanied by pilaf rice with chestnuts from Beni and sauteed vegetables, courtesty of Kota Kahuanta Restaurante

Nige and our Personal Guide Ivan

The view of Lake Titicaca from our room at Eco Inn

The alpaca farm at Eco Inn