Loading...
Maps
People
Photos
My Stuff
High-Altitude Peru
a travel blog by
paco
This trip is my introduction to the continent of South America. My itinerary mainly keeps me in places above 10,000ft (3000m) altitude.
view all 42 photos for this trip
Show Oldest First
Show Newest First
Puno
,
Peru
written by
paco
on October 18, 2009
from
Puno
,
Peru
from the travel blog:
High-Altitude Peru
Send a Compliment
First day in Peru
Puno
,
Peru
Paul in Puno
I find myself just after midnight in the Lima airport. I just barely made the connection in
Houston
, but I have learned my backpack has not. Do I stick around another day or do I press on and let the airline take care of it? I opt to press on.
I fly on to
Juliaca
, then take a cab to Puno and find out later I spent way too much on cab fare. I meet up with my buddy Jason to learn he just had his laptop stolen. Apparently misery loves company!
I check out the town of Puno, which is on an estuary of Lake Titicaca. It´s oddly liberating not lugging around a lot of baggage when in a new place. I´m super-tired and the high altitude is starting to get to me, but oddly enough I am enjoying myself!
written by
paco
on October 18, 2009
from
Puno
,
Peru
from the travel blog:
High-Altitude Peru
tagged
Peru
and
Puno
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Still hangin´ in Puno
Puno
,
Peru
Downpour in Puno
I talked with the airline who lets me know my bag is in now at the
Juliaca
airport. Me and Jason hop on the local bus into town, and then onto a sketchier bus to the airport. The one guy there tells us to come back six hours later, because the fellow with the key to the luggage area won´t be in until the next arrival.
No worries! We´re just exploring the not-so-touristy town of
Juliaca
and find it´s kind of refreshing seeing a new country off the beaten track. Later that afternoon the keymaster shows up and I get my bag. Unfortunately it´s too late to leave Puno once we saunter back into town.
written by
paco
on October 19, 2009
from
Puno
,
Peru
from the travel blog:
High-Altitude Peru
tagged
Peru
and
Puno
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Copacabana
,
Bolivia
written by
paco
on October 20, 2009
from
Copacabana
,
Bolivia
from the travel blog:
High-Altitude Peru
Send a Compliment
Border Crossing
Copacabana
,
Bolivia
Paul at Peru-Bolivia border
Copacabana dusk
It´s time to leave Puno, and
Peru
. We hop on a bus to Copacabana, just on the other side of the
Peru
-
Bolivia
border. Once we get there we learn there is a change in policy to Americans entering
Bolivia
. The border guards politely ask for a $135 visa application fee and I politely decline. Note that other nationalities do not require this.
So what to do....we work something out with the border guards where we officially re-enter
Peru
and then cross into
Bolivia
with an ¨entrance fee¨ of $20 per head. Now ¨bribe¨ is an ugly word, but we did not get a receipt for this, nor did they stamp our passports.
We finally make it to Copacabana which is a remarkably lovely town on the south end of Lake Titicaca.
written by
paco
on October 20, 2009
from
Copacabana
,
Bolivia
from the travel blog:
High-Altitude Peru
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Isla del Sol
Isla del Sol
,
Bolivia
Paul stuck in Inca Labyrinth Trap
Helen, Jason and Paul at Isla del Sol
Isla del Sol
is a three hour boat ride from Copacabana. On there are ancient Inca ruins and some spectacular views. A seven kilometer hike takes us from the north end to the south end. I´m slowly aclimating to the high altitude here, 13000 ft (3800 m). The Inca Trail is just a few days away so it´s nice to have some practice. The only sour note to this trip is the three checkpoints on the island where we had to pay a couple of dollars to continue. The amount wasn´t that big a deal but the principle of the thing ticked us off!
On the boat ride back we saw a floating island, which was suppose to be made of reeds but we could tell it was made of a wooden base. The reed boats on there were pretty interesting, though.
Later that night we enjoy a fantastic trucha (trout) dinner and watch the sun set over the lake.
written by
paco
on October 21, 2009
from
Isla del Sol
,
Bolivia
from the travel blog:
High-Altitude Peru
tagged
Bolivia
,
Copacabana
,
LakeTiticaca
and
IslaDelSol
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Cusco
,
Peru
written by
paco
on October 22, 2009
from
Cusco
,
Peru
from the travel blog:
High-Altitude Peru
Send a Compliment
Border Crossing II
Yunguyo
,
Peru
Helen teaching English to kids in Copacabana
Border arch into Bolivia
On the way back to
Peru
, we now have our second illegal border crossing to contend with.
Helen
(
English
) crosses in the usual way while Jason and me (American) kind of casually tiptoe our way back to
Peru
, since our passports say we should already be there anyway. A policeman sees us but doesn´t seem to care enough to stop us.
We take the bus back to Puno, have lunch, and then it´s a much longer haul (8 hours) to Cusco. We get the first place we can find near the neighborhood of San Blas.
written by
paco
on October 22, 2009
from
Yunguyo
,
Peru
from the travel blog:
High-Altitude Peru
tagged
Bolivia
,
Peru
,
Cusco
and
Copacabana
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Exploring Cusco
Cusco
,
Peru
Paul Over Cusco
The guys running the hostel are jerks so we opt to find a better place in the neighborhood. San Blas has a great view of the city, with narrow cobblestone streets and steep roads that in some cases only hold enough room for pedestrians.
We take care of our plans for the Inca Trail and start to enjoy the city. Plaza de Armas is the main square with two huge cathedrals and a giant plaza where all sorts of activity happens.
Everyone tries to catch up on email and we finally get some do-nothing time.
written by
paco
on October 23, 2009
from
Cusco
,
Peru
from the travel blog:
High-Altitude Peru
tagged
Peru
and
Cusco
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Inca Trail Prep
Cusco
,
Peru
Spider-esque VW in Cusco
More exploring of Cusco by going down to the market where all sorts of local food and crafts visited by locals and tourist alike.
We take care of the rest of the arrangements to start the Inca Trail on Sunday. After renting sleeping bags and walking sticks we head to the first briefing for our trek, where we meet our guides and the rest of the campers with whom we´ll be spending the next four days.
written by
paco
on October 24, 2009
from
Cusco
,
Peru
from the travel blog:
High-Altitude Peru
tagged
Peru
,
Cusco
and
IncaTrail
Send a Compliment
comment on this...
Viewing 1 - 10 of 15 Entries
first
|
previous
|
next
|
last
find city:
paco
1 Trip
42 Photos
trip feed
author feed
trip kml
author kml
Blogabond v2.40.58.80
© 2024
Expat Software Consulting Services
about
:
press
:
rss
:
privacy