We were the last ones on our Tour bus to Puno, Peru and were impressed by the accommodations. They had a driver, tour guide and then hostess who served us hot and cold beverages (Monica) throughout the day. We also had wifi on board, as long as the towns we were visiting permitted, which was only about half of the trip.
Our tour guide was a bit outrageous. He didn't stop talking for nearly he entire 10 hour bus ride. But he meant well. Oh Eduardo, he meant well. He was really good about telling us when to check out and take photos of the views around us.
Overall, this bus was a bit touristy for our tastes, but it was very educational and we had to get to Puno somehow, so it works. We visited some more insanely Spanish churches, some more Incan villages and ruins, and spent our last stop visiting the town of Pakara, one of the most famous ancient civilizations of ceramic makers. It was all really neat to see, and it took us to the next town, so overall it was a win.
We stopped at lunch at a neat little restaurant along the way. The food was delicious (more alpaca! and Heather tried it this time!) ther was also a baby llama on the premises that tried to bite Heather a few times. Maybe he knew...
We also passed through the highest point of our journey and the start of the Puno region (farewell Cusco! We'll miss you!) The altitude was apparent and the views were stunning!
Finally, at the bus station we met Carlos, who was our new Vidal (point of contact/tour organizer) and he helped us get to our hotel. The problem was, there was a large Catholic demonstration/parade happening and majority of the streets were blocked off, including all 4 that lead to our hotel. We had to get out of our taxi and walk but not without first seeing the parade that was blocking the streets. Hundreds of people stood out in the rain, hoisting up a shrine, which had been covered in protective plastic, and were monotonously chanting. The Catholic faith here is impressive but also overwhelming. We stayed far away from the procession and retired to our hotel.
The hotel looked like an Incan Ski Lodge if that paints a good picture. Rustic dark wood paneling with a lot of indigenous accents such as carvings, paintings, and animal representation. We got to our room, which was very nice, and were completely exhausted. And just to prove to us that we could not escape the "in your face" Catholicism in this country, there was a Virgin Mary breast feeding a baby hung over Heather's bed. We are pretty confident that baby kept a judging eye on us the entire time we slept that night. Another early wake up call for a Lake Titicaca tour in the morning.
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