From 8:30 am until 3:00 pm, we traveled through the high valleys of the Andes toward Puno on the western shore of Lake Titicaca. The natural scenery was very pretty but most of the little villages looked poor.
About an hour before we got to Puno, we passed through the small city of Juliaca. One of the few places we've seen a lot of mud and dust on the same day. Every surface appeared to be coated with a layer of grime. "Shithole" is the only appropriate description. We were happy to be just passing through.
At the Puno bus terminal, a taxi driver sent by our hotel, the San Antonio Suites, greeted us with a sign with our name on it. It was a nice complimentary service. Puno is a small city so it only took about 5 minutes to get to the hotel, near the town square. The hotel was old and plain but clean and secure. We checked in and climbed the stairs to the 3rd floor. Just doing that caused us to be out of breath. The elevation at Puno is 3,830 metres or 12,565 feet above sea level. Here, the sun warms the air up to about 15C during the day but the nights seem to be just above freezing.
All of the hotels we have stayed in are masonry construction with single glazed windows, no insulation and no heat. The walls and roof keep the rain and wind out but that's about it. All surfaces are cold, especially the ceramic tile in the bathrooms. We were able to get a plug-in electric heater for our room on the second night but it only helped slightly. We've taken to wearing our merino wool long underwear, socks and a sweater or fleece to bed, even though there are lots of covers. We always have to wear flip flops on our feet to go to the bathroom.
The other problem with the elevation is getting used to less oxygen. Being out of breath after slight exertion is one thing but worse is waking up out of breath in the middle of the night. Anita experienced this last year in Quito and I've been having trouble with it this year. Most nights I have to sit up in bed for a couple of hours in the middle of the night so I can breathe. It makes for a long night.
Anyway, after getting organized we found our way to the main square and to a pedestrian street where we bought bus tickets to Copacabana, Bolivia for Friday. After checking our guidebook, we decided on a 2nd floor restaurant where we got a table overlooking the main plaza. We just happened to sit near a couple who were retired optometrists from Houston and were staying at the same hotel as us. They were kind enough to confirm the diagnosis that Anita had gotten from the opthalmologist in Arequipa. The flashing lights in her eyes should be checked when we get home but are likely not a serious problem so there's no need for immediate worry.
After talking with them through dinner, we all went back to our hotel breakfast room for a cup of tea and continued our conversation about various places we had traveled. They also live right near the Houston Space Administration where our son Josh had done some filming for his latest movie. Everyone in their neighbourhood works there. And once again, the American travelers we meet are horribly embarrassed by Donald Trump and are familiar with Rob Ford.
When we were in Arequipa, coca leaves were a novelty. Now, in every hotel where we've stayed in Peru, there are bowls of coca leaves in the breakfast room for making tea or chewing. What might get you arrested in Canada is very normal here. The coca does provide a little lift and help people deal with the altitude.
We had arranged a tour out to the floating reed islands on Lake Titicaca for the next morning. We weren't really sure what to expect.
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