After a couple of days on the Islands I was pretty worn out and it rained so I went to my room and watched TV. I had the best nights sleep I have had since I got here. I have been lucky with the weather so far it has only rained 3 times and always at night. Last night it was sooo cold we got hail. Tou remember the old show Nightrider with Kit the talking car and the Hof. Well it was on here last night, in spanish. Hof is as bad in spanish as he is in american. I have no idea what they were saying but it was like watching a train wreck I couldnt stop. This morning I decided to walk to the port to the markets to look around cos I was told they open at 7am. On the way I came across an old guy selling what looked like rolls. I asked for one and got what I think was a cheese sandwich and a brown fruit drink. The drink was some milk in the bottom af the glass then brown juice. I dont know what it was but it was delicious. Later I walked back to get another sandwich but he had sold out. It was bitterly cold this morning. There was big heaps of hail still on the roofs of the markets at 9am. Its hard to explain the weather. When the sun is out, at this altitude, you can really feel it. All the poms are walking around sunburnt, Im OK cos I have just come from our summer. When the sun is out it feels like about mid 20s but when the sun goes behind the clouds and there is a bit of wind it feels like below 10. So most of the morning I was putting on jacket and taking it off etc. Most stalls were closed but I did manage to find one old lady to barter with. She didnt speak english, like most people here, but we were able to make a deal with my limited spanish, doche for oche each. It was such a good deal I bought all the beanies she had so guess what you are getting when I get home kids. On the way back I found a local market where you could buy anything. I mean anything. Fruit and veg, sheep´s head, nails and screws..individually, clothes, shoes, tapes.. those things we had before cds and dried lama fetus´s. Yes they are a delicasy here and you will see some in the photos if you look hard enough. I had fun interacting with the locals, they are more forgiving of my lack of .. espanich. This arvo I just walked around some more. I found some more markets but they were in a slum part of town. They were selling rubbish. Even a crow bar mad of reo bar in fact you can buy almost any tool here made out of reo bar. Puno is a market town cos it is close to Chile and Bolivia so they can get products from there cheaper than Peru and there is a thriving black market here. I was even offered a big screen TV for $200us. This is a great town and I have had a great time here. This arvo I was sitting and a group of people came out of a building and hailed a cab. Eight of them got in a corolla wagon cab. Driver and passenger in the front, 4 in the back seat, 3 in the back. unbelievable. There is a strike here an the road to Cusco. So I have just booked to go around it tomorrow. The bus goes half way back to Ariquipa then turns off to a dirt road. They say it will take about 12 hours, usual time is 6 hr. It will make up for not going to Bolivia and doing death road from La Paz. See ya in a coupla days