We left Puno and Lake Titicaca and drove across the altiplano, the high plains separating the Andes from the jungles. Although it was quite a long drive, the scenery was interesting and often spectacular. We stopped at Pukara, a pre-Inca town where the stone work seemed to indicate that they had a penchant for chopping off heads and eating children! We next stopped at La Raya Pass, the watershed and geographical dividing line between the altiplano and the Vilcano...

As usual we woke early - today's view from our bedroom, and the breakfast room, must be one of those to die for - the sun rising over the Andes and lighting up Lake Titicaca. We all gathered together at 0800am and headed off with David to Acora, a small town on the pan American highway to Bolivia ( 3 hours further on) to see the action at the local weekly market where women, predominantly, had brought their goods and were bartering for others eg beans for pumpki...

We left Chivay at 0630 - it was very cold thanks to the clear blue skies, it also meant the overnight precipation had dusted the mountain tops with snow. The coach was freezing - and took a long time to warm up. 10minutes out of Chivay one of the bus drivers (we have two) realised he had left his wallet behind so jumped off the coach and was left to walk back then somehow link with us later - but thanks to a bus revolt we turned round picked him up and returned t...