Day 17: Puno

Departing Cusco early this morning to head to Puno on Lake Titicaca, we boarded the bus for the 7 hour bus ride: a comfortable bus with enormous reclining chairs and some questionable movies on screens in the centre of the aisle. Stopping halfway for burgers and a toilet break, we reached Puno in the late afternoon. Not as pretty as Cusco, but full of charm as the hilly town looks out on the enormous lake. Far less touristy, the polished Main Street, Lima, welcomes the visitor with cheery, but not overly pushy restaurant hosts. (Here too is where we discovered Peanut Butter Snickers - a life altering moment)

Much of the day spent travelling (with hungover heads) there wasn't much left to do in Puno, as the day was getting dark. We checked in, Gino showed us around the town and brought us to the market to buy gifts for the families we would be staying with the following night. In a panic, I bought pineapple, chirrimoya and avocado - I didn't know what to get! This heavy bag of fruit would not fare well on the journey to the host family...

After our market blitz, in the chilly evening air, we wandered back through town and went our separate ways for dinner. On Gino's recommendation, Holly, Shan, Kat, Nat, Gino and I went to a place called Ricos - a fairly crumby place, with fluorescent lighting, and dodgy decorations. There, we whiled away a few hours, chilling and chatting and enjoying the cheap and tasty food including homemade lemonade and churros. The intensity of the previous three weeks catching up with us, and a 6am start the following day pushed us on to bed not long after dinner.

Accommodation: Helena Inn
Weather: No idea about the day as it was spent on the bus; but at night it was cold in Puno.