PUNO !

Puno is the home of Lake Ticitaca, a lake that is bordered by Peru and Bolivia. I was so bummed that I couldn’t go to the Bolivian side, because there lives Copacabana. I’ve heard that Copacabana is an absoloutley amazing paradise. This was exactly what I needed after a hectic couple of days, but again because of my visa situation, I wasn’t able to go. For Americans going to certain countries such as Bolivia or Brazil, you have to first apply for a Visa, which also cost about $150 or so. Since it was a surprise that we would be at Lake Ticitaca, I hadn’t applied for a Visa, nor did I want to pay any money for it for only a few days. I’ve learned that you can’t always do EVERYTHING you want to! and it takes a bit of picking and choosing, but that it is okay. So, I stayed behind in Puno for a few days while waiting for Franzi to return. I had a lot of free time to myself, which is somthing that I was getting more used to, but was still new. At home in the states, I am constantly “connected” to my phone, the internet, watching T.V. etc. I have so many tools to distract me during my free time. Here in Puno, this hostel didn’t have internet or a T.V. I also didn’t have really anything to keep me entertained such as books. I spent most of the days wandering in the little outdoor markets hoping to find cheaper things  to send to my family. I didn’t find many things that were cheaper, but did come across a huge Walmart type store which was a little shocking. Puno is a beautiful city with lots of historic areas with old buildings and small parks that are enjoyable. 

At first I felt a little anxiety because I really didn’t know what to do come sun down. However, I ended up going to a nice little dinner at an Italian type resturant. The people were really nice, and I had my first long conversation in Spanish- I was so proud! It was awesome to being able to express how I felt in Spanish, not just the typical touristy questions everyone always seems to ask you. It was a great night, untill I woke up in the middle of the night feeling horrible. I was sick to my stomach all night and didn’t get much sleep. This continued the whole day on the bus the next day- which is horrible when you are traveling for HOURS and HOURS. To say the least, I never felt happier when we pulled into the bus station at my lovely station in Cusco.

xx SLW