night bus nightmares
by richiecdisc
The marketplace is the best part of Puno. It's not overly touristic, very colorful and great cheap fun just walking around it. Lots of great street food for the adventurous too. The Cuzco to Puno night bus had a particularly bad reputation for theft, but the day bus arrived at an inconvenient time so we opted for the night run. We arrived at the terminal around 11 PM and anxiously boarded the dilapidated bus. Since we had expected the worst, the general appearance of the bus didn’t bother us much, but the small seats did. Peruvians are small in stature in general so the leg room is beyond tight for the average North American or Northern European. We crammed ourselves into our seats along with the hoard of locals and their assorted livestock. On a previous night bus, we had been overly warm so were ill prepared for the nippy conditions we now encountered. This certainly didn’t bother the indigenous locals, as they seemed to carry everything they owned with them and hence had an ample supply of blankets on hand. The driver had been driving like mad and it had been difficult to get much sleep with his taking curves at dangerous speeds that resulted in our being jostled from side to side all night. At one of the last stops, it seemed he didn’t want to go into town to drop a group of Quechua women off at the terminal. It was our first glimpse of the mysterious man behind the curtain who had driven so recklessly all evening. He looked a frantic figure, lanky for Peruvian, with a huge wool hat on and bulging eyes peering from underneath it. He yelled maniacally at the women, who in turn yelled back just as feverously. Of course, we found the whole thing amusing and didn’t quite know what all the fuss was about. Finally, he succumbed, as was a good idea with that many women in an uproar. He drove even more crazily bringing them to the terminal and barely waited for them to make it down the bus steps before flying off through the deserted streets of the small village. (concluded below in Fondest Memory)
Street Food
by risse73
There are street food vendors in the tiny streets that surround bustling Lima Street in the heart of Puno, and if you're unafraid and up for adventure, I recommend that you try food sold in this set-up. I actually did and it was a wonderful treat that I enjoyed very much! The only people buying from these vendors were the locals and laborer types. It gave me much pleasure to eat in this set-up as this sure is the most authentic you can ever get.
La Paz - Puno by Desaguadero
by Pietro_4wd
A good alternative to have a nice approach to Puno is by car from La Paz, Bolivia. You may share a stopping on Tiwanaku archeological center, going after by Desaguadero (not very smart border offices for touristic proposes, but they gives you preference over the trucks). The landscapes on the Desaguadero - Puno step are outstanding dream scenes.
If you have adventure spirit, you may follow after towards Cusco by Sicuani. If yo don't have a solid 4WD and at least a 2 vehicles caravan, don't attempt another returning than the same way.
Uros Floating Islands
by kzapanta
There are already tons of tips about the floating islands so I don't want to duplicate.
I want to give people the facts and they can decide:
Facts: The fee for a full boat tour of the floating islands at the dock, 10 soles.
Prices of full package tour salesperson, above 20 soles.
Lodging quotes from toursit information booths. $40 per person.
Decent private rooms with private bath we found ON Lima Street. $14 per person.
Floating islands is exactly what others have said. 3 to 4 hour tour. The islands and villages of the Uros are way modernized now than the pictures of a few years ago. Also, of course they are selling sovenirs, but the quality of the stuff on the Uros island is inferior than in the stores of any city.
Sunset in Lago Titicaca
by risse73
Watching the sun set over the horizon of this gorgeous lake landscape gives you a deep sense of the wonderment of nature. The experience definitely puts you in a peaceful, tranquil, and reflective state. See it for yourself!