It seems a measure of this trip that having to rise at 6:00am is barely considered an early start any more. Such it was today so we could fit in one last, delicious breakfast at the Amaru hostel before catching a taxi to the bus station for our trip to Puno.
We had been given a strong recommendation that the PeruRail trip from Cusco to Puno was a "must do" because of the scenic vistas it offers from the special viewing carriage as it trundles through the Andes. We had seriously considered doing so, despite the hefty price tag of more than US$300 per person, but in the end it turned out that the train doesn't run on Thursdays so we had no choice but to catch the bus at a fraction of the cost (about US$45). However the bus follows the train line closely and has its own attractions, in that it stops at three sites of historical/archealogical significance as well as at the pass which is the highest point of the trip. Plus a stop for a buffet lunch that is included in the fare. So it didn't look like such a bad outcome.
Our first stop was at Andahuaylillas, just 25 minutes into the trip, to see the St Peter & St Paul church that has been called the Sistine Chapel of the Americas. It certainly was incredibly decorated inside but since no photography is allowed you'll just have to take my word for it. In fact it was a little too overdone for my liking and I couldn't help wondering what the historical Jesus would make of the elaborate decorations and iconography done in his name.
The next stop was at Raqchi, which featured the remains of a huge temple complex that was dedicated to the god Wiracocha in Inca times. It was also a centre of pilgrimage. The remains featured an impressive mix of stone work and mud brick construction.
It was not too much further until we arrived at Sicuani for what turned out to be a pretty good buffet lunch. There was time afterwards to take some photos of the llamas grazing next to the restaurant and some scenes of the surrounding mountains. Our next stop was only for 5-10 minutes at La Raya, which at 4,335m was the highest point of the trip. Luckily we were not doing any hiking or climbing so the thin air didn't affect us too much.
Our last sightseeing stop was at Pukara, where a museum containing ceramics and archealogical finds, documents the first civilisation in the area. This dates from about 1,600BC - a long, long time before the more widely known Incas.
From there it was on to Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, where we arrived pretty much on time at 6:00pm. At the bus station there was a taxi waiting for us for our free transfer to Totorani Hostel. I had originally booked accommodation at Quechuas Hostel but could not find any electronic confirmation of the booking. Before we went to the Amazon basin I had tried sending an email to the two email addresses on their website - one bounced with an invalid address and the other wasn't answered. I had the receptionist at Amaru try to call them on the phone number given on their website but the number was apparently invalid. Thus, on a recommendation from Amaru (confirmed via Trip Advisor) I had booked a room at Totrani. (I did eventually receive a reply from Quechuas after about three days but I had already rebooked by then, so they missed out).
Anyway the owner at Totorani, Alberto, couldn't have been more helpful. We had vaguely planned to just catch the bus to Copacabana, Bolivia, at 8:00am the next morning. However we had also received recommendations about seeing the floating islands, some of which it turned out were only about 30 minutes from Puno harbour and not about three hours away as we had initially believed. Alberto assured us that it was entirely feasible to do a morning tour to the floating islands and still have plenty of time to catch a 2:00pm bus to Copacabana so this is what we decided to do. And Alberto was able to arrange the floating islands tour (including a free pick-up) and bus ticket for the 2:00pm bus (including free transport back to the bus station).
It turns out that we will be seeing Lake Titicaca from both Puno (Peru) and Copacabana (Bolivia) after all.
We had been given a strong recommendation that the PeruRail trip from Cusco to Puno was a "must do" because of the scenic vistas it offers from the special viewing carriage as it trundles through the Andes. We had seriously considered doing so, despite the hefty price tag of more than US$300 per person, but in the end it turned out that the train doesn't run on Thursdays so we had no choice but to catch the bus at a fraction of the cost (about US$45). However the bus follows the train line closely and has its own attractions, in that it stops at three sites of historical/archealogical significance as well as at the pass which is the highest point of the trip. Plus a stop for a buffet lunch that is included in the fare. So it didn't look like such a bad outcome.
Our first stop was at Andahuaylillas, just 25 minutes into the trip, to see the St Peter & St Paul church that has been called the Sistine Chapel of the Americas. It certainly was incredibly decorated inside but since no photography is allowed you'll just have to take my word for it. In fact it was a little too overdone for my liking and I couldn't help wondering what the historical Jesus would make of the elaborate decorations and iconography done in his name.
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| Part of the old temple wall at Raqchi |
It was not too much further until we arrived at Sicuani for what turned out to be a pretty good buffet lunch. There was time afterwards to take some photos of the llamas grazing next to the restaurant and some scenes of the surrounding mountains. Our next stop was only for 5-10 minutes at La Raya, which at 4,335m was the highest point of the trip. Luckily we were not doing any hiking or climbing so the thin air didn't affect us too much.
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| The view from the pass at La Raya |
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| A view of Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca |
Anyway the owner at Totorani, Alberto, couldn't have been more helpful. We had vaguely planned to just catch the bus to Copacabana, Bolivia, at 8:00am the next morning. However we had also received recommendations about seeing the floating islands, some of which it turned out were only about 30 minutes from Puno harbour and not about three hours away as we had initially believed. Alberto assured us that it was entirely feasible to do a morning tour to the floating islands and still have plenty of time to catch a 2:00pm bus to Copacabana so this is what we decided to do. And Alberto was able to arrange the floating islands tour (including a free pick-up) and bus ticket for the 2:00pm bus (including free transport back to the bus station).
It turns out that we will be seeing Lake Titicaca from both Puno (Peru) and Copacabana (Bolivia) after all.
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