Next stops were for buffet lunch at Sicuani, then at the highest point on the trip, 4,335 metres (14,222 feet) at La Raya, where yet again we faced the gauntlet of hawkers and stall holders and old women dressed in colourful Peruvian getup, holding exceptionally cute llamas, alpacas and lambs, who charge you one Peruvian Sole (30 Aus cents) for a photo and a pat.
Last stop was at a pre-Inca museum at Pucara which wasn't exactly gripping, but the toilets were clean, and free! There was a 5 year old boy trying to flog little ceramic pigs for 5 soles who tried to cajole Greg on our tour into buying some. When Greg refused, the boy said "why won't you buy my pigs?", so Greg just gave him the money, to which he said "no pig?". This stunt of sending out tiny little kids to elicit guilt buying is not one of Peru's best features.
We drove around a town called Juliaca, which featured another of Peru's less than endearing qualities - half-finished buildings. Apparently there is a tax placed on all buildings when completed, so no-one completes them, (as in Cairo, someone commented). A whole city featuring buildings with reinforcing wire sticking out the top looks very ordinary.Everyone was a little flat due to the altitude during the day. We arrived at Puno at 5.00pm as the sun was setting. 3,845 metres here (12,614 feet for those slow to adjust to metrics), but we are slowly adjusting to the altitude.
The group went out for tea to a nice little place recommended by Elvis our tour leader in Peru, who has an Australian sense of humour and is very well organised and connected. We get a local guide in each country which is very useful - a good feature of Peregrine Tours.
More touring tomorrow around Puno, including a trip on Lake Titicaca to visit the floating islands. Until then.
Well, you must have been used to the altitude by then! Interesting comment about the unfinished buildings; indeed, that is the case in Egypt. The Sinai was festooned with them (the Egyptian government was attempting to get some of the teeming populace out of Cairo). Unfortunately, though, with the reinforcing rods sticking out, they eventually start to rust and the buildings develop concrete cancer with the inevitable results. Not that they were safe anyway; the sand used in their concrete mixers was taken straight out of the desert!
ReplyDeleteAnd sadly - the practice of sending kids out to flog stuff to long-suffering tourists is rife in South East Asia too. When we werein Cambodia we were strongly encourage not to buy anything from the kids as they were not attending school in an attempt to make some money to sustain their families; Catch 22 dilemma!