Oh, Puno. The stop that almost wasn’t.
Our original plan was to roll into Puno, catch some zzz’s, and hightail it to Bolivia at the crack of dawn. But we’re so glad we ditched that idea, caught up on sleep, and spent a full day soaking in the charm of this gem of a city.
36 Hours in Puno
We assumed Puno would be wildly touristy (we were wrong). Sure, the Uros Islands on Lake Titicaca attract crowds, but for good reason. These floating islands, made entirely of tightly packed reeds, are like nothing we’ve ever seen. The reeds need to be replaced and packed down every 15-20 days, talk about teamwork. We got to see a demonstration of how these amazing islands are created and maintained—and got a kick out of this fun fact: if someone isn’t pulling their weight in the community, they can literally be sawed off the island. Truly cutting ties! Originally built as a refuge from the Incas, these islands are a testament to the ingenuity and perseverance of the people here.
Step a block away from the pier, and Puno feels like the least touristy place in Peru. It’s as if no one cared that we were there (and we mean that in the best way). We saw more kids running around and playing and fewer helping sell goods than anywhere else we visited. We also stumbled upon one of our best meals in the country. It turns out we had no idea what our favorite Chifa dishes were supposed to taste like until we ate here—flavorful, delicious, and definitely worth the wait. We were thrilled to end our time in Peru on a food high.
Farewell, Peru
After five incredible weeks in Peru, it was time to say “hasta luego”. We’re so grateful for the slow pace we embraced, which allowed us to linger in cities that felt like home, if only for a little while. As the saying goes, “home is wherever I’m with you.”
To wrap up our Peruvian adventure, here are some silly little lists:
- Items we bid farewell to in Peru: One of Kim’s long-sleeved shirts (lost), Kim’s international yellow fever certificate that you’re absolutely supposed to keep (water damaged post-scuba diving and then lost), pair of Jack’s shorts (lost) one of Jack’s t-shirts (lost) Kim’s gym shoes (tossed for being too stinky and uncomfortable), various socks (seriously, where do they go??). Will we have any clothes left in a month? Stay tuned.
- Top 5 hostels we stayed at: 1. Krusty Hostel B&B (Huaraz) 2. VIP House Hostel (Cusco) 3. Tajmani (Arequipa) 4. Killamoon (Paracas) 5. Great Partners Hostel (Lima)
- The (topographical) highs and lows of Peru
Border Crossing to Bolivia
We were blissfully unaware of the political tensions between Bolivia and the United States until it was time to cross the border. As a result, U.S. citizens need to jump through hoops, gather a mountain of paperwork, and pay $160 for a visa to enter. (To be fair, this is also required for Bolivians to enter the U.S.). We thought we had it all sorted—documents in hand, ready to cross the border by bus and get our visa on arrival. Oh, how naive we were.
While our European bus buddies breezed through the border with nothing more than a passport and a smile, we were informed that we, in fact, could not enter Bolivia from this location. To make matters worse, we lost the bus that was supposed to take us all the way to La Paz. Determined, we took a tuk-tuk across town and walked across the bridge into Bolivia on foot. And thus began the Great Bolivian Border Scavenger Hunt.
Attempt #2 was nothing short of laughable (and trust me, they did laugh). Turns out we needed even more paperwork printed than we thought. So, off we went, in search of a copier and a printer. After scrounging around, we found a kind Bolivian who graciously let us use his computer and printer. With our shiny new stack of papers in hand and renewed optimism, we returned to the border office. Victory was in sight… until it wasn’t. Turns out, instead of the 4×4 photo size that was listed, we now needed 1×1 passport photos. Amazing.
Attempt #3. And so the scavenger hunt leveled up. We wandered through the small border town, talking to what felt like every business owner, each one pointing us to someone else who would, of course, send us to another spot. We were going in circles, and several hours had passed by this point. As despair was sinking in, one more small shop opened, and our photo mission was finally a success.
Attempt #4. Just when we thought we were in the clear, our crisp new U.S. dollar bills were rejected due to tiny marks, and the credit card machine refused to cooperate. We awkwardly lingered in hopes that somehow the machine would come back to life, and eventually it did. We were over the moon… though you wouldn’t be able to tell from the defeated looks on our visa photos. Enjoy a laugh.
