Sunday Sept 18
High altitude warning - we are heading for the altiplano at 3820 metres.
We're on the way to Lima Airport by 7 a.m. With great determination, Minda and Dick are relocated with their luggage which has been languishing in the lost luggage area of the airport.
The flight to the dusty town of Juliaca is quick and we are immediately transferred to a coach that will transport us to the town of Puno. We are also joined by Percy, who will be our local guide while we are in this area.
This is not really a toursim centre and I am surprised how many people in the towns and surrounding countryside wear the traditional dress that we see in tourist brochures. 
Puno is built on the steep hillside rising up from Lake Titicaca. This is our departure point for a two days on the lake. But first, we settle into the pleasant Hotel Italia explore the town.
We have been advised to take it easy while we acclimatize to the altitude. So, we take that advice seriously and after a tasty lunch, we amble gently around town. There is not much to do anyway, except check out the plazas and markets. Its pretty chilly at this altitude, and there are plenty of shops selling warm sweaters and gloves. Manuel warns us that everyone claims to sell alpaca even though quite often its acrylic. Regardless, Peter buys a nice "alpaca" sweater from the lady sitting with her bundle of goods outside our hotel.
Our next night will be at a home stay, so we have to leave our luggage and take everything we need in our day packs. This is the first of several times that we have to repack and leave some of our belongings in storage.
The next morning after breakfast we are greeted by a colourful fleet of bicycle "limos" that will take us to the port to board our motorboat for the next leg of our journey.
High altitude warning - we are heading for the altiplano at 3820 metres.
We're on the way to Lima Airport by 7 a.m. With great determination, Minda and Dick are relocated with their luggage which has been languishing in the lost luggage area of the airport.
The flight to the dusty town of Juliaca is quick and we are immediately transferred to a coach that will transport us to the town of Puno. We are also joined by Percy, who will be our local guide while we are in this area. This is not really a toursim centre and I am surprised how many people in the towns and surrounding countryside wear the traditional dress that we see in tourist brochures. Puno is built on the steep hillside rising up from Lake Titicaca. This is our departure point for a two days on the lake. But first, we settle into the pleasant Hotel Italia explore the town.We have been advised to take it easy while we acclimatize to the altitude. So, we take that advice seriously and after a tasty lunch, we amble gently around town. There is not much to do anyway, except check out the plazas and markets. Its pretty chilly at this altitude, and there are plenty of shops selling warm sweaters and gloves. Manuel warns us that everyone claims to sell alpaca even though quite often its acrylic. Regardless, Peter buys a nice "alpaca" sweater from the lady sitting with her bundle of goods outside our hotel.
Our next night will be at a home stay, so we have to leave our luggage and take everything we need in our day packs. This is the first of several times that we have to repack and leave some of our belongings in storage.
The next morning after breakfast we are greeted by a colourful fleet of bicycle "limos" that will take us to the port to board our motorboat for the next leg of our journey.
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