We had an early pick up today by the Peru Hop bus as we make our way up to Puno. Puno, dominated by Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake, is the capital of Peru’s folkloric tradition. According to legend, everything began in Puno when Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo emerged from Lake Titicaca to found the Inca dynasty. Puno lies at an altitude of over 3,800 meters, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. It gets very cold at night but can have a strong sun blazing through the day. Founded in 1668 the city has retained a colonial flavour, particularly in its churches and cathedral built in 1754.
It was nice to see a few of our previous travellers as we got on the bus and to catch up on what they had been doing and where they were going. We made a stop at a viewpoint which was at an altitude of 4,444m overlooking the Mirador Lagoon.
Further on those of us going to Puno changed vehicles as the bus was going directly to Cusco. We had a wonderful view of Lake Titicaca as we dove down into the city arriving early afternoon.
We settled into the hotel, saw a youth band parade from our window and went for some food. We then had a walk around the area looking at the shops and admiring the fruit in the local market.