July 14, 2015

Another war. Wind and busy road all day. After 5 hours, we arrive in Puno.  This is a ride that that should have taken us 1 day from Copacabana to Puno but rather has been a cage match for 2 days. Puno is a large city of over 80K. We find a decent hostal from Lonely Planet. The route ahead looks like more flat, monotonous road with traffic so we opt to save some legs (and brain cells) and buy bus tickets out of the city and get off at Siculani. From here, the options are a lot more interesting.  While making reservations, we meet a nice Brazilian girl who invites us to dinner with her 2 friends. There is a lovely walking street through town similar to our Pearl St. After dinner I come down with food poisoning and am up all night with chills…and other.  I rally in the am to catch the bus at 715a to Siculani. I sleep most of the way on the bus for 5 hours with my head bouncing off the window.  Our bus tour drops us off and we pedal through town to find a hostal. All options are equally terrible, so we take the least terrible option. Our hostal is above a chicken restaurant (it was only a matter of time since they are everywhere). Our bikes are stored in their food prep area in the kitchen where we see a girl peeling potatoes. We are fortunate to arrive in town during a fiesta, including an amazing parade with all the children dressed in the local colors of their school. It is one of the cutest thing I’ve seen. Back at the hostal, I go to sleep and wake up the next morning feeling human again. I’m getting very frustrated that every hostal we stay at turns off the wifi over night and do not turn it back on unless you ask?  An expression that Taylor has been saying since day 1 is now ingrained in my brain and makes me chuckle:  “Welcome to South America”

Getting gas for cooking

Bike storage in the kitchen.  Picked up a friend?

Pretty sure this guy wanted to kill Taylor…and could have.

Dinner with our Brazilian friends.  Restaurants and hotels do not have heat.