A toilet stop with a view

We had a brief stop to use the toilets at the Mirador Lagunillas. The views of the lake were stunning. However, we were back at an altitude of 4413 metres, and we all felt it as we got off the truck!

We drove past a lake with flamingos on it. Ritchie paused for us to take photos, but I only had my phone to hand, so they're not very good.

The drive continued through some incredible scenery under dramatic skies.

We stopped again for lunch in a grim-looking town called Saint Lucia. Most of us had picked up food in Arequipa, so we stayed on the truck to eat our picnics.

After lunch, we carried on to Puno. The scenery on route was as spectacular as ever, but it was pouring with rain, so photos weren't really possible. Mark joined Ritchie in the cab for the last leg of today's drive.

For the final few miles into Puno, we were at 3800 metres altitude. We drove across a flat plain through dusty, featureless towns. Neither countryside nor urban areas were very inspiring. One of the towns was Juliaca, a renowned centre for drug crime and general lawlessness. Ritchie told Mark that no truck would ever stop there, not even to use the toilet!

We climbed again, up and over a mountain, and descended into Puno city. We got our first views of Lake Titicaca and the sprawling urban development on its shores. Many of the houses, as in lots of cities in South America, are unfinished. Owners leave them in that state so that they don’t have to pay so much tax.

We reached our hotel at about 5.30pm. We got checked in and spent the evening catching up on some posts.Read more