Atuncolla

We arrive back from the island and after getting a bite to eat head out to purchase our ticjets for the onward journey. After much bartering we manage to buy the tickets for 20 bolivianos each, the equivalent of £2 which is a good price seeing as they started at 40, and as we are walking away feeling very chuffed with ourselves, the woman calls us back to tell us there are no more seats on the bus. We go to another stall and its the same there, but the woman gives us an option of getting on a minibus. We have read that this is not neccasarily the best option, but its better than being stuck here for another night. We head to the border which is literally 10 mins up the road and get our luggage of the roof rack and enter the immigration office forming once again an orderly queue. There are signs everywhere saying silence, and the guy on the desk is definitely not happy in his job. Everybody else has a piece of paper saying with a visa on it, but we have never been given one so the police official gives us one to fill in and sends us to the back of the line like a naughty little school girl . Official papers filled in and we have officialy left Bolivia .I''m quite proud as im one of the only people weve spoken to who hasnt had food poisoning here, my stomach must be stronger than i think. We then have to walk across the border into Peru wher a couple of hundred metres down the road is the Immigration office. Once again in a queue we get stamped in and the guy here is even more miserable than the last one. Im so glad we have Olivia with us as my Spanish definitely isnt up to scratch here . We are put in a taxi for approximately 5 mins and then offloaded into a minibus full of Peruvians. We make our way along the coast and about half way into the journey we see the most horrific crash with a minibus and a lorry. It really makes you think how easy this can happen. The drivers here are lunatics and overtake in the most ridiculous places. We safely arrive in Puno a few hours later and although we havent booked into a hostel we have a couple in mind. Olivia asks the bus driver if he can take us to our hostel and he totally blanks her, so weve gone from a place where they totally lie to a place where they just dont answer you.
We are dropped at the bus station and as we get off the bus there are loads of tuc tucs , complete with full disco lights and balloons. Its very apparent we have left the tranquility and are once again in a city , the hustle and bustle of the traffic and the whole feel makes me wish i could get straight back on a bus for Isla de Sol. We book into a matrimonial room as its only a quid more expensive than a dorm . We are pretty hungry so after unpacking and chilling a while we decide to go out and grab a bite to eat, plus the fact that we have no Peruvian soles we desperately need to find a bank. Its absolutely pouring and freezing cold so with 3 jumers and my raincoat on we set off. Just as we round the corner for the main plaza, there is Sophie looking like a lost sheep. We find a bank and head for the nearest restaurant. This strret is definitely touristy and although its 18 soles ( 3.50) for starters mains and pudding, im sure there is cheaper. We are shown to the back of the restaurant where a big log fire is burning and i go and stand by it to dry out. On the shelf is an ornament of and old couple and i pick it up to show the guys that its me and Mark, but in doing so everything else falls down with a clatter and as the restaurant workers come to see whats going on , I stand there innocently apologising. Back at the hostel there is a pamphlet advertising the various things the hostel hs to offer. and one of them is a hitter we all laugh and translate it to a heater which we both request as its bloody freezing. We retire to our rooms with our heaters full blast and sleep well .Read more