Andean Explorations – 9: Arequipa to Puno
Previous post: Trekking in the Colca Canyon| Next post: Puno
Exiting Arequipa
I came back from the Colca canyon trek and bid adieu to fellow trekkers. I was goddamn exhausted after the trek but considering the paucity of time, I booked a bus to Puno, the next city, that night itself. Fortunately my hostel allowed me to use the shower for free and I gladly took that opportunity to shower, shave and emerge as a new guy. I would definitely recommend staying at The Point Hostel.
Arequipa is a nice town and I liked the quiet streets and the overall feel of the town. As my bus cruised out of the city, I gave in to screams from my tired body and fell asleep right away. There was a problem though – my feet needed to relax but I couldn’t take my socks and/or shoes off because a special fragrance would have filled the bus. I attribute this to a manual error in planning my inventory of socks.
“Hola!” Some Spanish travelers I met sent me this picture. That’s me, returning from Colca.
Bus travel in Peru
There is no public transport in Peru that you can use to travel between cities. Instead, there are a lot of buses operated by private companies. They cater to all kinds of budgets, for example the ticket from Arequipa to Puno by the finest luxury bus was S/. 80 while for an economy bus it gets as low as S/. 10. Laws of demand-supply persist and best deals are available as the bus is just leaving the terminal. Naturally, cheaper the ticket, lower is the predictability. Low cost buses might take frequent stops, have bad toilets, not arrive on time or have other surprise problems on board.
Rail network is almost absent in this region, but there are lots of airports.
Currency (I missed this in the intro post)
S/. is the symbol for Peruvian currency (code PEN) – Nuevo Sol (Nuevos Soles in plural), simply referred to as “Sol/Soles” (सोल / सोलेस्). As of today, 1 USD = 2.8 PEN
chor chor! Thief!
At night, there was a commotion and I woke up to sound of the French guy running out of the coach hurriedly. I met a French couple while waiting at the Arequipa bus terminal. It’s funny how you make friends out of practical or situational problems. I needed to pee badly and I didn’t want to take my backpack inside the Peruvian toilet, so these people helped me out (by guarding my luggage). Later, I got them exit tickets – some bus terminals in Peru have small exit taxes – ½ soles or so. This is a good price to pay for having a decently clean bus terminal.
Anyway, back to the story. Apparently while the bus was taking a stop, a thief sneaked in and attempted to steal from inside the bus while everyone was fast asleep! I was sitting on the single seat right in front of the door and was fortunate enough to be saved. But then my little backpack with all the valuable stuff was safely tucked in and entangled between my legs. Still the episode was as close I ever got to see crime in Peru.
Cross on a mountain, opposite Chivay bus terminal
Safe travel tip
Get one of those pouches that strap on to your shin/calf or thighs (if you are wearing shorts) and are safely concealed. Important “SOS” stuff – Passport, travel permits, reserve cash, credit cards and essential phone numbers (local police, embassy) – should go in this pouch. This pocket is inaccessible, so at checkpoints you are likely to panic and fumble (I had a problem in Israel especially, where they have hundreds of check points). But security doesn’t come for nothing, especially if traveling alone in a foreign place.
Finding a hostel in Puno
…or Peru is no different from a typical experience in India. As the bus arrived in Puno, the air smelled different. It was cold wind probably blowing over the gigantic Lake Titicaca the shore on which this city is located. The French couple and I deliberated over which hostel to check in, while touts gathered around us like fruit flies on jelly cake. The agents were almost pulling us and claiming to have the “best hotel just for you.” Finally we went to a cheap place and I got a fabulous double bedroom for just S/. 15. Perfect!
I crashed immediately since my sleep has been erratic but eventful so far. First night I arrived from Toronto and slept at 2 am, second night was in a bus, third night was in another rickety country bus, fourth night was in a tent and fifth night was again in a bus which reached Puno at 4 am. I needed a place to sleep that was quiet and where my ass remained stationary. Aww… Good night!
Arequipa region is barren and has few volcanic peaks
Next post: Puno City
Previous post: Trekking in the Colca Canyon| Next post: Puno
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Priyank, wow you are trooper with those adventures. That sounds like fun trip, and thanks for sharing. Amazing images, and ofcourse nice to meet you too, Anna
↵Hi Anna:
Thanks for the comments!
↵I try
Dude… I’m totally sold on this now. Must go, must see!
↵Sudipta:
↵Great! If this travelogue really makes you go, then one of my objectives is achieved
This interesting post made me feel travelling in Peru is almost like travelling in other places in the world. Now why did I feel otherwise in the first place, I’m not quite sure.
That’s such a sweet picture of you, Mr. Smelly-Feet! Have you got to work to make them smell like roses? Haha!
↵Hi Celine!
I haven’t traveled a lot outside but Peru, even with its share of shocks and surprises, was the same afterall.
..ugh, smell like roses? Feet should smell nice.. like feet, otherwise they wont be fee’t
↵Ha, ha! What fun… I have never encountered a common thief during travel yet.
↵I knew you looked like a kokya but I thought you had a longish face due to your avatar! btw, have you dyed you hair brown?
↵And as for your adventures, they sound great!
Shantanu:
↵Yes, it was fun! I love such random experiences.
Nita:
LOL. Thanks for stopping by!
↵Hahaha, kokya. Yes very much. My face is flexible, in other pictures it might appear different if I have long hair and a beard
I assume you have black hair and a black beard!
↵Amazing travelogue!
Why don’t you start your own serial like “Musafir Hoon Yaaron” just the way Deepti Bhatnagar did?
↵Nita:
Just the hair, not me !
↵Oops I forgot to tell you that my hair changes colors seasonally
Manasa
↵Thanks! Starting a serial? nah, I am not a charming traveler like Deepti
So did you get to catch the thief ? i was thinking that you would probably have more exciting adventures ..
↵great to see ur pic, it always feel great to give ur imaginations a picture. Esp for a person like me who tend to imagine shapes based on their names
btw I like the new look of ur site.
↵Wow, love your experiences, so different then my life here, thanks for sharing through words and images.
↵the pics of peru are just too good!!…i havent had th time to read your posts…just gazed at the pics!!..they are so lovely!!..will come back for more!!
↵Lakshmi:
↵Nah, that guy ran away
Maverick
↵So did I turn out to be what you thought I would look like?
Bob
↵Thanks buddy. I’m loving it too!
SS
Do come back at leisure!
↵Thanks for the compliments
Wow priyank ! You are quite the adventurer! I wish I had done something like this a while ago. But maybe one of these days my family and I would visit Peru. I really enjoyed reading the Peru travelogue so far
Arun
↵Arun
Thanks for your comments!
↵Thanks man, there is no age limit to do anything. You will discover it some day, maybe after your kids grow up and move out, or maybe after you retire, who knows
[...] mighty Condors and trekked in Colca canyon – the world’s deepest canyon. The travelogue then went to the Bolivian border at Puno, Fertility temple and lake Titicaca – the highest inhabited lake in [...]
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