Arequipa > Puno – 299km

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Bye Ernesto – been really good meeting you, thanks for all your help!!   (United Hotel, Arequipa)

We saw a smoking volcano today

And wild vicuna – saw a number of herds, some domesticated

And pink flamingoes

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Mountains all around – the temps dropped to about 12

Altitude 4528m – compare Mt Cook 3754m

No trees, just tussock

This girl served us lunch, a real sweetie

Someone told us of a back road to Puno to avoid yet another city – about 30km past St Lucia turn right to Manazo – was through rural Peru and much more peaceful than the main road, very little traffic.

A bridge

Transporting his llama

A video of a village – Note: No road signs

The road from Manazo is in serious need of work, need to watch out for the huge potholes which sometimes stretched right across the road.

When coming into Puno the GPS tried to direct us down some r-e-a-l-l-y steep streets – we opted to stay with the main road until it got flatter.

Wasn’t much room left in the hotel carpark, Charlie did amazingly well getting the bikes in – we had to be able to get the doors closed!

Went for walk around Puno

Peeling oranges – I could do with one of these at home.

Flowers for sale

Carrying her business home

The ladies wear tassels in their hair

Lake Titicaca where the floating reed islands are – we visited them last time we were in Puno

Looking back at Puno

I was feeling some effects of the high altitude so we jumped in a tuk-tuk back to the hotel