Day 2: Puno, Peru and Lake Titicaca

We leave Hotel Rosario and head to Puno, Peru. By bus, for 9 hours. I can't think. There's no air here in La Paz, Bolivia. As we board the bus, my uncle turns to me, "You have the tickets for this, right?"

Crickets. No, I don't.

"Did you give them to me?"
"Yes. All of them for this leg of the trip."

I remember late last night going to the tourism office in the hotel and setting it up and she gave us vouchers. Where did I put them? Shit. Shit. Shit. Where would I have put them? I look everywhere. They aren't with me. We ask the tour operator to wait on us while we get our vouchers for the bus, ferry, lunch and the hotel tonight reticketed. Fortunately, we're sitting in front of their office and they reprint them. The problem is that I have no memory of ever having them. My brain is oxygen deprived. Note to self: Be more careful with everything, especially you.


We begin driving, gaining more altitude and level out onto a road that takes us beside the lake. We pop coca leaves into the sides of our mouths and suck, but don't chew. We all have headaches and the coca leaves are supposed to help.


We cross Lake Titicaca on a ferry that I wouldn't send a load of feathers and cotton balls across on, and have a quick lunch at Copacabana, Peru. We plan a trip to Uros, the artificial Reed Islands on Lake Titicaca as soon as we arrive in Puno.


A storm is moving in and the colors on the lake are phenomenal.

Who wants to ride a reed boat to the next island? Me, me me! The serenity on the reed boat is beyond words. Quiet. Only the noise of two men paddling. Everyone maintains the quiet until two little girls that are riding with us begin singing for tips.


As we make our way back across the lake, the sun is setting and I am so tired. We find a dinner close to the hotel and on our way back I see a phone booth store where I call my love for the first time since leaving her. I'm a long way from home.