Day 3: Puno to Cusco, Peru

Must every day start at 5am? Today we take a 5 hour bus ride from Puno, Peru on the shores of Lake Titicaca to Cusco, Peru through the Sacred Valley.

First thing, we miss our bus. They just forgot to pick us up. On the steep side of the road, we wait for a touring bus from Peru. We meet up with the bus an hour late...8:30am instead of 7:30am.

The scenery is stunning. Click on the photos for a larger image. It's the end of rainy season and everything is a different shade of green. You can see why the Incas considered this the Sacred Valley. It's lush with greenery and surrounded by magnificent mountains.


This trip is more leisurely than yesterday. We make lots of stops to see churches, shop and walk around. Everywhere we stop they have set up shop.


We lunch at a buffet in a small town with tiny roads at right angles. Something about stuff in pots floating around in broth makes me nervous. They say it's chicken, but I've heard stories of guinea pig and alpaca. I make mine vegetarian. The salads are beyond compare. Beets, fresh hearts of palm, carrots, fresh lettuces and eggs adorn my plate every night.

I'd love to have one of the baby alpaca rugs. They are so soft and fluffy, but I'll have to carry that bitch for 10 more days. Laziness in this altitude overwhelms me. I refuse to carry anything more than I have to and am leaving crap behind each time we overnight somewhere. I do buy a pair of alpaca slippers for someone, probably me or the dogs.

Alpaca, sheep and llama graze by the sides of the road all the way to Cusco. We are met by Rocio at the bus station and she takes us to our hotel. There is no elevator and we're on the third floor. I need an oxygen tank.

We make plans for tomorrow with Rocio at an excruciatingly slow pace. She speaks little English. We speak almost as much Spanish. Somehow she is focused on me and thinks that I understand her best. The menfolk are getting antsy and I wish that she would talk to them. But apparently, I'm her favorite.

She will pick us up and take us to the train station to head towards Machu Picchu tomorrow morning at 6am. I know. It's always too damn early.