Puno is a monet, beautiful from a distance, very dirty from close. Nonetheless it is still the town that tangents (can this be used as a verb?) Lake Titicaca, so a must-come spot. I am happy to be staying in the same hostal I had stayed 5 years ago, the Pukara Hostal, which has incredibly yummy breakfast, vey clean and charming rooms and these Bohemian-feel resting areas on certain floors. Puno is above 4,000M so I am feeling the thin air a bit, especially when i have to walk up 4 flights of stair to my room that is situated on the 5th floor, nevertheless it is a blessing in disguise because breakfast is served on the 6th.

Puno appears very differently to how I have remembered it. We have both changed so it took me a number of hours today to adjust. Today I strolled around town, first to an outpost that allowed me to see the town from a relative height, then thru a rowdy local public market to the harbour where I can see Lake Titicaca. The harbour is very dirty so I didnt really feel anything spiritual about this Lake. Rather, I had great fun strolling through the local markets as I love to check out what merchandise the local people like to sell. Interesting merchandise such as Crema Lechuga y Crema Chirimoya (lettuce cream and chirimoya cream, a type of fruit) intrigued me, of which I bought a small box for 50 centavos. Also enjoyed sifting through the incense sticks (they had archangel incense sticks which I havent seen sold in HK), the snack stands, and the amenities stands (Head & Shoulders, Gillette and Lux are also popular). Had a game of 1943 (airforce game) in the local arcade, which is about the only public video game i ever play. Being in an arcade suddenly brings back memories of being home, the fact that I havent been in a public theater nor a karaoke box for quite a number of months makes me slightly nostalgic.

Tomorrow I will take public ferry early in the morning to cross Lake Titicaca to one of the two popular islands, Isla de Amantani, on which I plan to stay 2 nights with a local family, a common practice for all the tourists. Am feeling like just touring the island on my own. Going with a tour agency feels like work n stress.