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Perú To Bolivia

In The Land Of Lamas
In The Land Of Lamas

From Arequipa, we took the bus to Puno, our last stop in Perú before Bolivia. The road was beautiful: we climbed high in the mountains in a land of lakes, deserts, volcanoes.

Our bus stopped in the middle of nowhere (literally) and we had a chance to take pictures of the lamas and the alpacas, as well as flamingos. We could barely breathe: at 3,000 meters, oxygen is scarce. Just walking a few meters is hard (smoking not, funny enough – yes, I know).

We arrived in Juliaca, about an hour drive from Puno. The town was a slum: dirt roads, chaos and cold weather. We jumped in a collectivo to Puno and arrived a bit before sunset. It was really cold this time and we slept under three layers of blankets. Breathing is still hard and our head is pounding, a mild case of soroche, altitude sickness. We had bought some pills in Lima, but we tend to rely in the local remedy: coca leaves. We drink mate de coca (basically coca leaves tea) and eat coca candy. Nope, so far no effect on us. Too bad. We are just altitude high then.

We only stayed one night in Puno and took a border bus the next morning. We drove along the Titicaca Lake and completed immigration to enter Bolivia. The process was long (one immigration official on both sides for about 100 people) but fairly smooth.

We are now on the shore of the highest lake in the word: Lake Titicaca.

Up In The Mountains, Stormy Weather
Up In The Mountains, Stormy Weather
Highlands Lakes
Highlands Lakes
On Perú Side
On Perú Side
Entering Bolivia
Entering Bolivia


Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca

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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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