Tuesday, 20 October 2015

Day 14 - Peru - Puno to Lima

We didn't have to leave the hotel until 9 am which was nice. I had a super light breakfast as there seems to be no sense in overdoing it. Two more members of our group of 15 have succumbed to illness on this trip. That makes the total at about 12, I think.


Surprisingly, there is no airport in Puno, so we had to drive to the nearby city of Juliabo, which is about an hour away. We drove through the main part of that city, up one street, down another, turning, turning. It seemed like the driver was lost but we eventually got to their airport.

It was a crowded place and we were told to take the locks off of our luggage. Why? They had no X-ray machine and they had to go through our luggage by hand. That surely slowed the check-in process but there was no rush. Our plane wasn't there when our ticket said it was boarding time.
It was a 90 minute flight and I was able to nap. Lima is overcast, but lots warmer. It's about a 40 minute drive to our hotel. Once checked in, I went by myself to a market, which was a brisk 20 minute walk from the hotel. It felt good to 'hoof it' and be on my own for a bit. I didn't find many good bargains so I headed to the ocean.

I had promised myself that I would dip my toes in the ocean before I left Lima. When I got to the park I had visited before, I realized the ocean was much further away then I remembered. There were many flights of stairs down and another busy road to cross. It was the getting back up that I dreaded. It was about 5 pm and beginning to get dark. And crossing a busy road here in Peru is easier said than done. Pedestrians take their life into their hands when doing so.
I went back to the hotel, then I met the group for one last supper. Only part of the group came because some people had to be at the airport later on this evening. We walked to a restaurant Pele knew and it was a very busy one. I decoded just to have bread and the salad bar and there were lots of good choices. Quinoa salad is becoming one of my favourites and I will be looking for recipes using it once I get home.



We said our goodbyes once we got to the hotel and headed to our rooms. It's hard to believe we won't all be going somewhere together tomorrow!

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