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ACCOMMODATIONS:
Mosoq Inn A friendly welcome was followed by a
tray of coca tea brought to our room. The rooms were clean
and spacious with large windows overlooking the
street. Street noise was not a concern
through the night and made for interesting viewing the few times
we used the room during the day. Puno can get very cold at
night and the multiple blankets on the beds kept us toasty warm.
The staff were outstanding in their willingness to make our time
in Puno a positive experience from William at the door to Ibeth
and Rebelhino who manned the front desk, supplied local
information and oversaw breakfast. We spent
two nights prior to going to Bolivia and one night on our
return. Pleased to recommend.
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ARRANGEMENTS:
Hotel: Made reservation directly with
Mosoq Inn
through email. Contact persons were Ibeth and Rebelhino. All went well.
Tours: We did a self guided tour around Puno on
foot and by motorcycle rickshaw down to the lake where we made
our own arrangements for a boat to take us out to the floating reed islands. We
taxied
to and from the 19th century steamship, the
Yavari. No problems.
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FOOD & DRINK:
BREAKFAST buffet at the hotel was ample with
breads, pastries, meat, cheese, fruits, juices, teas and coffee.
VEGETARIAN There is a vegetarian restaurant
next door to the hotel with a very inexpensive 3-course meal of
the day.
CHINESE restaurants are popular in Peru
and we tried two in Puno (Cheng Xin and Shanghai); in each, our
party of four liked some things and not others (soups seemed to
win out) but all agreed that value for money was very
good.
There was a small corner bar only three or four blocks from the
hotel which served excellent pisco sours for a good price.
Sweet shops (try Rico's Pan) with pastries, cakes and other confections are
popular and make for a nice way to finish off a day in Puno.
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PLACES TO GO:
There are two main reasons why tourists and travelers come to
Puno ... The most obvious being that it is located on famed Lake
Titicaca, the world's highest commercially navigated lake; and
the opportunity to visit the Uros floating reed islands.
The second reason Puno sees a lot of travelers is because it
offers a relatively easy border crossing into Bolivia; just on
the other side of the lake.
Lake Titicaca To simply see the lake
is just a matter of walking down to the shore or taking an
inexpensive motorcycle rickshaw (three wheeled vehicles, man or
motor driven).
Uros floating islands Eager boatmen at
the wharf are prepared to deal in order to fill their
boats with tourists to the floating islands; it is not necessary
to book through a travel agent.
Visit the market The large street market
stretches for blocks. Here locals buy produce, meat, household items (some which are
smuggled over the border from cheaper Bolivia). It
is a fascinating look at the real people of Puno and if you get
hungry, buy something.
In and around Plaza del Armas Many of Puno's
accommodations are within a comfortable and interesting walk of
the main plaza. There you can sit on a bench and do some people
watching, visit the Cathedral de Puno, or do some banking,
shopping or eating on the fashionable pedestrian street - Jiron
Lima.
The Yavari For ship and
history buffs a visit to this historic ship will get you out of
town for a bit (taxi about $5 US one way).
Bolivia If you are only wanting a day
trip or a overnighter in Bolivia, most hotels in Puno will store
your luggage for you. Tourist buses are the safest means
of travel and wait at the border while you fill out forms and
get your passport stamped. Ask your hotel regarding
schedules.
There are many more things to do in and around Puno from the
real islands in Lake Titicaca ... to daytrips outside of the
city, it's just a matter of deciding what you want to do.
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