Lonely in Puno

I arrived in Puno sometime around 8.30pm. The bus journey was ok, I slept, read and ate the whole time.

Coming out of Puno bus station I got into my first ever moto-taxi! A motorbike with a seat attached to the back for passengers, I think the guy ripped me off charging me 5 soles (he originally said 7!) But I didnt care I was just excited to be travelling in the home made golf buggy type taxi.

I'd decided to stay at the famous Point hostel. It's a chain across Peru known for being party hostels. I've been in a couple before where friends have stayed and I was very impressed. However, on arrival in the one in Puno I soon realised I was the only person staying there! For some reason the lady at reception still tried selling me a more expensive smaller dorm, which makes no sense because I had the entire building to myself never mind the dorm! It was nice though, friendly staff, good facilities, comfty beds and hot water. Still, I was very disappointed. Id napped all the way from Arequipa with plans of staying up late in the hostels bar, talking to randoms in order to fill the void left by those Id left behind at the volunteer house. In reality the bar was in darkness and there was no one there. Its probably partly due to the strike, everybody who was here has left, and everyone else is weary to come.

I walked into the city centre down a long steep hill which I was later to find difficult to climb with my belly full of food. The main plaza boasts the standard colonial cathedral and the main pedestrian street was overpriced but busy and vibrant. I got heckled an aweful lot by the local men, one of them saying to me "have sex baby", it amazing how I barely noticed it walking around in Arequipa with the other volunteers but here on my own again it made me feel uneasy and slightly annoyed.

I had a huge chinese meal in a restaurant that had some telenovella playing that was quite sexual and inappropriate, then dragged myself back up the big hill to my empty hostel, to my empty room, and got an early night.