Saturday, Aug. 24, 2003 - 7:13 p.m.
Take My Breath Away (Puno)
Took a 5 hour bus to Puno today, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Lots of other gringos were on the bus with us, including the French couple from the busride to Arequipa from Nazca. The altitude is definately affecting me, giving me mild headaches and making it difficult to sleep at times. I didn't sleep well in Chivay (3,700m) and got headaches in Arequipa (2,335m). I didn't expect to have problems with the altitude because of living in Cuenca (about 2,400m) for 10 months. However, through my travels, I've been fluctuating between sea level and 5,000 meters! During the busride to Puno I got a headache and sometimes felt it a little difficult to breathe, not getting enough oxygen breathing through my nose.
We arrived in Puno (around 3,820m) at 4pm. I found that anything that required energy would make me winded (especially carrying my pack around and walking up 2 flights of stairs at our hotel!) The town is on a little hillside before the lake, which is massive, the largest in the continent and one of the largest in the world. It is the highest navigatable lake in the world. As soon as we got off the bus, I noticed the smell of the lake, kind of like seafood. Tomorrow we take a 2-day tour of the islands; Amantani, Taquile and the floating islands of Uros!
