The Point, a Bus, and the J's

Going from Cuzco to Puno on the bus was a pretty painless and relaxing experience, with the semi-cama seats reclining comfortably. The amenities at The Point, the hostel we stayed at in Puno and Arequipa, on the other hand were not so relaxing. And the bus we booked through The Point from Puno to Arequipa was dirty, uncomfortable, overpriced, and had a live informercial selling ginsing en Espanola very loudly up and down the isle. Verdict, The Point: only book if you want to do lots of drugs, drink 'til sunrise, and catch something that does not require a net or pole but can involve "catch and release."

On the other hand, the city of Puno was really cool, especially to view upon approach by bus over the mountains, as the city seemed to spill into the lake, or upon return from the islands by boat, as the city, from that vantage point, seemed to be clawing it's way up the mountains, escaping from the lake bay.

Silver lining in everything, right? Don't take the criticisms in this blog the wrong way. We are having one hell of a time, and wouldn't trade one bus experience for another, nor would we prefer a jail cell over a bad hostel bed. It's just...you know, I love to complain ;-) So, back to the bus. It was on that sh!tty bus to Arequipa that we ended up meeting Jeremy and Jessica. We, the four of us, were on the second floor of the bus sitting in the very front four seats and the only gringos on the entire bus. If that were not enough to make us fast friends, it turned out they used to live in Colorada and in Portland. We got along famously and had dinner and drinks on a fifth story balcony over looking the Plaza de Armas in Arequipa. Safe travels to you, Jeremy and Jessica!