ciao cuzco, hola puno

Hola!
we´re off to Puno by Lake Tititcaca tomorrow. We are taking a tourist bus called the Inka Express which stops at ruins and includes taxi and lunch. It should be fun with an english tour guide.
Puno is again higher than Cuzo but I think we´re learning to deal with altitude.
Today we hiked from a ruin 10 km outside the city and saw two others on the way ¨home¨. We also met a German girl who was told about another cave complex off the main path so the three of us went together for safety - of course it was fine. Today was sunday and many of the cuzco families went up into the hillsides with tents and socceer balls to relax so it was a good day to hike. We also walked through a eycalptus forest and wandered the countryside. It was a wonderful walk.
We took a local bus to the destination and walked back, so the bus took us up to the highest point and we walked down to the city. The bus was very funny and very crowded. We got around a random guy on the street who wanted to charge us double the price. He was waiting on the corner with no car in sight! we found the bus station and we got seats but once they were all full they simply started letting more and more people in from the street. Peter was kind enough to give up his seat for an elderly Quechua woman. But then more people poured into the bus and it was packed to the gills! another more elderly Quechua woman stood between my legs and the seat in front of us and half out the window. I couldn´t move to give her my seat so eventually she just sat in my lap and chatted away to me! of course we couldn´t understand each other but... hey! both ladies had confetti in their hair and a strand of blue in their braids. She luckily got my seat after we got off at the top of the mountain to walk down. The bus ride was completed with a guy selling little chocolate bars. He gave one to everyone and anyone who didn´t eat them right away gave them back and he left the bus! then came the 80s music with the memorable Ghostbusters theme - haha!
There has been a concert going on in the middle of town since this afternoon and it is now 8pm. I think it started in the late morning before we left, it is certainly epic!
We also went down and said good bye to our juggling friend in the square this evening.
I am off to pack bags for an early morning start.
Ciao for now!
please look past the pictures and read peter´s post about MP.
Evelyn