Border Crossing – Puno to Copacabana (Peru to Bolivia) with a Malaysian Passport

One of the most nerve wrecking time during travels is always crossing borders from one country to another especially when it’s through a tiny border town. Information is always scare for border crossing town somehow and even when there is, its bare minimum enough that you have to think twice if the information is reliable. Everyone crosses the border differently (due to different passport) and crossing like a local is always the aim.

Visa

Some errands needed to be run for entry to Bolivia as a Visa is required for a Malaysian visiting Bolivia even as a tourist. No Bolivia embassy in Malaysia so even if one wanted to he could not obtain a Bolivian Visa in Malaysia. Fortunately thou traveling around South America there are plenty of Bolivia Embassy in neighbouring country.

I got my visa in Cusco, Peru where the embassy was situated in town a short taxi ride away for 5 Sol. The very first thing I did when I was in Cusco in fact for I wanted to know if I could get in to Bolivia else the whole journey, route would need to be reconsidered.

Arriving at the Embassy the following was pasted on the wall

Bolivia Visa Application Requirement in Cusco

Minimum Requirement needed for a Bolivian Visa if your Country is listed under Category 2 (Malaysia Is Fortunately)

1. Passport Photocopy

2. Yellow Fewer Vaccination Photocopy
3. One Passport Photo
4. Itinerary Copy (Flight Ticket out of South America)
5. 1^st Night Accommodation Booking in Bolivia
 

So back to the city to get the necessary stuff prepared. Plenty of shops in Cusco offer photocopying, Internet and Printing, Passport Photograph and I could understand now why for many tourist use Cusco as a gateway to Bolivia and all of them needed the same things.

Itinerary copy was a tricky one for a hand drawn copy of where you are going was not going to work but if you don’t have a flight ticket it’s just ridicules to get one. However there are many ways to fake a flight ticket booking. I had my round the world ticket which was essentially just a plain printout of the flights and times with nothing that makes it look like an official ticket. It looked so much like I just typed it out of MS Word but I used it anyway.

1^st night booking was about USD 1 on hostel world, a deposit I was prepared to burn and that’s was enough for the Visa application

Heading back to the Embassy the following day with the five items above the officer did not even glance though the documents. He just counted them, one, two, three, four, five … ok. He passed me a form to filled up which we filled and for question such as route through Bolivia I just write a few city in it. Passport was handed to them and they took it upstairs for a while and returned later with a 30 days Visa stamped into the passport.

Easy peasy, no payment required, no bribe required. It looked more like a documentation process than a visa application process. The officer was pretty strict to have that 5 items which I notice some people trying to negotiate a leeway but he held firm. Once you have that 5 items thou regardless if it’s real or not you get the visa no questions asked.

Puno to Copacabana

Bolivia Entry Form

The trip from Puno to Copacabana was easier than I thought. Bought a bus ticket for 25 Sols which takes you across the border pretty slowly since it’s a whole bus load of people and they have to wait to clear immigration. The bus company was Huayrar Tours which has a nice person on board to help you with the immigration crossing and she spoke English as well as Spanish.


After dumping all the bags into cargo, with no tickets issued whatsoever we boarded the bus and it was a 2 hours bus ride to the border. Along the way the bus attendant gave us the forms to be filled up and help us along when in doubt such as the front page of the form had English translation but the back side had only Spanish. Weird but she said just leave it blank since it was not important. I gave my best shot at reading it and understood it was questions with a yes or no answer like, “ are you a terrorist” , “have you ever been rejected from a country” etc.



Money Changer at Peru Border

After most of the passengers had settled down filling their form and falling asleep she came to me and said for Asian people there will be an additional form to fill up for Bolivia crossing and it will cost 2 Sols. If it was a scam to get more money out of me I was not bothered since it was only 2 sols. I paid her and fall asleep only to wake up at the border. 
Peru side of the border and there are many money changers around to get rid of unwanted Peruvian Dollars. Exchange rate was fair (2.1) close enough to the internet rate that I checked the day before but nowhere as good at the rate I got in Puno (2.5). I got rid of the last few notes 14.10 Sols in total and got into the line for the immigration building.

There is no real checkpoint that you must clear before going into Bolivia. If you wanted you could just stroll along the road all the way into Bolivia and no one will stop you. Immigration was more of a self-obligation thing if you don’t want to get into trouble in future. Queueing up for the exit stamp of Peru the bus attendant came to me and pass me two more forms to be filled up for Bolivia. Seems like she was honest about the additional forms for I saw her only dishing it out to Asian people. 2 Sols was more of the photocopy cost of the form.

Peru side of Imigration

Ola … bye bye Peru …. And he stamp out my passport after a long wait verifying through online that I was legal tourist in Peru and had not overstayed. Walk across the border all this time with only my day pack bag with me. The bus had already gone over to the Bolivia side with all the cargo inside the checked compartment.

As far as I know there is no screening at all done. No customs … just immigration so you can take whatever you wanted from Peru to Bolivia and vice versa. I also took a mental note that if you left something in cargo and got stuck in immigration there is no way to get your bag out at all so luckily anything important was packed on hand carry. Some people I notice even left the day packs in the bus ….. but like I thought if you needed it … its probably gone or stolen while you are queuing in immigration

Walking over to Bolivia

Hello Bolivia ….. Where is the immigration office …. Look closely at all the signs and one gave an arrow to a small building on the left hand side. Now if you wanted just board back the bus or walk on ahead into Bolivia. No one is going to stop you really. Like I said immigration is a self-obligation thing. Going into the small building the officers looked at my passport with a frown. He asked the person in the next counter …. Malaysia ??? This is going like the border crossing in Peru I thought.
After many chit chatting in Spanish they establish that Malaysia is under the second category of visa requirement.

Bolivia Immigration

You Need Visa, he said

I have Visa … that’s the page you are looking at …. The Bolivia visa I got in Cusco in your consulate

He look at it dumbfounded ….. I figured he either don’t recognised his own country visa stamp or he was just trying to be funny and charge me money for not having visa at the border. After much scrutinizing gaze at my Bolivian visa he finally started processing it, scanning the passport, keying in some data into computer and STAMP ….. Passed back my passport without a glance or a word of welcome ….

Hello Bolivia …. no payments needed and no bribes thankfully

Back onto the bus and towards Copacabana

 

Puno & The Floating Island of Uros – Lake Titicaca

Reaching Puno at 5am in the morning I ignored all the touts at the bus station and headed out of the bus station relying on my sense of direction to find the main plaza. Some locals I asked along the way for the main plaza and they nicely pointed me in the right direction. I however did got caught by a nice tout along the way to the plaza. He was waiting in the middle of nowhere I guess he knew to catch tourist walking around lost easier than trying to catch the fishes at the bus stop.

Elantris I would call him was a nice tout thou never trying to rip me off too much. He did try in the beginning but once he learned I was not Japanese nor Chinese from China his price was more reasonable. Since I was not dead on going dirt cheap I followed him while battering the price of the hostel down along the way.

25 Sols for a single bed with attached bathroom. Good price, Elantris said.

I said no for I was having 17 sols in Cusco for a single bed but without attached bathroom. 20 sols he said …. Sure why not but let’s have a look at the place first ok?

The hostel is actually an inn or B&B which is quite common. I took his offer of 20 Sols for the night and even succumbed to buying a tour from him, half day to floating island Uros for 25 sols. Puno is really just worth one day visit. Not much to do but a nice place to slow down.

Things to do in Puno included visiting the main square, walk around, visit the floating island and change money. I mean it … change your Peruvian sol to Boliviano here in Puno. I was shocked for I checked the internet rates before hand and it was 1 sol = 2.25 Bol but the money changer gave me an exchange rate of 2.5 I dumped 80 Sols and kept the balance being careful to not run out of Sols before I really get to Bolivia. At the border the next day I dumped all the Sol I had which was 14 Sols for 30 Bol …. Exchange of about 2.1

Floating Island Uros

Interesting as it is, I hated the tour. The tour guide speaks English, Spanish and the local language and explain to us about Lake Titicaca giving us all the data and facts about the lake. The highest navigable lake in the world, blab la bla length, width, depth ….. blab la bla … I was sleepy from the overnight bus ride.

Floating Island of Uros - Lake Titicaca

Miniature Model of the Floating Island 

First stop at the floating island showing us how the community live. The so called president of the community greeted us and I notice he was the only man there young as he was. A presentation was made of the floating island and how the culture and community live. Four families for that little island we stopped, local food of reed, fish, how the island floats and a visit into the huts or houses, the kids all around us, laughing and just playing around happy to see strangers.

Kids being kids ....

So cute, they would sit next to you during presentation and then after pull you by holding your hand to visit their huts. So innocent …. Till one of them ask for money

.…
the boy could barely even be 5 years old ….

I was shocked and disgusted at the same time. It’s all good and fine when the adults try to sell you souvenir and try to sell you a boat ride on the traditional reed boat but when a kid asked you for money …. I had enough of the tour …

More stops of the same nature and the group of us just ignored everything and even stopped taking photos …. Just look and observed and eventually the guide got the hint and brought us back to Puno. 

 

Happy Chinese New Year 2015

Chasing festivals around the world, seeing Christmas in England, New Years in London, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Christmas Market in Germany, one could not appreciate more a festival back home that one grew up with.

I have known travelers that would plan their whole long term travel only to go back in time for Christmas or Thanksgiving and some would even buy a special flight ticket back home just to celebrate the festival with family before flying back out and resuming their journey. 

Then there are those not so fortunate and will have to spend their cherished festival moments with hopefully great random strangers.

For me being a Malaysian Chinese, the celebration of Chinese New Year would be the most important one. Growing up in Malaysia it was always a celebration regardless of which festival it is. 

During CNY, Muslim, Indian, or any others for that matter would visit the Chinese community houses, eat delicious food and of course collect the customary red packet. 

Vice versa, during other celebration such as Deepavali (Festival of the Light for Hindu), or Hari Raya (Muslim), or Christmas, I on the other hand would be visiting friends’ houses for the same reason.

I used to joke with my boss at work, we Malaysian Celebrate all Festivals regardless if it’s your religion or not and I guess it’s true in a way but there is always one that is more meaningful, more important than the rest.

While I sit here in Porto Alegre, Brazil watching TV showing Brazilian celebrating Carnival at its peak, back home the first day of CNY would come to rise and I would missed it.

Miss the reunion dinner with family where once a year family will use all means to gather together for a dinner the night before the new year ….

Miss the bickering that would happen eventually as we rub nerve on each other …… and being a family one learns the best ways to rub nerve on another

Miss the endless delicious food … and of course drinking

Miss the sly gambling that would take place eventually. 

Even the pretend innocent will gamble during this festival. For the gambler that I am, this is the period where I sometime become a rented gambler. 

Money given to me to gamble as an investment where I would eventually have to return with very high interest in the end of the day. 

Miss the gossips and catching up

However of all the endless things I miss during CNY period there will be one that I am glad I am far far away which is the endless questions of why I am still single and the pestering of matchmaking from good hearted or rather just bored aunts.

For all the dreams, envy and hope that I have given people through my journey’s photo posting traveling the world, during this time of the year it will be my turn to dream and envy of delicious CNY food and envy the celebrations of not being home. 

No doubt I will follow friends and family on Facebook of the celebrations and reunion photos or even excursions and long to be there.

I wish everyone a Very
Happy Chinese New Year 2015 of the SHEEP …. 

Baaa …. Baaa ….. HUAT AH !!

The Journey to Machu Pichu

I finally decided on the 4^th day in Cusco that I would cheat and do Machu Pichu the cheapest way possible. Gave up the Inca trail, it was way too expensive at USD400 a person and anyhow it was fully booked out 2 months in advanced. Trains were super expensive and other adventure trails were not budget friendly either. So I bought a return bus ticket to Hydroelectrica for 80 Sols and I will have to walk 3 hours to Aqua Caliente, find a hostel when I am there, take the bus 30 Sols ( cos I dread hiking up) up all the way to Machu Pichu, entry ticket 128 Sols and just enjoy the day.

Total cost of visiting Machu Pichu from Cusco = 318 Sol

Transport = 110 Sol

Hostel (2 Nights)  = 80 Sols

Entrance Ticket = 128 Sols

Machu Pichu

The journey although cheapest was quite a journey. Morning 8 am and the bus pick up at the hostel doing the usual fetching tourist after tourist till the bus is full and then we were on our way to Hydroelectrica. I got the front seat next to the driver. The driver asked me … Nippon ?? Chino ??? Nope I said … Malaysia … A big grin and a hand firmly grip my shoulders shaking it he said … "Me Gusta Malaysia".

The Bus ride to Hydroeletrica

The ride was a long one taking 6 hours to get there. Driving pass the valleys and hills the view was a good and beautifully sleepy till we reach Santa Maria. Driver said … 1 hours to from here to Santa Terresa town and suddenly the road disappeared and all there was is a small dirt path with river streams cutting across it from time to time and the mini bus swerve like it is a rally race car racing up and down the edge of the mountain.

It was f*cking dangerous …. But like in any country …. TRUST the Bus Driver.

When we reached Santa Terresa for lunch break we were all glad then after it was another 25 minute to Hydroelectrica via the same crazy road. Just before Hydroelectrica there is a checkpoint where every tourist will have to register in the book like an entry log. Once we reach hydroelectric  I told the driver …. Excellent driving.

Then the long walk along the rail tracks to Aqua Caliente begins. 12 Kg of backpack on me, just enjoy the view, don’t think of the rocky sharp painful walk ahead. The first thing one notice is the signboard saying do not walk on train tracks. Hmmm …. But by the hoard of tourist walking in front of me I guess there is no harm to it. The walk was mostly flat no uphill or downhill and pretty relax filled with beautiful scenery and at times one need to balance walking on timbre planks across the train bridge.

Crossing the Train Bridge

Walking Along Train Tracks to Aqua Caliente

3 hours …. Not a minute less and we reached Aqua Caliente. Walking around shopping for hostel the rain started pouring and I gave up and checked in one for 40 Sols a night. It was 2 nights in Aqua Caliente. The next morning I woke up got out, buy the entry ticket , got a nice expensive breakfast and finally boarded the bus to Machu Pichu at 10am.

Machu Pichu

Machu Pichu voted one of the 7 Modern Wonder of the world ....... Beautiful …. So I just lazed around there for hours reading a book and finally gave up and came out at 3pm for I needed a toilet. The place is surprisingly huge and once you have wondered around there is nothing much to do other than enjoy the view and take photos and watch the llama eat grass.

Llama

It’s a marvel really the place but lack explanation of any sort unless one have a tour guide. The magic of Machu Pichu ….

Then it was back to Cusco the next day

The hike back to Hydroelectric was not as bad as the hike to Aqua Caliente as I now know what to expect and I reach in good time for lunch and was waiting for the bus ride back. There were tons of people waiting for bus but all the bus would not move till 230pm. Then the chaos started where all the names were shouted everywhere and everyone scramble.

My name was not called till 3pm and the last few bus still around did not have my name on their list.

The same driver pulled up and I walked up to him saying hello. HELP ….. and he made some phone calls and apparently they forgotten about me. Shit. Some last minute shuffle and I was stuffed into one of the last few busses headed back for Cusco.

Cusco the Tourist City of Peru

Cusco is a tourist city true and true. It is way too easy to get proper traveling gear or travel information and with a price that is not cut throat either. Rather I would say it is cheaper to shop in Cusco and stock up on anything you need such as sleeping bag, winter gear, poncho, expensive fancy outdoor gear, rolling tobacco and anything travel related you can think off.

Most people stop by Cusco En-route to Machu Pichu and usually get stuck in Cusco way longer than they planned for the city has so much to offer from day trips to Scared Valley, Archaeological sites, Monuments and Neo classical building merged with Inca foundations, to good food, and plenty of high quality handmade crafts that makes souvenir shopping irresistible

Sacsayhuaman ( Sexy Woman )

Right in Cusco one can see on top of the hill which is the archaeological site of Sacsayhuaman or when tourist pronounce it, Sexy Woman. One could only imagine how these people transferred the huge rocks up the hill and build the structure. It cost 70Sols to enter the site after a steep climb from the main square of Cusco but there is a back entrance.

Cristo Blanco

Looking up just to the right side of Sacsayhuaman one can see the Cristo Blanco (White Christ) standing tall and guarding the city of Cusco. Aiming for Cristo Blanco following the even steeper steps one will come about Sacsayhuaman from the side and a higher vantage point. From here you can observed the ticket booth and the whole of Sacsayhuaman which is huge and the back entrance which people just walk in and out with no charges.

Sacsayhuaman

Hostel in Cusco

Hostels can be a bit tricky but with the amount of competition in Cusco good hostel at extremely cheap price are available, just not on the internet. I manage to find one by chance at Av. Baja less than 4 blocks from the main square on flat ground (Most hostel is on the steep hill which is a bitch) single bedroom to myself, inclusive of breakfast and WIFI that works all for just 17 Sols. Guess I am promoting the hostel since I stayed there for a week and got stuck in Cusco daydreaming.

Hostel Lucerna – Av. Baja    

Food in Cusco

I guess I went crazy since I meet up back with Atin and we keep looking for good food in Cucso. Good company, good food, good place to stay no wonder I was daydreaming in Cusco for so long.  You can get really really good local Gourmet such as Alpaca and Guinue Pig for quite a reasonable price in Cusco thou careful for sometimes the portions can be humongous.

Not much to say here … so some photos to prove the point J

Fried Lemon Chicken

Alpaca and Trout

Margarita Pizza

Shopping in Cusco

Serpentine Stone Carving of a Condor

In one word …. BARGAIN  …. Like crazy. Thou the price are quite surprising at first (reasonable) don’t forget to bargain and bargain hard. If you are buying for two or more even better and don’t be shy to go from shop to shop showing the owners that you are really looking hard.

Of all places as well in Peru I found that Cusco or even better Pisac Market is one of the best places to shop for authentic Peruvian souvenir. The choice are abundant from alpaca garments to paintings, musical instruments and stones carvings. They are all locally made in Peru. 

I am a sucker for stone carvings …..

 

Coral – 2nd Oldest Civilization in the world

Going places on a whim sometime will shock you so when Sparky the hostel manager in Lima invited me for a daytrip to Coral from Lima, I just agreed without even asking much about what it is about. How far it was I didn’t know, what it was I had no idea but a day trip exploring with new friends that is not a tour is always welcome.

I was shocked that we had to take a local chicken bus bumpy as hell for 3 hours just to get to the nearest town north of Lima named Barancca. Then soon after the bargaining started with all the taxi drivers in town who looked at 8 bewildered tourist whom rely on one and only one Sparky for Spanish translation and negotiation. After settling for a good price on a 10 seated Van we were on our way to Coral which took another 1 hour.

Coral was beautiful thou, large and not known despite it being the 2^nd oldest civilization in the planet, second to only Mesopotamia. It was low key and not many tourist knows about it, yet it was fascinating in its own way. With some help on publicity and repackaging it properly it could well be a hit like Machu Pichu but I guess like anything that comes second it gets much much lesser fame.

 

An official Park Ranger Guide must be hired to enter and could be shared by 20 people maximum which rounds down to about 1 sols each. The guide serves as a historian and gives much explanation with plenty of vigour. If only I could understand better Spanish …

As I visited Coral I saw the potential of the place as a tourist attraction. I was discussing with Sparky that there was potential of creating a tour out to Coral from Lima. A chartered Van to skip all the bus and time wasting effort not to mention taxi bargaining, and for as little as 60 Sols a person with bare minimum setup the tour might take off well enough to fund Sparky’s dream of owning a hostel in Lima. Too bad it’s not in Malaysia else I would have jumped to start it up immediately.

So the 9 of us was the experimental trip which cost nearly 45 Sols …. Smile I said to them when we were taking the group photo …. Sparky gonna use this as a photo advert for the tour to Coral ….. Sparky eyes gleamed at me idea sparking no doubt.

The City of Lima – Peru

Lima. It’s a city that I could not put a label onto it. Thou it was not a spectacular place I still ended up staying for 5 nights in the city. The city is divided up so well that the poor and the rich is clearly defined. Tourist flock to Miraflores district and mostly stay there while the locals go on their daily business without the ever annoying travellers. Just a short bus ride out of the Miraflores and you will find locals that hardly seen a tourist before and the look on their face so curious that you would think you just gone to another city.

The downtown area however is crowded with people during the day time + tourist as well and that’s where most of the exploration ends. Downtown is dangerous they say and I could not agree more for it felt that way too while wondering the streets. I keep picking a direction and just wander off to see what is not on the chartered map or google only to find tons of people going about their daily life. Daytime a little bit of caution needs to be taken always but night time I wouldn’t risk the thrill especially if you don’t know the rules.

Miraflores district on the other hand was different and one could walk anywhere in secluded streets into the wee hours without any fear. Police patrol the place more diligently than a prison ensuring the tourist are not harm. They could not care less about anything else. Tourist is first priority here.

Lima also has archaeological sites within its city which makes it even more exiting. Instead of going to cities with a theme such as, clean Singapore, rich Hollywood, beautiful Bern, modern Dubai, old London, Lima I would classify as a tinge of everything.

Gambling in Lima

Lima also feels like a mini Vegas, of South America, especially in Miraflores where there is way too many casino that I could count. There is practically too many casino to count and every corner there would be those small establishment with slots machines clanking away. Ah the temptation for I had won only 11 Sols in Arequipa and was controlling myself not to over Gamble in South America. Only way to make a cheap country expensive is to Gamble.  
Still you can predict the outcome since I was in Lima for nearly 6 days so I played nearly every day. The denomination was superbly small and I was glad at times to just burn time away. You could play those machine roulette (Real Ball just no human) for as low as 0.05 Sols … that’s almost like 2 cents in Singapore money. So little so easy I could play for hours and for some reason I manage to keep my head in check and did not raise the stakes too high.

Blackjack or table games only operate at night but it was only 10 Sols a game of black jack. SGD5 equivalent and how could I not play it since it was unimaginable for in every casino in the world it was always at a higher stake than I like