Crossing Borders...or not

Having an American passport is not necessarily the best thing sometimes. As our government puts more and more restrictions on travelers from other countries, we get the same in return. As I've traveled through Europe and now South America, I've met people from everywhere and joined them on their different trips. I've come to meet people and not think about where they're from and whether or not they can cross borders with different regulations than me. I just assume I'm the same...and on this particular day, I assumed wrong.

I had heard from some Americans in Cusco that I would need to buy a Bolivian VISA if I planned on crossing the border. With this in mind, I still headed for Puno, on Lake Titicaca, with my heart set on the Bolivian jungle at Rurrenabaque. I traveled down to Puno on Saturday with my friend, Kitty. The bus ride wasn't half as bad as people had described, but I will admit that each time it stopped, I had this crazy anxiety thinking we were getting highjacked. Luckily we did not. Don't worry family and friends, it's not as bad as it sounds. There are certain bus companies you take, and certain ones that you don't. I am paying extra for secure buses down here. These are just horror stories that I've heard. I am fine and will continue to be...I promise.

The landscape on our way down was so dramatic! Just high altitude plains and tiny villages built with mud huts. It's incredible to think of the way I grew up and the way people live here. So different, yet the people here all seem quite content with the things that they have. All of the farms are planted by hand, there is no machinery to be seen. Most, if not all of the bricks were laid by the owners of each house. They live a life that has been built on their own. It's spectacular. And when I think about it, even their mud huts are more than I have at this point in my life...however, this was my choice.

Puno is a port town on the shores of Lake Titicaca. This lake sits above 3500 meters, one of the highest in the world. Kitty was only here for one night before leaving, so I met another girl in the hostel and wandered the streets with her yesterday. The town is apparently still growing brick by brick as people build new houses, but is still much bigger than I expected it to be. There is a huge contrast between each block. You'll walk past houses with dried mud fencing and debris filling the streets and the next minute you'll see a new, modern buildings that just seem out of place. The markets are bustling and the shopping is fabulous. I want to buy everything here. I've got my South American pajama/all day pants and tomorrow I'll be out for the perfect alpaca sweater. It's hard to resist in South America. Everything just looks so comfortable!

So yesterday, I was stressed with what to do next and how I was going to get there. I pondered my plans all day as I was nervous about crossing the border alone. Last night in the hostel, I met an awesome English couple that were heading my way. The girl had actually just bought a ticket to Colombia for November 21st, which was exactly the time that I wanted to go, so an hour after we met I booked a seat on her flight to Bogota. I am so excited!!! Her and I will meet in Lima before the flight and go up there together. She has been and knows what's up there, so I've got a really cool person to hang with for a few days while I figure out my Colombian plan. Everyone has said such great things about this country, I just have to go.

They were also heading to La Paz, Bolivia this morning, so I quickly booked a seat on that as well...without doing much research on US passports and what I would have to pay to get in. I just figured it would work itself out...and it didn't, of course.

I arrived at the border after two hours on the bus. I checked myself out of Peru and walked up the hill to the Bolivian border. I walked in and they quoted me the insane price of $135 USD just to get back on my bus. Now, I would've had this money on me, had the cab driver not picked us up from the hostel 10 minutes before the bus was to leave. There was an ATM in the bus station, and I planned on going, but since we were rushed, I didn't have time. I expected a price of $50 USD, and I had more than that and my new friends had a little they were willing to spot me if I needed it....but even combined, we didn't have that much.

I have to say, there were a bunch of people I had met previously on the bus and they were all so great. I probably could've made it in had I taken the money people offered me, but it was just too complex. Things that are supposed to happen just aren't that hard. I'm kind of glad I didn't have the money, as I don't need to be spending that much just to go into a country for one week. There was a moment when I almost had tears, but I quickly picked myself up and realized it was just another bump in the road. Luckily the bus driver told me I could take that same bus back to Puno at no cost...the only hiccup was that the bus wasn't until 1pm...at that point it was 10:30.

Another lesson in patience had me waiting for a few hours and it was actually quite good. I made friends with the shop owners and the policemen and got to practice my Spanish and learn about their lives. It was quite awesome. The time flew by as I read my book and spoke with the locals and soon enough it was 1pm and the bus was there. Another two hours later, I was back in Puno. Of course, with today's luck, the hostel is booked up tonight, but they say I can have a bed. I think I'm taking one of the worker's beds tonight, or I'm sleeping on a sofa. Either way, I have all of my things and I am with friends here. Positive attitude has kicked into gear.

So now I have a week more in Peru than I expected and have to figure out what to do with it. I'm going to need to do a tour of the lake, which I'll take care of tomorrow. Then I think I'll head up to Arequipa to see the Cañon de Colca, which supposedly rivals the Grand Canyon. I've heard of some volunteer opportunities closer to Lima and I'm still contemplating the Peruvian rainforest, but it's kind of far. Tomorrow is a new day and Peru is a huge country. I can live without Bolivia for now, I'll just have to save it for the next trip.