Rushing around like a blue-arsed fly in Puno

Thursday, 1:30pm. Wrote a post from the bus earlier but I can't get a GPRS connection to post it.

Anyway, got here about 11am/11:30am local time. Fought my way through the touts at the bus terminal (I have an aversion to taking a touted cab, rightly or wrongly), the first cab driver I managed to accost on the street had not heard of my hostel or the street it was on. The second one did, I have to heave my suitcase onto the back seat because, well, he didn't want to or wasn't allowed to stop the car to get out and open the boot. But I got here. Owner very friendly and helpful, I have booked up on a trip at 2pm today and tomorrow at 6:30am (FFS). By the time I had sorted all that out with the owner it was about midday and I legged it out to try to withdraw some cash (I had changed a token amount at the border, just so I'd have something for the cab) and grab something to eat.

Had a very average steak and chips (33 soles with tip, I paid with a 100 note and got my change in 5 sol coins, sigh) then legged it back to the hostel to pay. Now been back in my room for about 20 minutes to have a quick wash and what have you. Got to go out again in 25 minutes for that tour. At the least the wi-fi appears to work here!

Feeling absolutely off balance, although I got to sit on the bus for a couple of hours, I seem to have been rushing around all day. These few minutes have helped but I still feel a bit lost. I have this horrible feeling I am running out of time desperately and still deeply worried about getting back down to Santiago and the whole Easter Island thing. If I just decide to forget trying to go to Nazca that would be one thing less to worry about, but if I don't go I may find myself killing time somewhere else.

Oh, the owner gave me a map and helpfully pointed out that I should only use the two or three streets near the hostel highlighted in green marker at night. Joy. Not that I will be out much at night if I have a 6:30am start tomorrow, no idea what the situation will be like tomorrow night as I don't know where I am going next or at what time I will be leaving here on Saturday.

Anyway. Maybe more waffle later if I can pull myself together...