Roaming South America

Yuli, Perú: Stop for the Quiet and the Views

May 26, 2026

Juli, population about 22,000. It has a long history, supposedly going back 10,000 years. But, before getting into that, Juli is located at the edge of Lake Titicaca, at a southwestern bay. It's picturesque, small, and cold. And hilly. Which means, at this elevation, 3879 meters (12,726 ft), where I am in my room, it's almost a struggle to walk anywhere. The main center of town, the Plaza Mayor, sits in a saddle between hills. The lake is a bit downhill, the bus terminal is also a bit downhill, but on the opposite side. Other than a few blocks on top, it's all up or down, in the thin air of the high Andes.

Where Dinner Isn’t a Given: Traveling Through Peru’s Quiet Towns

May 23, 2026

Chuquito, Perú, population maybe around 8,000, elevation 3875 meters (12,713ft). The town has a history that goes back to pre-Inca times. There's a city-block-sized area in the town that has archaeological history. There are stone carvings that are supposed to be phallic in appearance. But, there is no history of such worship in Perú. That means any such advertising is only for tourism. The town is very small, but it does have two big hotels between the highway and Lake Titicaca. If you stay overnight and want or need to go out for dinner, you have one (1) option - the big white hotel. It has a restaurant, and it is the only place in the town that is open for dinner. There are a couple of cash machines in this town.

Puno, Perú: A City That Works Better on Foot Than on Wheels

May 19, 2026

Puno, Perú - founded in 1668, though the area has been inhabited since 10,000 BC. Puno has a population of at least 135,000 (as of 2017). It is located on the northwestern shore of Lake Titicaca, which is in the southeastern corner of Perú. Where I am right now, in my hotel room, I'm sitting at 3836 meters (12,585ft). The city extends up the hillsides to 4050 meters (13,287 ft). They say Puno is the 5th-highest city in the world. Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. The town is in a highly arid region, receiving only 700mm (27 inches) of rain per year. But, the climate is also quite cold - the average high is only 15.5° C (60° F), and the average low is 1.3° C (34° F). The town averages 1 day of snow each year. And it averages 1 mm when it occurs.

Juliaca, Perú: One Night Was Enough

May 16, 2026

Juliaca, Perú, with a population of around 276,000, sits at 3,825 meters (12,549 ft). That's as high as many snow-covered mountains, I'm thinking of you - Mt. Hood (in Oregon, USA). But there's no snow here. In fact, the afternoons are typically at a balmy 75° F (24° C), average year-round. Right now, though, as I'm writing this, the temp is 62, and it's around 3 p.m. So, the climate data is either not quite right or today is unusually cold. At any rate, Juliaca, the city, the streets are dirty and quite dusty, they're congested with traffic, and the traffic blasts its horns at every opportunity. There's nothing pretty to see; the central plaza, the Plaza de Armas, is closed for renovation, and the cathedral appears to be closed with it. I did get a few photos by holding my phone up over the tarps around the plaza. They're in the photo album. There's a hill in the middle of the city with a lot of stairs up to the top, which I climbed and took pics of the city.

Pucará, Perú: A Cold Gas Station Room and a Town with a Deep Past

May 12, 2026

Pucará, Perú, sits along the highway north of Juliaca, a small Andean town that most travelers experience through the window of a bus. They stop, they browse a few ceramic shops, maybe visit the archaeological site, and then they’re gone. What they don’t see is what the town feels like once the buses leave.

This town sits at 3910 meters elevation, that's 12,828 feet. It's cold. All day, all night. Cold. But that's the same for this wide region of Perú. This town's history goes back to 1800 BC.