I don't know if anyone remembers the comedian Steven Wright. I remember a line from one of his performances. In his signature dead-pan delivery, he said "I live on a one way dead end street... I don't know how I got there". That summarizes my entry into Puno today quite well as I found myself landlocked on a one-way dead end street.

I was almost to my hotel when I encountered a chain across the road. The street I had been riding down was clearly one-way. I struggled to turn around on the narrow slope and I tried to go back. My GPS chimed into my headset "you are going the wrong way". "Yes, I know" I said to no-one. I heard a shrill whistle and saw a police officer waving a finger at me. I had my ear plugs in so I only caught the first part of what he shouted. "No puedes ir..." (you can't go...). So... the street ends with a chain and I can't go back. That's a conundrum for sure. I'm wet and cold and I'm only a block from my hotel!

Another man approached and asked me where I was trying to go. I shut off the bike and found the hotel's address on my phone. He pointed past the chain and said "Está allá" (it's there). Yeah... duh! He motioned that I should go around the chain on the sidewalk. I would have taken that option except that I would have had to jump a foot and half curb and then drop back onto the road at a sharp angle. I'm a good rider but not that good. The man saw my hesitation so he went over and stood on the chain. With his weight on it the chain hovered about two inches above the roadway. I really had no idea what would happen if I tried to roll over that, however, it looked like I had little choice but it give it a try. Worse case scenario, I drop the bike in street. Unlike other obstacles, chains move when you hit them which was a weird sensation as my front wheel swung upward and then abruptly popped over. The rear wheel was even weirder. It wasn't pretty but I got over. My hotel was literally 15 feet past that chain on a one way street that you could not possibly get to. When I arrived they had me roll in through the lobby and park in the banquette room.

I checked the weather report before I left Cusco but a half hour later I was wondering why I had bothered. Rain spotted my face shield and I zipped up my jacket. The next five hours was to say the least... unpleasant. It didn't just rain, it rained llamas and alpacas. Adding to the unpleasantness was the cold mountain air at above 12,000 feet. Even though I wear very good gear, the water slowly found the gaps in my armor. It did clear up 50 miles short of Puno but by then I was shivering.

Puno is a small city on the shores of Lake Titicaca which is the largest lake in South America. It is also the highest navigable lake in the world. After taking a hot shower and changing into dry clothes I walked down to have a look. Meh... it's a big lake. Now that I'm getting close to Bolivia the Andes have broadened out into a very high plateau so it's not like the lake has an AMAZING backdrop.

Tomorrow I will be crossing into Bolivia and heading for the capital of La Paz. Peru has been a challenging but unforgettable passage. I know I won't soon forget its scary, exposed roads and intense drivers. But also its charming mountain culture. Peru, you have been a definite highlight in a long string of highlights along this journey.