From Laptopia to Copacabana-A Bumpy Road and concrete jungle!!!!

I am in Copacabana, Bolivia now. I arrived here a couple of hours ago. The peruvian migration police fined me 8 dollars for having overstayed in the country and another 10 dollars for "adminstration purposes".

It is just a form of corruption because I am supposed to be able to stay in the country for 90 days without a visa. They told me that I had permission only for 60 days and therefore had to pay 1 dollar for each day I stayed over.

It has been very dramatic three days in Puno, Peru. I went to some islands close to Puno for a couple of days on tuesday morning and had left my laptop in a luggage and another backpacker in the reception at the hotel.

When I came back to the hotel on wodensday afternoon, I only got the backpacker but not the little luggage with my laptop. The guy in the reception could not find it and started calling around to find out where it was. He told me to take it easy and not to rush to the police.

As I was so angry and frustrated, I went to the police and informed them about the situation and came back to the hotel with a big policeman and woman who interrogated the guy who works there.

After a little while, the hotel owner arrived and gave some explanation about what might have happened to my bag. According to her, there had been a group of tourists from Lima who left in the morning and they might have taken it with them by misstake. It was hard to believe it and I told her that I would continue with the police procedure which I did with her.

Her version or theory turned out to be true as we were informed the next day early in the morning that the bag had indeed gone to Lima with the people from there and would be sent to me to Puno as soon as possible. The police were very cooperative and I took it cool and was at some point entertaining the idea of having lost my laptop.

The hotel owner allowed me to stay in the fine hotel room for 2 days with out paying as it was their fault. The papper work and the number of people involved in this case is beyond anyone's comprhension but that is the way things work here.

I am such a lucky person! I got back my bag with the laptop and the clothes yesterday evening. Only a couple of sandals are missed. Who really cares about that right now...::?

Sandal scandal!

The case has been cancelled. A lawyer worked out the legal aspect of the whole issue when I had to withdraw my complaint.

What an experience and adventure!