Puno sucked but Lake Titicaca was awesome....

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From Tessa

So basically Puno may not have been as bad as the title suggests, but we constantly felt like we were being manipulated which was really annoying and stressful. Devin lost yet another set of pajamas and we nearly didn´t get a bus to Cusco. Grrrr. But we are in Cusco now and things are back to being great.

The woman who sold us the tickets to Lake Titicaca oversold them by 10 soles (1 dollar is worth 3 soles) to us so we felt suckered. Then we got put on a crappier boat then what we thought we would be on too. Buyer beware! Anyway, once we were on the lake it was beautiful. Our guide spoke english and spanish and we took the full day tour of Uros and Taquile Island. I don´t have time now but the photos are amazing. I had no idea the scale of the lake. It took about an hour to get to the Uros reed islands and then another 2 hours to get to Taquile Island. Though this trip to Lake Titicaca was totally worth it, it was a huge tourist trap and everything on the islands were 3 times as expensive as in Puno.

When we arrived at the Uros Island, which was actually a group of tiny islands, we were shown how they make the reed islands float, what they ate and sold and how they faced discrimination on the mainland. The people have very poor health due to living on the lake in such cold wet weather and most can´t walk by te time they are 50. Terrible. Also they have few resources besides fish to trade and sell so they have resorted to tourism to make money to send their children to school. One thing we were told was that the children on the island are used to getting little gifts from tourists but we were asked not to bring candy since it is so bad for their teeth. Instead, I bought some pencils, since we were also told that school supplies are the biggest expense for the families. As soon as I took out the pencils all the children swarmed me. I´m sad I didn´t get a picture but it happened really fast. The parents seemed pleased too. We bought some overpriced trinkets, partially because we wanted them and partially out of guilt. Then we had the opporunity to ride in one of the reed boats they traditionally use. (But really they have motor boats, I saw them. I´m pretty sure the reed boat was for us).

Next we arrived on the Island of Taquile. This one was not made of reeds and was terraced and very big. We arrived in port and had to walk all the way to the top. The air is very thin at this altitude and that was no easy feat. Dev and Jack and I were completely out of breath in two minutes. I basically felt like I was going to die and couldn´t even stop to think about it. Just kept hiking. When we reached about half way up the guide gave everyone a minty herb that you smell and it helps your breathe. And it worked like magic! Up a little farther and we reached the home of a family from the island. They danced for us and then sent the little boy around for tips. Then they told us that lunch cost 18 soles. For reference it is generally between 6-12. Grrrr again. And there was nowhere else to go! We had trout from the lake and omelettes with veggies and it was good but not that good. Then we walked to the Plaza de Armas and hiked around the island. The views were beautiful. Also you can´t stand still or the locals want to charge you to take their picture and every child asks you for soles. Even if he is just walking by.

After a long ride back to Puno we arrived at the dock and found out that the strike was back on and if we needed to get to Cusco at all we would have to check out and get to the bus station FAST! The last buses were leaving to beat the strike. We were panicked. We were not looking forward to paying for a night in the hostel that we didn´t even get to sleep in but what choice did we have? We packed our bags in about 7 minutes (Devin lost her pjs) and took the first cab we could find. We arrived at the bus station and found complete chaos. We quickly spotted our new English friends, Phil and Becky, and took a less nice bus to Cusco. Disappointingly, the bus we rushed to catch was delayed an hour so we just sat around. Then we finally got moving. Poor Devin was seated next to a woman who smelled like restuarant and urine and kept her radio on static most of the ride. I was so uncomfortable, cold and miserable. I hadn´t planned on travelling so I was not dressed comfy or warm.

Finally at about 3 in the morning we arrived in Cusco. Phil had made reservation for all of us at Hostel Suecia and it was like heaven. It was the best night sleep we have had in Peru. We slept in and walked to the Plaza de Armas this morning. Also wonderful. Cusco is unlike the other cities. Far less polluted and more easy to navigate. We checked into our official hostel and it was lovely too. Devin and Jack are currently napping happily under alpaca and down blankets. So glad to finally be here. Maybe we´ll finally get to white water raft!

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Comments

[Nana]

What an adventure!
I finally caught up to your blog! Sounds like the real Survivor at times. Continue to enjoy. LUV