Puno and the Titicaca Lake

DAY 10: PUNO (TITICACA LAKE)

My bus left Arequipa at 1:30 a.m., 30 minutes late. I had expected to be in DAY 10: Puno (altitude 11,665 ft.) around 6:00 or 6:30 a.m., but we didn’t arrive until 7:30 a.m. because of the many stops the “Ormeño” bus made. Next time, I will go to DAY 10: Puno from Arequipa by plane or by a Cruz del Sur bus because they offer the best service in Peru.

Since my Titicaca Lake tour was leaving at 7:45 a.m., I had just enough time to leave my backpack at my hotel before my transfer guy drove me to the Port of the Lake. My boat left at 8:00 a.m. and finally I had time to relax and enjoy the view.

After 30 minutes the boat arrived at an area consisting of 40 artificial floating islands called “Uros.” Each island has a specific name and different indigenous families live there, totaling about 2,000. I arrived at Pachamama Island, where the natives show the tourists the way they build the islands and the way they live. The material they use is the “totora,” which is a variety of bamboo. Then I navigated the lake in a native canoe captained by a middle-aged woman.

Some people say that these people do not live on the islands, but from what I have seen of their houses and an elementary school, I can testify that they do. Of these 40 islands there are 5 where strangers are not allowed at all, but tourists are welcome on the rest of the islands since tourism supports their economy. The natives say that the lake is an amazing source of energy. I do not know if this is true, but I can say that it is a source of tranquility and peace.

Around 1:00 p.m. the other tourists and I arrived at Amantani. Here we were welcomed by the President of the Island and some natives. After a short speech of gratitude, the president let us know the local family that each of us would be staying with for the rest of the day and the night. I was assigned to the family of Eusebia Juli. After saying hi to Eusebia, we started a walk of around 20 minutes to get to her house. The entire walk is on a steep incline; so if this is your first walk in altitude, just take it easy and chew some coca leaf candies. Staying in the island with Eusebia would be an experience that would let me know the way in which the native Peruvians used to live.

Once I arrived at Eusebia’s house, she showed me the room where I would be staying. It was a pretty basic, clean room with four beds and a window with an amazing view of the island and the lake. Then I was served lunch in her rustic kitchen fueled by wood-burning. My lunch was quinoa soup, a plate with different kinds of potatoes and cheese. After lunch her daughter Isabel brought me a tea made of a couple of wild herbs called “muña” and “yerba luisa”.

After lunch, I went to the “bathroom” and what I found was a tiny room with only a toilet, so if you are planning on taking a shower you will need to wait until you arrive at your hotel the next day.

Around 3:30 p.m. I went to the main square in order to walk to the top of the island. I arrived at the top in 35 minutes. The view from there was amazing. There are no words to describe the sunset that I saw. This is a place well worth going back to, even if it means getting no shower in the morning.

That evening I went to a dance in the main square with Eusebia and her family, who gave me a traditional hat and coat to wear for the occasion. I took a flashlight because there are no lights on the island at night. During my walk I marveled at the beauty of the sky, knowing I’d never seen anything like it before.

In the main square a band of teenagers was performing. Other tourists, dressed in the same clothes that I was given, were dancing with the natives. Before leaving, make sure you return the hat and coat unless you want to buy them because the natives are not giving them to you as a gift.

I set my alarm for 5:00 a.m. because I wanted to see the sunrise. I decided to sleep in my sleeping bag to make sure that it would be warm enough during the Inca Trail.

http://www.latikaperutravel.com

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