http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from South America , Peru , Puno en-us Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:36:08 +0000 Mon, 28 Dec 2009 22:36:08 +0000 In Cuzco unsurprisingly there is Inca stonework at every turn. Lots of the Inca foundations have Spanish colonial buildings built on top of them. My favourite is the Quorikancha it was the main Inca temple. When the Spanish arrived it was covered in gold and silver including 700 gold panels weighing 2kg each and a field of maize with stems made from silver and corn cobs made from gold. Th http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Puno/blog-462890.html I travelled to Puno on the shore of Lago Titicaca with the three Welsh girls I met in Arequipa Jess Leanne and Rhian and an English guy called Ben. We stayed at The Point hostel. After arriving we went straight into town as we only had two days to see the city and the lake. We visited the Cathedral very similar to most of the others I have seen in Peru very big and very ornate. We saw a bapt http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Puno/blog-461052.html So I wrote my last entry not too long ago. In the last entry I was heading to Copacabana the following day. I made sure on this holiday that everything was flexible as I wanted to be able to change plans at my will... and so I did. I write this blog as I too read the warning in Lonely Planet about night buses in Peru regularly going off the side of the road but payed it off as it would never hap http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Puno/blog-459395.html Our tour bus picked us up at 7.00am and we headed off with a group of other tourists to join a boat tour of Lake Titicaca and the islands within it on the Peruvian side.First we visited the floating islands of the Uros people. It was a fascinating experience to walk on the manmade islands. The islands were made of reeds and they were soft and spongy to walk on. You felt like you might go through http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/blog-459206.html Haha fooled you. You thought I was coming home last week after Machu Picchu. Nope I wasnt quite ready to come home then so I extended my trip and have just come back ashore after exploring the worlds highest navigable lake in the world and the largest in South America Lake Titicaca. And just so you know its Titichacha think the old jewish guy joke with the fly in the soup.Here is http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/blog-454413.html Floating islands... yes they do exist and there are 40 of them in total all bobbing about in Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian side. How Theyrsquore made entirely from totora reeds. They pull up the roots tie them all together to create like a huge raft and then layer dried reeds on the top. Their houses are made from reeds they use reeds to light their fires for food they eat the reeds and http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/blog-450745.html Leaving Cusco behind us we now travel south very close to the border with Bolivia to a place called Puno on the shores of Lago Titicaca.We have tried to use trains in South America wherever possible but your choices are slim. In Ecuador just two or three short routes that were nowhere near the destinations that we visited. In Peru just two routes. The first from Cusco to Machu Picchu which w http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Puno/blog-450707.html Lago Titicaca The Uros islands 10am. Standing on a floating manmade island made solely out of reeds somewhere within the worldrsquos highest navigable lake itrsquos an odd feeling. Lago Titicaca is big really big so big it spans across two countries. On our way here our guide pointed into the distance and said that Bolivia was in that direction. Even standing on top of the roof of the bo http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/blog-449778.html Today was spent on the lake.We left at 8 and walked down to the private pier by the hotel. And I do mean down it was loads of stairs Fifteen minute boat ride took us to the Uros Islands aka the Floating Islands. They are inhabited by the Uros Indians. In preIncan times they were forced off the land and started living on reed house boats in the southern part of the lake. In the late 1930s http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/Taquile-Island/blog-445867.html Titicaca ja hyvstit PerulleMatka Cuscosta Titicacalle alkoi jlleen aikaisin aamulla tll kun lhdetn johonkin tapahtuu se aina suorastaan ksittmttmiin aikoihin. Herttv on 530 jotta ehtii bussiin tai junaan tai mihin vaan kulkuvlineeseen. Aikainen lht on tarpeen kun lyhytkin matka kest aina todella pitkn. Meill ei ollut kilometrein edess mikn kummoinen matka mutta aika http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/blog-445613.html Greetings from the shore of Lake Titicaca. Up this morning at 7 am with a massive headache. My sinuses are completely blocked and my head was pounding. Had a quick breakfast and then we went right across the street to the monastery of Santo Domingo. It was actually kind of interesting its built on top of an Incan temple complex and there are a few nice stones and arches. After that we walke http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/blog-445596.html Sadly leaving Cusco we travelled to the lakeside city of Puno still in Peru which services Lake Titicaca. At 3850m this fresh water body of water 160kms long by 65kms wide is the highest navigable lake in the world. From Puno we visited the famous floating reed islands of the local Uros people. Because the border between Peru and Bolivia dissects the lake both countries have navy vessels pat http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/blog-445276.html Week 13 Titicaca lake Puno Copacabana and La PazPunoToday we drive about 7 hours 440km to reach Puno.In the afernoon we visit the Sillustani ruins and museum with a local guide to explore these amazing preIncan Sillustani funeral towers.Located on the shores of Lake Titicaca in south east Peru Puno is known as the Capital folkl65533rica del Per65533 folkloric capital of Peru as http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/blog-445231.html Another successful border crossing and i made it to Peru. A little town on the other side of Lake Titicaca called Puno nowhere near as nice as Copacabana but a good place to start Peru.After checking in we found a local pool hall and had a few games same stupid tables so we didn't bother for long. Had a good walk around the City and noticed a really cool looking Football Stadium. It looked real http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Puno/blog-444977.html Il lago Titicaca... luogo al centro della cultura andina. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/blog-443853.html We stayed overnight in Puno where we all went for a big dinner steak and red wine wonderful before setting off for Lake Titicaca. We were up early in the morning where we had cycle style tuk tuks to take us to the harbour. It turned into a race as we all told our drivers that there would be a bonus in it for him if we got there first.At the harbour there were a number of food shops where we bou http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/blog-441781.html Were almost at the end of our trip in Peru. Last stop PunoLake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is one of the highest inland lake in the world. We booked the Lake Titicaca tour at the hostel and walked around the city. They were selling bread pan everywhere on the streets We werent too fond of trying plain bread but we gave in and I must say... it was the most delicious bread Ive ever had. Thin http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/blog-439953.html In keeping with the bad habit I fast seemed be developing and seriously needed to lose it was dark by the time we finally pulled into Puno bus station. OK so we hadn't helped ourselves by having a lazy morning not leaving Arequipa until lunchtime for what I already knew from experience to be at least a 7hour journey but on the upside at least this time I had company We pretty much jumped http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/blog-436505.html Hola Blog ReadersWe thought wed send a quite blog update before we go to Bolivia tomorrow as we dont really know what the internet situation is. In fact I dont think they have electricity on the island were staying onAfter getting back from the trek we realised that wed only booked one bus ticket from Arequipa to Puno so we had to cancel that no refund and get on the recommendedJulsa http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/blog-435306.html When Rupal and I came back from Machu Picchu we met up with Annu. There is no rest for the wicked so the next day we took the bus to Puno which is on the shores of Lake Titicaca the highest navigable lake in the world. It is shared by Peru and Bolivia and there is a Peruvian joke that says the Peruvians got the titi side whilst the Bolivians go the caca side.The trip to Puno itself was int http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/Lake-Titicaca-/blog-431151.html