Lake Titicaca

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Next up was Lake Titicaca which is the highest big lake in the world or the biggest high lake or summat like that. It's big 'n' high. The bus journey from La Paz is made a bit more interesting when you reach part of the lake and have to get off the bus and into a mini boat to make a crossing. The bus itself is then put on a boat which is barely big enough and looks like it could sink any minute.

We stayed in a little town called Copacabana which is a lot less sexy than the Brazilian one. From there we took a day trip to the Isla del Sol which is where the Inca's say the sun god was born, although I have my reservations. It was a 2 hour boat ride to the northern part of the island where we were greeted by a pig being chopped up on the shore. The place is pretty basic and I presume that people still mostly live off the land whilst being topped up by the white man. There are donkeys wandering around all over the place. Whilst eating lunch on the beach a couple of them ran hee-hawing down the mountainside right past us giving us a bit of a fright before they ran off along the beach making it look like a more wild version of Blackpool. The scenery was also a little bit nicer than Blackpool (but theres no tower here, just mountains that don't have a lift). The sky is clear blue (probably where the island got its name), the beaches are sandy with clean blue water with snowy mountains in the background along with big steep hills on the island itself. Whilst there we walked up to some ruins which is easier said than done at 4000m. We were the only ones there when we first arrived. They were a cool set of stone walls, some of which formed a mini maze on the hillside which I managed to get briefly lost in. They were a good example of when you know nothing about something and have no expectations that you can be pleasantly surprised. After a couple of hours we got the boat down to the southern part. Here we walked up some knackering 'Inca steps' and had a drink on a wee terrace before heading back. Copacabana is a fairly touristy town but was pretty quiet. Its another place where there seems to be way too many restaurants compared to people. The lunch menus were super cheap though, three courses and a drink for £1.50!

The next day we got a bus to Puno on the Peruvian side of the lake. Luckily for us we had timed it well as the border was open. It had been shut for over a week beforehand and may have shut a few days later depending on the election results (I think the left won so it's open?). We have met people who have spent a fair bit on last minute flights from La Paz to Cusco because they didn't want to miss their Inca Trail. Others we've met have had to go via Chile or get an expensive boat across the lake at night and turning the lights off so they don't get stones thrown at them. No one seems quite sure but it's linked to a miners strike and election in Peru. As we crossed the border we saw piles of rubble that had been used as blockades and where fires had been lit. We'd heard that there had been riots in Puno before we arrived but the most we saw were demonstrations with hundreds of people walking with signs and banging drums. Later we heard that people had been killed in riots after the election, not sure what went down. Anyway, coming into Peru meant a return of the tuk-tuk which are everywhere and we haven't seen them in other South American countries. We also noticed a lot of cheap and good dinner menus, unlike in Bolivia, which included things like Alpaca and trout. Guinea Pig is about too but pretty pricey, hopefully I'll get round to trying it.

From Puno we took a tour of the Uros Floating islands. These are islands made from reeds about a 30 min boat ride from the shore. Apparently the Uros people originally moved out there over 500 years ago to escape the Incas who were a nasty bunch. It's a pretty touristy place, more than it needs to be. A bit of trying to flog you stuff is all good but when the women, dressed in their full costumes, sang to us 'bring back my bonnie to me' whilst swaying in a line I thought it was a bit much. Still the place itself was amazing. Over 2000 people live there and there are lots of small islands close together each with a few houses on and a couple of schools. Everything was made from these reeds, the houses, boats, decorations and islands themselves. We also had a taste of the reeds which turned out to be the taste of water. We also went into someones hut which was very basic, just matresses on the floor and not much else but also a tv, I don't see why not. We then dressed in their traditional costume, which was comical even as traditional costumes go, because it would've been rude not to. We then avoided paying extra to take a boat ride on a dragon shaped reed boat. I wonder whether these were made specifically for the tourists or they did this in the old days. It seems like the sort of thing warriors would do yet by the sounds of it these were a bunch of pussies. There were reed decorations all over the place like giant fish and flamingos (and some real ones). The fact that people really live there and that it's so big make it more impressive. Whilst in the floating villages in Cambodia they lived in boats which is weird enough, the colours and buildings here gave it a more surreal edge. Since that was about all there was to do in Puno without going on a boat trip way further out, we headed for Cusco the next day.

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