Lake Titicaca

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The first stop on our Lake Titicaca itinerary was Copacabana. We didn´t see any show girls called Lola, but there were a large number of hippies that must have arrived and never left.

We took an instant liking to ´Copa´. It was small and beachy, the weather was warm (despite being at 3,800m above sea level), and there were lots of cheap places to gorge ourselves on trout.

Ben was so excited, he went for his second run since we arrived in South America. He decided to race up the hill behind the town. It happened to be Corpus Christi - Picture the sight: Ben, in his stubbies and singlet, leaping past thousands of puffing pilgrims in their Sunday best trekking to see the virgin at the top of the hill. Ben was rewarded for his efforts with a phlegmy cough that would last a good two weeks.

Ben (the Captain) also comandeered a paddle boat and we proceeded to race other travellers without them knowing it. Half an hour was enough though. It was hard work at altitude.

We caught an agonisingly slow boat out to Isla del Sol. The simple wooden thing had two tiny outboard motors. We were convinced we would get there faster in our paddleboat.

There were quite a few ruins to explore on the island (once we had staggered up the inca staircase loaded with our packs). A local boy, keen to improve his english, showed us around. We randomly stumbled upon a bunch of school kids dressed up as incas, dancing on the ruins. (We may have accidentally featured in the video they were filming too). After a few days admiring the views and exploring the ruins, we returned to Copa and crossed the border into Puno, Peru.

Puno was a bit of a contrast. We overheard some Americans describing it as the ´butthole´of South America. That might be going a bit far, but the place could definitely do with some work. Apparently, Pervuians get some sort of tax break if their house is unfinished. The result is hundreds of mud brick jobbies, with an unfinished second storey - wires and concrete sticking out everywhere.

We left Puno ASAP and jumped on yet another slow boat out to the islands. First, we visited the Islas Flotantes - islands made of reeds. This was a crazy place. The people must keep picking reeds to replenish the island, otherwise it rots away. The islands seemed pretty stable, even when the big boats rocked by. Apparently, when the wind gets up they sometimes break their moorings and float away.

Our next stop was the island of Amantani. We stayed with a local family there, and ate delicious traditional meals inside their tiny farm house. We played dress ups in the local gear and the village put on a fiesta for us. It was great fun.

Finally, we stopped at the island of Taquile. Here, we saw women lugging huge bags of rubble to fix the dock, while the men stood by and knitted hats. You can tell whether a man is single or not by the colour of their hat. (Although, we heard on good authority that men generally hold on to their ´single´hat, pulling it out when the wife´s away....)

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Photos

The young and the old
Inca ruins on Isla del Sol

Inca road
Still in good nick after 500+ years

Kat dressed in Amantani gear
I might look like a nun, but it was warm!

Comments

[Tim]

costumes
damn that's sexy kat