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Published: April 1st 2008
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Monday 24th March Option of a 7 or 730am start - we took the 730am option. We meet our tour guide for the next couple of days: Percy, as we are taken to the port in our 'limos' .. These turn out to be cyclos, and it's about as scary/fun as it was in Asia, dodging the traffic and trying to catch photos of each other. We get to the port, buy some goods from the market for our host families (rice, pasta, etc... No sweets as no dentists), and board our boat.
The first boat ride is 2.5 hours, with the first half-hour a briefing on what is to happen today. We then head up to the top of the boat to take photos of the floating reed islands of Uros, before heading through the reed beds and out to more open water. It's pretty cold as we move through glacial freshwater, but we need to strip off the layers when we get to (T?) Island, where we have more paths to climb. We stop to find out about customs on the island... Here the women have more power, and are consulted by their husbands on most things. Most
marry young: 16, which brings extra priviledges. Only about 2000 on the island... Changes are happening because solar panels are allowing TV, changing the island code of 'Don't Kill, Don't Be Lazy, Don't Lie'. We continue onto the village where we have the option to buy more Artesan products (I don't), before lunch. This island has 22 restaurants, 11 of which are open at any one time, all serving 2 options: trout/omelette! After soup, the trout arrives - tasty/salty, and we finish off with 'Explosive Tea' (coca/peppermint leaves). We head down the other side of the island - 500+ steps, and head for (M?) Island, where we'll be staying tonight.
We arrive around 330pm at the island - Mark, followed by Kel and Rachel, decides to test the water. It's pretty cold! I don't have spare clothes so let it pass this time. We get to meet our host families (saying Alianchoo - Quechua for hello). Shilpa and I are staying with Ambrosio, Juanita and Judith (14)... Quite a walk uphill to find it (and we near 4000m again), but the room seems nice. By 5pm we're back in the main square where everyone is sporting a hat borrowed
from their hosts. We're introduced to everyone's host family (turns out we're staying with one of the current leaders - changes every 3 months - 5000 on this island), watch/partake in football before heading back for dinner.
Shilpa and I offer to help - we're given beans to peel. Meantime, we're trying to make conversation in Spanish, using the Lonely Planet phrasebook. Not doing too bad, and by 8 we're eating dinner: potato soup followed by potato stew with rice. Think this is the tourist dinner as everyone seemed to have the same. After dinner we're dressed up in the local costume. Not particlarly flattering but it's warm and it's fun. After photos, we head down to the hall where there's also another tour group. A brief hour of dances (very hot, quite repetitive), before we head back to our rooms and dive under multiple blankets!
Tuesday 25th March Woken by sun streaming in around 6am, and Ambrosio brings us 'agua caliente' around 650am, so we can have a splash-wash, get dressed and head down for breakfast. Again, we're at the table, whilst the others perch wherever. Not sure what they have, but we're given pancakes/jam. By 730am
we're heading back down the hill to the harbour where we take down addresses, say formal goodbyes and get back on the boat. We have a 3 hour journey back to the Uros islands - bit rougher than yesterday and people looking rather sick.... Rod is very sick, but by the Uros is back to his cheerful self. We have half-hour on the Uros Islands - it's baking hot as they tell us how the islands are built from reeds/roots - about 2.5 metres deep in 18 metres of water, and how the reeds need to be added to every fortnight. The communities exist largely for tourism now, and the expectation is that in 15 years they may have disappeared. Chance for more shopping, volleyball, a boat ride (no one took this in the end), before we get back on the boat and are provided with bread and sandwich fillings - tasty!
Soon after 12 we're back in Puno, onto our transfer bus (walking past the strangely dressed man), and back at the hotel. Time for a shower/some handwashing/sorting the bags again before heading out to find the Post Office. Takes about an hour as have to find packaging,
get some more money out to pay for it, take some things out to reduce the weight under 1kg (every 1/2kg seems to attract a fixed price, and I was only about 80g over). Finally, it's done and I head off to look round Puno - not much to see so find internet café to try and catch up with blog. Multiple upload not working so head back to hotel, read up on Bolivia, catch up with the others watching TV, back to a different internet before we head out to dinner. Dinner was tasty (stuffed pepper, chicken in rosemary sauce, choc ice cream, wine), before headed to another place where guys had spotted lemon meringue pie earlier. Had a Vino Caliente before we headed to Ekekos for a bit of dancing. Feeling tired so when Kel, Anna and Stuart head back I do too... Set the heater blowing onto my clothes and settle to read/sleep. Ana gets back just after midnight so it's all set for a 6am alarm call.
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