Blogs from Lake Titicaca , Puno, Peru, South America - page 3

Right away when I got off my tour bus and into the lobby of the bus station, a man came right up and asked me if I needed a taxi. Usually I go past the first ranks to the less pushy guys, but I was exhausted. So I said ok: he didn't know where my hostel, Cozy Hostel, was located but I showed him on a map and agreed to the price. Then he asked if I wanted to set up a tour of the islands. Again, tired, but also want to get this taken care of before I go to bed. So, he actually had an office at the bus station and I felt much better about the whole set up. Plus, the price he gave me for the tour was the same I had ... read more

PERU...Lake Titicaca Homestays. I've been robbed of my money and passport when travelling, had numerous slips and falls, even rolled a car upside down in a creek, travelled with a necrotic leg, been locked up, nearly drowned countless times, been freaked out in the deepest dark caverns, hung onto various cliffs for dear life to avoid being blown off, had food poisoning, bites, stings, disappointments that would crush many men. But nothing...I mean nothing...comes close to suffering camera failure in Peru. Fair go. I'm a tough old rooster. But camera failure when the sun is smiling...no clouds in sight potentially crying...no dropsy or accident to explain it. There I was taking a portrait photo in Ollantaytambo and the camera wouldn't focus. Talk about a disaster. ****** Fortunately I have the world's most understanding dance partner. Fortunately ... read more

How I got there:So after the success of Peru Hop I decided to go again with the company to do the "Bolivia Hop" from Cusco to La Paz it cost $59. It has stops in Puno & Cococabana before it gets to La Paz. We met at 21:30 outside the Bolivia hop office (about 20m from my hostel!) & they checked us in & photocopied our passports making sure we still had our Peru immigration form from entering the country. Then minibuses took us to the main bus (Cuzco streets are too narrow for it). Once on we headed to Puno & arrived for breakfast at appx 5:45 getting to the port at 6:30. What I did: I was doing a homestay so stayed on the bus waiting for my guide whilst everyone who was doing ... read more

Bang on time the taxi arrived and whisked us off to the port where we joined a group and were ushered onto a boat. The boat turned out to really nice and comfortable, not the wooden plank seats I'd been expecting. A pan pipe player greeted us followed by an English speaking guide. We soon reached the first floating reed island. As we stepped off the boat the ground was really springy beneath our feet. The sun was shining but it was still quite cold. The bare footed woman in traditional costume gestured us to sit on bales of reeds and proceeded to demonstrate how the islands are made. As the reeds rot from below the island is replenished by adding more reeds to the surface. The reed houses only last about ten months then the ... read more

Friday 19th December 2014 Cuzco is a splendid city, full of superb architecture. It has many fine precision-made Inca walls, as well as 16th Century Spanish churches. The oldest church in Cuzco is San Blas built in 1562. The cedar wood pulpit is a masterpiece, which took indigenous Indian woodcarvers twenty years to create. It is rated as one of the finest examples of Cuzcan Indian art in the world. Although a Catholic Church, it has many Native American symbols which can clearly be seen in the frescoes, so coca plants, Peruvian fruits and llamas are depicted. url=file:///C:/Users/Vivien/Documents/Blog%2023From%20cathedrals%20to%20floating%20islands.docx#_msocom_1 tolerated these symbols, indeed they encouraged them as part of their strategy to convert the native peoples to Catholicism. The altar, covered in 22 ct gold leaf is Baroque in ... read more