Advertisement
On our way to Puno
Lisa is sporting the latest Bolivian trend!The second half of our tour began by meeting our new Peruvian guide called Aleks plus 4 new members of our group. Like Christian, Aleks began by going through the itinerary he had prepared for the next 20 days. He was very thorough although he did not give us too much information about each individual day because he said he wanted it to be a surprise. Later that evening we went out with Aleks and the new members of our group to a nice English pub serving wholesome pies.
Puno
The following morning we left La Paz and travelled to Puno in Peru on the shores of Lake Titicaca. We travelled mostly by public bus, but also had a 10 minute boat ride across Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at an altitude of 3820m. We arrived in Puno mid afternoon and had a few hours to explore the city before meeting the group for dinner at 7pm. There was not much to see in Puno itself other than a couple of pretty squares and lots of nice restaurants. Before going to dinner we had a briefing from a local guide about our 2 day
excursion on Lake Titicaca including one night at a homestay. For dinner we went to a cosy Peruvian restaurant serving delicacies such as trout fresh from the lake and alpaca steaks. During our meal we were serenaded by a local band playing traditional songs. They also played 'Let It Be' by the Beatles for all the westerners.
Lake Titicaca
Early the next day we all climbed aboard a pedicycle/tuk tuk to take us to the port. Luckily for our driver it was a downhill journey there. It was certainly a fun way to travel riding in convoy, taking snaps and waving at all the locals. At the port we bought some staples for our host families who we would be spending the night with at the homestay, and then boarded a motorised boat to Taquile Island in the middle of the lake. During our 3.5 hour journey to the island our local guide told us some facts about the lake which is over 170km long and the largest lake in the world above 2000m. Titi means puma in Spanish and the lake is thought to resemble the shape of this mountain cat. At its deepest point it
is 300m and there are over 100 islands on the lake. It is full of trout, king fish and cat fish, plus it is home to a variety of birds.
Taquile Island
It was around midday when we arrived at Taquile Island which is only 7km2. We had a 40 minute uphill walk to the main square and within minutes we were all puffing and panting due to the effects of the altitude and midday sun. The path was paved and offered brilliant views of the lake cast in sunshine. Once we had reached the main square we had about 20 minutes to ourselves to look at local handicrafts and enjoy the views. Then we had a 15 minute walk to a restaurant for lunch.
All the locals maintained traditional dress mainly as a result of tourism. Single men wore a white and red floppy nightcap and married men wore red caps. Single women wore brightly coloured pom poms attached to a black head scarf and those who were married wore darker colours. Apparently these clothes originated from the Moorish influence in Andalusia.
For lunch we ate king fish or trout with chips and rice
(typical Peruvian accompaniments) and then watched the locals weave and knit clothing. All the men of the island knit - the women prefer it that way. Years ago the island was solely inhabited by women and when men came the women agreed to be controlled by them only if they agreed to knit - sounds fair enough!
The islanders have a long life expectancy of 80 years old because they eat predominantly what they grow and have little processed foods. They practice natural medicine and if a person is ill they are given a black guinea pig to sleep with which is thought to absorb all their illness during the night. The next day the guinea pig is taken away so that the person does not reabsorb their illness.
There are no police on the island so in theory the islanders can do whatever they want. However 2 married men are elected to sort out any problems and disputes and meet weekly in the square.
Homestay
At 2.30pm we left Taquile Island and travelled to the peninsular where we would be staying with a local family for the night. We arrived around 4pm and were
met by a few villagers and were escorted to the football pitch by a marching band. We were pleasantly surprised by the welcome and felt very important! At the pitch a team of locals was waiting patiently to have a match against the 'gringos' (tourists). It was an exciting game, but the male gringos had height and weight on their side and won 4-0. Everyone who played was very exhausted due to the altitude, but a beer helped to revive them.
After the football we were grouped into 2s or 3s and then introduced to our host families for the night. Mike and I were greeted by our 'brother' called Johnny who was 15 years old. We then had to follow him to his house to meet his mother and sister. Unluckily for us it was a breathless 15 minute walk uphill to the family farm. Once there we met Johnny's mother Marguerite and sister Reina who was 14 years old. Marguerite had 7 other children who now lived in Puno. On the farm they raised chickens, cows, sheep and pigs. The main farmhouse appeared to be built out of mud bricks, however the small adjacent building where we
were to sleep was concreted on the inside. There were no soft furnishings in our room other then 3 beds and some tapestries on the walls so it felt very cold. They only had an outside toilet with no flush and no sink - I was glad I had brought my wet wipes.
Whilst we practiced the little Spanish that we knew, Marguerite cooked our dinner over an open fire in an outside kitchen area. None of the family spoke any English, but in addition to Spanish they also spoke the ancient language of Aymara. We had a basic expression sheet of Aymara which we practiced with Johnny.
When dinner was ready we ate in our room with just Johnny. Our meal consisted of a hearty vegetable soup followed by fried egg, chips and rice with coca tea. After dinner Marguerite and Reina dressed us up in traditional clothing. Mike wore a traditional multi-coloured woolly hat underneath a brown Panama hat, a brown poncho, a multi-coloured man bag and a pom pom bracelet on his wrist. To match Marguerite and Reina, I wore 5 brightly coloured pleated skirts, an embroidered black blouse, a brown bowler hat and a
pom pom bracelet on my wrist. We then walked to the village hall to meet the rest of the group for dancing. Around 8.30pm the local band began playing some foot tapping tunes to get us in the mood. The adults showed us what to do and then it was our turn. The dancing was similar to country dancing - men and women standing on opposite sides of the hall dancing in pairs and following the person in front. We did a few partner dances which involved much hip swivelling and stepping from side to side. I especially enjoyed my dance with a 5 year old girl who literally dragged me around the dance floor.
That night we slept on a comfortable bed underneath 3 heavy blankets. We were awoken around 6am by the sound of animals. We ate breakfast around 7.30am, this time on our own because Johnny was getting ready to go to school. Breakfast was a dieter's nightmare - fried egg, chips and fried potato bread! We both gulped when we saw this, but ate it all out of politeness - I think they must have thought that is what we eat. After thanking them all
for their hospitality we said "goodbye" to Johnny and Reina then walked to the port with Marguerite to board our boat at 8.30am.
Uros Islands
It took us around 1.5 hours to reach the Uros Islands otherwise known as the floating reed islands. On our way there, 3 brave members of the group jumped into the lake into 5oC water - they certainly did not stay in very long!
The Uros Islanders came to live on the islands centuries ago to isolate themselves from aggressive Collas and Incas. Today the Aymara speaking population live on about 100 islands. These islands are around 2m deep and consist of totara root that is joined together by synthetic rope and sticks of bamboo. The blocks are then covered with about 1m of layers of totara reeds. New reeds are regularly placed on top of old reeds because they rot away. The islands are very durable and can last up to 30 years.
We saw that the villagers use the reeds to build their homes, canoes and handicrafts which they sell to tourists. When new layers of reeds are placed on top of the old reeds the houses have
Uros Islands
Otherwise known as the floating reed islands. to be raised and it typically takes around 8 men to lift the houses. Today the villagers use motorised boats to fish instead of reed canoes, bought with money from tourism.
As well as learning about the diet of the villagers including what they fish, we also saw them making tapestries. We then took the opportunity to go on a 20 minute ride in a canoe, ridden by 2 girls. Our ride took us around the islands which are anchored to growing reeds and to other islands. The islanders told us that to solve a dispute between neighbours they simply cut the anchor or the island in half and float away!
Cuzco
We left Puno early on Friday morning and caught a public bus to Cuzco, the capital city of the Inca Empire. The journey took nearly 7 hours and we arrived late afternoon which left us just enough time to walk to the main square. That evening we had a nice group meal together at a posh restaurant. We even had a run down of the menu from the passionate chef which made it hard to decide what dish to choose.
Mike was a
little under the weather the next day so I left him at the hotel to rest whilst I visited Qorikancha Inca Site and Santa Domingo Convent that was erected in 1530. Within the building I saw original Inca walls made of andesite, diorite and limestone. The walls were made up of huge stone blocks that were tightly fitted together without the use of grout. I learned that these structures were built so well that they could even withstand earthquakes. I also saw a large collection of religious paintings and a model of Jesus Christ on the cross made of elephant tusk. There was also an interesting painting of the Inca Constellations where dark areas of the sky represented various animals including the sacred llama.
To Ollantaytambo
We had a late start on Sunday, not having to leave Cuzco until midday. It took us 1.5 hours to reach Ollantaytambo, a small town famous for its nearby Inca ruins and close proximity to the Inca Trail. On the way there we stopped off at a local pub/brewery where the fermented corn drink, Chicha was made. Aleks encouraged us all to have a taste of this traditional bitter beer, plus
a pink variety where blackcurrant had been added. It was definitely an acquired taste in my opinion!
Whilst some members of the group tucked into more Chicha, others played the local game of Sapo where you had to throw brass coins at a brass frog positioned on a small table, about 2m away. As well as trying to get the coins into the frog's mouth, you also had to try and get the coins into holes in the table - each worth a different monetary amount. The winner was the person with the highest score. A few games ensued, but I seemed to get progressively worse with time!
At 3pm we reached our hotel and some of us had a late lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent buying snacks for the Inca Trail and relaxing. That evening most of us had an alcohol free dinner, all keen to get a good night sleep before we began the trail tomorrow. The service was really poor in the Blue Puppy, Aleks's choice of restaurant for the night and he ended up bringing most of our food out - we all felt like giving him a tip!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.158s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 12; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0628s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
