Peru

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9.11.11 To Peru we go

With our new tour leader, 6 less people (glad to see some of them go 😉) and 3 new people to form a new group of 13 we were ready to head to the border (bolivia - peru). Early morning bus, then ferry across Lake Titikaka where we had to get taxi boats across the lake while our bus floated across on a small raft! Then back on the bus with a short bus ride to the border where we gained another stamp in the passport (another one Dad hasn´t got!) We were welcomed by sheep, pigs and tuk tuks (those wierd Tokyo motorbike people carriers) Oh and the indigenous people still wore the silly hats, which they copied from the English, when they came over for the Silver and Gold (kinda like bowler hats but taller).
We then made our way to Puno, a city which borders lake Titikaka (you have to put emphasis on the K´s, like KKaa KKaa). Nice city trendy in parts. Our Guide Katy then set us the tast of 7sols each to buy our families (the homestay) some gifts of useful foods as they can only grow beans and potatoes. Me and Michal ended up getting carried away buying spices, garlic, onions, carrots, bannanas, mangos, apples, rice, noodles, oil!! (all for a fiver!)

10.11.11 Homestay
We awoke to find our transport waiting for us, apparently limo´s (lots of guys with bikes which had benches on the front to carry people) all racing each other to the port. We then has a 3 hour boat ride to Taquile island on lake Titikaka which was beautiful. On tequile island we did and hours trek to a restaurant where we had trout and coca tea. It was so peaceful the island. Not many people lived there, but the people who did had their own way of living and culture. A married couple showed us examples of their culture for example. The single men wore white and red hats which they sewed themselves, they then show them off and show how fine they are by filling them with water. The married men wear full red hats. The women weave all the mens clothing and vice versa. they men carry these funny little colouful bags in which they carry coca leaves and when they greet each other they swap a handful of coca leaves they munch on them together.

We then headed back to the boat where Michael jumped in to the 9 degrees lake, he didnt last long!! Then had another short boat trip to meet our homestay families. They greeted us with a band all dressed us in their traditional clothing. They all had a game of football while I cheered on the sideline. Michael was really good considering the altitude and even scored! We definately should have won, but Michael didnt have the best of team mates (I could have done a better job than some of them!) haha. We then went into the hall where we met our Mama´s and Papa´s (we didnt have a Papa, just Mama and son) they dressed us up in their traditional wear, I had 3 full skirts on, green, yellow and pink on the top, followed by a black jacket, some waistband thing which they wrapped around twice, then one of those funny bowler top hat things, and handed me a colourful rope with pom poms on. Michael got dressed up in a poncho thing and hat and another one of those colourful ropes with pom poms (they were to spin around whist dancing!) We then learnt their dances, and attempted to follow to the band, rather strange but was really good fun. Exhausted after dancing for ages we went to our Mama´s home (mud home!) to have tea (beans, rice, potatoes, and soup!) was nice. We attempted to communicate in Aymara but failed miserably, luckily the son was learning English at school so we helped him along. We then went to bed in our Mud brick accommodation, oh and we were given a potty each for overnight???!!!

10.11.11
Woke up to have breakfast in which our Mama had made fresh fried bread which was yummy but far too much!! as you have to be polite so you try and eat everything, well I ended up eating 6 pieces and boiled egg to find our other people in our group had the same as us with their families and only had 2!! I was stuffed! We then went to help with their everyday living. I helped peel some spuds (one of the 3200 types of potato in Peru) Michael then helped plough a small piece of land with a pickaxe and I broke up the big bits of mud with a small hammer!! We then fed they three fluffy cows with some reeds from the lake, then fed the two piglets scraps from the night before. We said our goodbyes to our mama and got back on the boat.

We then headed back to Puno, on the way back we stopped of at the floating islands of Uros. The Uros people live on reed islands which they have to rebuild ever year as the ones at the bottom rot. Everything is made our of reeds, boats, houses, seats, beds, schools, roofs etc. We were allowed to go onto one of the islands where our boat driver lived. We jumped onto the island off the boat, and found it was bouncy! Our guide made us all jump up and down at the same time, and we could feel the island move! There was 6 families on this Island, They showed us into their homes. Showed us how they make their island, with peat at the bottom and layer upon layer of reeds. Headed back to Puno for another night. Cusco in the morning. S. x

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