Blogs from Puno, Peru, South America - page 7

Gestern sind wir um 9 Uhr mit dem Boot zu den schwimmenden Inseln Uros gefahren. Auf einer der Inseln wurde uns die Bauweise der Insel und Häuser erklärt, welche hauptsächlich nur aus Schilf bestehen. Danach wurden wir auf einem traditionellen Boot zur Hauptinsel gebracht. Unterwegs wurde das Boot von Kindern geentert, welche in allen Sprachen jeweils ein Lied mehr schlecht als recht gesungen haben. Am Nachmittag sind wir mit dem Bus zu den perfekt rund gebauten Turmgräber der Inkas „Sillustani“ gefahren. Die Gräber befinden sich auf fast 3900 müm zu oberst auf einem Hügel mit wunderbarer Aussicht in die Umgebung. Auf dem Weg zurück nach Puno haben wir bei einem typischen Bauernhof halt gemacht. Dort durften wir Kartoffel mit einer peruanischen Mayonaise (aus Wasser, Salz und Lehm) sowie Tee, Käse und Brot degustieren. Heute haben wir ... read more

Our Arrival Our bus from Cusco arrived at the terminal in Puno, on the waterfront at 3:50pm. From the terminal we stayed at a Hospedaje on the next street up. Where We Stayed Hospedaje Dulces Suenos - S/20 for a double room with private bathroom. The room was newly done but not in the main building and got freezing at night. No wifi. Where We Ate There was a massive market over several streets when we were there on a Saturday. We got lunch in a restaurant opposite for S/3 each. Positive Bar - just off the main square on Peel St. We needed wifi so got a couple of 650ml beers for S/8. Cozy place. Where We Went Next We used Puno purely as a stopping point to get to Copacabana in Bolivia. We had ... read more

We finally left La Paz and headed to Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca. In Copacabana we walked past the cathedral and saw a religious procession where they make pretty designs on the ground using petals for the procession to travel over. Later in the day we bumped into some friends from Sucre so spent the afternoon watching the football world cup (a recurring theme) with them. Just before sunset we walked up cerro Calvario for great views over Copacabana and Lake Titicaca. The next morning we were up early to catch a boat to Isla de Sol (Sun Island). We bumped into another couple of friends from the ride and river trip in the line for the boat so spent the day with them. The boat ride was a couple of hours each way, ... read more

We arrived in Cusco the night before after an incredibly full day, in heart, mind and body. Aba took us out for supper and we repacked for the move to Puno. Bed came late. In the morning, we waited for our ride to the tour bus, but it didn't come. With a bit of confusion and rearrangements we still made a bus. The bus took us to a number of archaeological and religious sites on the way to Puno. As you move along the mountain range south, the landscape changes again. Here, the mountains get dryer, the grasses coarse, and grain and llama are king. Alpaca and Llama interspersed with cattle and sheep are everywhere. They are cobbled, or hemmed in by rock walls stacked without mortar or mud. The roadside markets become filled with alpaca ... read more

Packing and repacking our bags each day has been a challenge. Today we are leaving the Andes behind us so we are able to get all of our stuff in one duffel and leave the other behind -- much easier! We had a leisurely morning enjoying breakfast and taking pictures on the lawn of the hotel of the llamas and Lake Titicaca. We met a Canadian family with four girls who had just been to the Amazon and loved it! Let the adventure begin! Maria and driver picked us up from our hotel at 10:15 to catch a flight out of Juliaca at 1:15. Although it was only an hour ride, this guide with Kontiki Tours was excellent. We learned a lot about the conflict of the pre-Incas and the black market activity in Juliaca which ... read more