Blogs from Puno, Peru, South America - page 77

Advertisement

South America » Peru » Puno » Lake Titicaca June 6th 2006

Lake Titicaca is (and here comes another superlative) the highest commercially navigable lake in the world at over 3800m. It is also mentioned as one of the highlights of Peru in my guidebook. What they don’t mention that it’s also a freaking cold place and not that interesting. Did I mention that I disagree with my guidebook? Ok it’s not such a bad place as it might have some attraction to some but let's start from the beginning. I arrived in Puno after a nice 8 hour bus ride from Cusco. You really have to say that some South American countries have the bus system figured out. There are busses going left right and centre all the time and you can go from cheap cattle class (speak no leg room, dirty and slow) to super luxury ... read more
One of the reed islands
A boat completely made out of reed.
Did I mention that it was touristy?

South America » Peru » Puno June 4th 2006

Overall, I was in Bolivia for 10 fantastic weeks, which makes it the country I have spent longest in throughout my travels. Thus, I warn you in advance, this blog contains a fair chunk of pensive reflection on what I thought about this vibrant and diverse country!!!! Though it is the poorest country in South America, and has had one of the most turbulent politic histories in the continent, I found the country absolutely fascinating to travel through. Both the landscapes and people I encountered were just incredibly diverse, considering I only really travelled the more densely populated south western section. I moved from the rich 4x4 owners of Sucre, to the impoverished Campesinos of La Paz, while the tiny villages I, admittedly, only viewed on bus journey rest stops were quite an eye-opener. The physical ... read more
Lake Titicaca Sunset
View from the Isla Del Sol
The Uros

South America » Peru » Puno June 1st 2006

Hier noch ein paar Impressionen - aufgenommen beim heutigen Erkunden der Gegend. FAZIT unseres heutigen Reisetages: - die peruanische Seite des Titicacasees ist richtig scheeee & - nasse Lamas stinken ganz furchtbar - leider auch nasse Lamaschals.... Saludos :-) Silke & Raphael ... read more
Der See
ein Haus auf einer der Uros Inseln
und hier der Huehnerstall

South America » Peru » Puno » Lake Titicaca May 30th 2006

Il fait 192 kilomètres de long... On est allé sur les îles Uros (mais on y a pas dormi Maria j'ai vu ton message que trop tard) et Graeme a reformaté sa carte mémoire sans faire exprès histoire de perdre les plus de 1000 photos qu'il a prit... donc on a aucune image de ces îles flottantes. Leurs îles sont faites de racines de Totoras, seul truc qui pousse dans le lac et qui sert à tout, même à manger... A certains endroits on peut sentir l'île qui se dérobe sous nos pieds. Etape suivante sur le lac : l'île Amantani ou nous avons passé la nuit, hébergés par les familles. Là non plus pas de photos. Dernière étape: l'île Taquile. L'intéret majeur est de voir les coutumes vestimentaires des habitants. Chaque vêtement comporte un code ... read more
fleur enblème du Perou
hooo...
toujours sur l'île

South America » Peru » Puno May 28th 2006

The ride to Puno on the western shores of Lake Titicaca, went without any problems - we ditched the problematic bus company Ormeño and went with Cruz del Sur - a comfortable option with the added bonus of onboard Spanish Bingo (helps with the numbers)! On arrival in Puno we were met by numerous three-wheeler tricycles (of the pedal power variety) offering us lifts to wherever we fancied. Our driver (or should that be rider) seriously underestimated the combined weight of our bags. Once he reached the uphill section shouts of "muy peso" and much puffing and panting were heard - he really earnt his 2 soles (30p)!! Puno is quite a large sprawling town with narrow, almost claustrophobic streets that cover the hillside on the Titicaca banks. Most people who visit simply use the town ... read more
The Shores of Lake Titicaca
Reed Boats
Safety First

South America » Peru » Puno » Lake Titicaca » Uros Island May 24th 2006

Just spent the last few days in Lake Titicaca, on both Bolivia and Peru side. This is the largest freshwater lake and is the highest commercially navigation lake in the world, at an altitude of 3,800m. Visited the islands in the lake, Isla del Sol (Island of Sun) in Bolivia, and Isla de Los Uros (Floating Island), Isla Amantani and Isla Taquile in Peru. My favourite is definitely the Floating Island! Yes, it may have become very touristy, but it´s still very amazing for me. The islands are home of the Uros people. The islands, their homes an boats are made of reeds. They depend on weaving and fishing for living, and now of course tourism. The people are friendly and welcoming. Simply Amazing! We also stayed overnight at a family in Isla Amantani. The room ... read more
Mossy waters
Lake Titicaca

South America » Peru » Puno » Lake Titicaca » Taquile Island May 23rd 2006

23 Mayo - Lago Titicaca, Isla Amantani On the Boat now, leaving La Isla Amantani and headed to Isla Taquile. I am sad to go, but excited to continue my journey. I think I should take this time to elaborate a little on my travel companions. I am traveling with two girls from New Zealand: Nikki and Kate. They are wonderful, great travel companions, high spirited, laid-back, and willing to do just about anything. They are so full of life and energy, and so accepting of me. I enjoy every minute with them. We are comfortable together and have become great friends. Nikki is a writer and an aspiring sand beach volleyball player. She is quick-witted, funny, and always has a smile on her face. She’s easy to get to laugh and calls herself “Photography Barbie.” ... read more
Kate, Nikki, and I in Traditional Dress on Amantani
My Friends, Kate and Nikki

South America » Peru » Puno » Lake Titicaca May 23rd 2006

Puno town itself is nothing much special besides having many places to dine and to book tours from and the facilities to change money. It does have a beautiful asset though, that being the base to settle and leave your bags in storage for the night while heading out to the islands on Lake Titicaca. I arrived by bus from Cusco late afternoon on the 19th May and booked into a tour the following day for a 2 day, 1 night venture to the closest 3 islands to Puno. They are Isla Uros, Isla Amantani and Isla Taquile.. (not to be confused with Taquila! so the guide kept reminding us). This is the package tour that pretty much every operator can book for varying prices… 40-45 soles was the going rate.. don’t pay much more than ... read more
lady grinding dried corn/maize
boats with puma faces
sunset from the top of the hill...

South America » Peru » Puno » Lake Titicaca May 22nd 2006

We took the tourtist bus from Cusco to Puno on May 20th. The usual bus ride is 6-7 hours, but we opted to take the First Class tour in which we stop at various villages and ruins along the way. Total time was 9.5 hours and costs $25 US each. We arrived in Puno at around 5:30 PM. Puno is the closest city to Lake Titicaca, which is the highest navigable lake in the world. About 70% of it belongs to Peru and 30% to Bolivia. Puno houses around 100,000 people and is overflowing with markets - I have never seen anything like it! At an elevation of 3830 meters, Puno gets extreme weather conditions where it is hot during with day and sunburn is a problem, but freezing cold at night. Though I had not ... read more
Lake Titicaca
Uros Islands
Uros Islands




Tot: 0.128s; Tpl: 0.007s; cc: 11; qc: 89; dbt: 0.0774s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.3mb