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Published: September 22nd 2007
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DAY 11:
PUNO (TITICACA LAKE)
Around 2:00 a.m. I woke up because it was really cold, so I had to use a couple of blankets to warm me up. (On Amantani Island you won’t find anything like heaters or calefaction because of their living conditions.) Because of this I learned that my sleeping bag wouldn’t keep me warm during the Inca Trail, so I would have to look for a sleeping bag in the range of 20ºF to 10ºF.
I woke up at 5:30 a.m. to observe the sunrise, and I did it from the window located next to my bed, but I did not leave my room because it was cold. I can say that I like what I saw, but the sunset the day before was much better.
At 6:30 a.m. I woke up again and started to pack because my breakfast would be ready at 7:00 a.m. After packing, I went to the “bathroom” and tried to clean myself as much as I could even though the water was really cold and I had to do it outside. Anyway, all that I was able to experience the day before compensated for these inconveniences.
After
breakfast, I took a couple of pictures of Eusebia and her daughter and I gave them a good tip because of the nice time that I’d spent with them and because they need the money to pay for the education of their children.
I left Amantani Island at 8:05 a.m. by boat and headed for Taquile Island, arriving there at 9:10 a.m. This island is smaller than Amantani but is more progressive because it offers better accommodations to the tourists. If I would have to choose, I would choose Amantani, but I say that because I love adventure and the most direct touch with real life.
In Taquile, I used the bathroom for US$ 0.30 and bought some water for US$ 0.70. After that I started walking with the group to the top of the island. After a walk of 25 minutes, we stopped in a house to observe a presentation of a woman weeding in an ancestral artifact. She had hats, belts, jackets, necklaces, and other stuff made by her on sale.
After the presentation, the guide told us that we would be meeting at the main square and that to get there we just had
to follow the only path, so I decided to walk by myself and enjoy the view because it was just beautiful anywhere I looked. During this hike, I asked my guide about altitude sickness. She told me that many times people do not get altitude sickness. Instead people get something similar caused by bad digestion. In other words in high places people cannot eat a lot and then go to bed because digestion is extremely slow, so the best thing to do after eating is drink a tea of coca leaf, muña, toronjil or yerba luisa, and then take a long walk to help digestion.
Our boat left after lunch. I was struck with melancholy as I watched the island getting smaller and smaller. I am sure that I will be back to enjoy those beautiful and peaceful places, but I hope globalization will not overtake them.
My boat arrived in
PUNO around 4:00 p.m. I felt that the way back was interminable. Once in my hotel in
PUNO, Qelqatani, I took a really long, hot shower. After resting, I went to the main square and I saw a group of kids from a public school performing some
traditional songs and dances. I then went to a restaurant called “La Choza de Oscar” near the main square. In this restaurant, a pretty good band, called “Pachamama” and a group of dancers were performing music and dances of the natives. Get used to the fact that after every three songs, one of the guys from the band will go to your tables to ask you for a tip or to buy their CD; actually I got one and I am listening to their music right now.
After eating a traditional “Pollo a la Brasa” with Peruvian french fries and a Cusqueña Beer, the best one in Peru in my opinion, I went to the Main Square to take a couple of pictures and then to my hotel to rest for the next day.
http://www.latikaperutravel.com
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