Pisac, Puno & Lake Titicaca

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Pisac, Puno & Lake Titicaca

We got up early on our last morning in Ollantaytambo and had a quick breakfast before paying up and heading off in search of transport, sad to leave sunny Ollan behind. Katty at the hostel had told us the best way to get to Pisac was to catch a minibus to Urabamba and get a bus from there for Pisac - famous for its Sunday market, along with an Inca fortress towering high above the town on a hilltop.

We jumped in a half full minibus after hoisting our bags on top of the roof and waited for the thing to fill up so that we could depart. We didn't have to wait too long and we set off with every seat filled, along with all aisle space crammed with people- just like being back in Indonesia! Of course, the narrow road out of town combined with two way traffic consisting of tour buses and lorries made escaping the town a very slow process but as soon as we escaped the gridlock, it was only an hour down the road to Urabamba.

Reaching Urabamba we found the bus to Pisac and again put our bags on top - albeit with more difficulty since in was a full size bus with only a narrow ladder to get up on the roof. Pisac turned out to be pretty small so we had no trouble finding the hotel we were looking for. We managed to negotiate 10 soles off the price, dumped our stuff and headed straight out again for the Inca ruins.

It was a long slog up the hill as we gasped for air, fighting the altitude all the way but nearing the top we could see the beginings of the fort which looked over two of the valleys. As we climbed along the sides of terraces, it wasn't until reaching the very top that we saw the scale of the fort- it was huge! We wandered amongst the ruins, looking down into the green valleys and occasionally being stalked by a guy in Inca clothes who was trying to persuade us to take his photograph (no doubt for money) but for a change our inability to speak Spanish got us off the hook.

The climb down was pretty swift and we still had enough daylight to explore the market. As well as the fresh food and dry goods set out for the locals, there was a huge array of souvenir stores set out for the package tourists that are bussed in from Cusco. We looked around and Stacey had her eye on an Alpaca jumper which we managed to get with a bit of a discount since it was becoming late in the day and most of the tourists had gone. As we strolled around, we could smell the delicious food being sold at market stalls and so treated ourselves to an early dinner after the strenuous climb. We had a big plate of food, including a roast chicken portion and roast potatoes- first Sunday roast in a while!- for 5 soles each (£1.25).

Again we headed off early the next morning with the intention of getting to Puno by the evening and as it was a long trip, the timing was going to be pretty tight. First we had to retrace our steps back to Cusco jumping on a jam packed local bus. Stacey grabbed the last seat and I sat on the engine cover near the driver until it became unbearably hot and I had to stand. As more people were picked up, the aisles began to fill up until it was so crammed that the ticket inspector couldn't make it down the aisle.

An hour and a half later, we reached Cusco after climbing through valleys where the road had begun to fall away at the edge as the cliffs had eroded. We were hoping to be dropped off somewhere we recognised but alas were not, so had no choice but to get in a taxi to find to the main bus terminal. Reaching there at 9:45am we ran inside and looked around the stalls for the various bus companies, knowing that there was a bus at 10 to Puno but not knowing which company was running it! After trying a few we were pointed in the right direction but the bus was just about to leave. Not having time to print the tickets, the girl at the counter led us out of the bus station and we ran up the hill outside to meet the bus at the terminal gates before it disappeared. Thankfully we made it and found spare seats, buying tickets on board and musing that we'd managed to avoid the terminal departure tax by getting the bus from outside the terminal :-)

An uneventful 7 hours later we reached Puno. We met a guy on the bus who worked at the hotel we were planning to head to and feigned disinterest as he tried to persuade us to go there, in an attempt to get the best room rate. We also thought he implied that we'd get a free taxi there, but this didn't turn out to be the case with us having to fork over 3 soles when we pulled up outside. However, we couldn't really argue about it- damn our lack of linguistical skills!

The room was cheap and had an ensuite bathroom but the place was a bit cold and tired looking so we decided to only stay two nights and then head onward to Bolivia. We went straight out to buy a few supplies and have a look around but Puno turned out to be a dirty, ugly and charmless place so we decided to spend the next day on a tour of the floating islands on lake Titicaca. The hotel arranged the tours for 30 soles each (£7.50) and there were several other backpackers staying there that were also doing it.

6:15am and another early start for us. The eight or so of us form the hostel were put into taxis headed to the wharf where we boarded a small boat that would take us on a day tour of the lake. We were impressed to see that the guide even spoke English which was a definite bonus. Our first stop as we headed out onto the lake would be the floating reed islands built by the indigenous people. The islands themselves are an impressive feature, made out of dried reeds that are lashed together and layered up to produce floating platforms. They are anchored over about 15m of water and are lived on by families who fish and hunt ducks to survive (although these days, supplement their income by selling souvenirs to visiting tourists).

We landed on one of the islands and got out to find that the ground was very spongy and strange to walk on. The guide told us a bit about the lifestyles of the indigenous people and how the communities have developed along with the modern world with amenities such as solar powered radios and family planning clinics to give lectures on the dangers of incestuous interbreeding.

After visiting the floating islands, we carried on further out into the lake to visit an actual island. It was another two hours out into the lake an we tried to sit outside on the roof but didn't manage for long as despite the strong sun, it was absolutely freezing! Not surprising I suppose since the lake sits at 3800m above sea level making it the worlds highest commercially navigable lake.

On the boat the guide told us a little about the island folk and their customs, one of which was to wear different coloured hats to denote their status in society as well as marital status. The steep shored island made for a long slog up to the small town. We looked around the main square for a while before having a delicious lunch of rainbow trout fresh from the lake. After lunch we walked across to the other side of the island and down some steep steps to where the boat was waiting for us. It was another two and a half hours back to the shore and since it had warmed up, we sat on the roof of the boat chatting with some Dutch backpackers about how they found Bolivia.

Back on the mainland, we went into the hotel quickly before going out to get some cash and to buy bus tickets for the following day. This turned out to be more difficult than usual as we couldn't really understand what the woman was saying but got the gist that we could buy the tickets but would have to go to the office in the bus terminal the next day to get seat numbers. A bit disheartened with our language troubles, we went for a quick bite to eat and ran into another of South America's unfortunately notorious traits. While we were eating, someone nicked our bag while another person distracted us. When we realised, we were absolutely gutted but were at least thankful that we'd swapped bags after the trip so our camera was locked up safely in the hotel and we'd ended up losing the guidebook, a couple of cheap mp3 player and a water bottle. This was heartbreaking, not least of all as we'd been travelling for 10 months without issue since we're always so vigilant but unfortunately the thieving South Americans are pros in that respect. We got over it and were a bit more philosophical about it since everything could be easily replaced (unlike if we'd lost the camera) and the thieves didn't get much of value.

We would be heading on to Bolivia the next day having enjoyed the lake trip but less so the hole that is Puno. If I ever become undisputed ruler of the world, Puno will be the first place to go.

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