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Published: November 13th 2008
The night of our return from Machu Picchu turned out to be the last for us all as a groupe so it predictably turned into an almighty piss up complete with dancing on bars, falling over, wrestling and Shushing each other very loudly on return to the hotel. The club was tacky but we didn´t care. Couples dry humped on the sofas and dodgy locals subtly offered us controband by tapping their noses as mainstream dance music boomed out from the PA.
Luckily we had a day free of tours the following day so I lay in bed until midday nursing my first hang over of the trip so far.
The following day we took a seven hour bus ride to Puno and checked into the Casona Plaza Hotel which is by far the best hotel that we have stayed in in Peru.
It´s now two days later and we have just returned from a day and a half ´milking the tourist' tour of 3 islands on lake Titikaka. We were marched from one opportunity to spend money to the next. Water and out of date soft drinks were sold at five times the normal price along side traditional knitware and other tat. Our guide was a teidious boar who would not shut up spilling every detail and repeating himself three times over.
We stayed with a family who unfortunatly we were unable to make much of a conection with partially due to our poor Spanish but also, I think partly due to them housing a different Gringo every night and perhaps we caught them on an off day when they could not be bothered. The daughter, Vanessa, who was 14 looked after us. She was the only member of the family who was wearing traditional dress. She was no longer in school which did not make me feel very comfortable I hope that she has not had to give up her education in order to show tourists around her island. In the evening we were dressed in traditional clothes and were taken to a dance. Vanessa coaxed me up to dance with her but showed little enthusiasm and who can blame her. I felt like a right plumb so had a look around and tried out a few moves that some of the more enthusiastic looking dancers were doing. Twirling Vanessa around with her hand above her head succeed in knocking her shall off which at least made here smile. All dancers then held hands and ran around the dance floor in a rolling sort of zig zag pattern that created an uneven pace so at times you were walking until you reached a corner and were sling shot at great pace into the next bit. At nine thirty we were allowed to go to bed.
On Taquila, the first Island we visited all marrid men wear red knitted patternd hats, all unmarrid men wear half white and half red knitted patterned hats and all important men wear bright, garish knitted hats under black hats that look like they should be on the heads of American private detectives from the fifties. There are no police and no dogs. The Island is divided into six parts and each part elects a president for a year who deals with any disputes. The women get married when they finish their studies at sixteen or seventeen. The men marry at twenty three or twenty four. The boys are quite shy so if they spot a girl that they like at a dance they follow her home and throw small stones at her back. If she stops to talk then they are in with a chance if she pulls her shall around herself and speeds on home then the boy needs to look elsewhere for a partner.
Lake Titikaka itself is beautiful as were the views from the islands we visited. It is the highest navicable lake in the world and huge at around 160Km long 60km wide and at it´s deepest 250 meeters deep.
It´s another last night for the groupe tonight some head to Bolivia and others go home so there may well be a few beers or Pisco (traditional Preuvian beverage) drunk tonight.
We return to Lima tomorrow to rest up before heading to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands.
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Karen
non-member comment
Throwing stones
Oh man! that ritual of throwing stones cracked me up. Maybe i should start doing that to people i like and if they turn around and don't throw stones back i will consider it a success. I wonder if michaela would appreciate me chucking rocks at her to indicate i like her as a friend. It is very fun to read your blog, of really roughing it during your travels and comparing it to my overly pampered Hawaiian experience. Here i may sleep on an air mattress (gasp!) but at least after and exhausting day of playing on the beach i get to take a hot shower and drink beer in some super cheese bar :)