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Published: July 30th 2009
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I just got back from a five day trip to Lake Titicaca. We took the night buscama from Cusco and arrived just in time for the sun to rise in the bus station while we waited for Renzo, our connection in Puno, to pick us up. He was only moderately late (1.5 hours) and without speaking a work to us loaded us into the car and took us to the hotel where we would be staying after the two day tour on the lake. They kindly fed us breakfast and we were picked up by a bus shortly after.
We got our first glimpses of Lake Titicaca as the bus approached the pier. It dídn´t look so big from there and seemed swampy because there was a large number of floating reeds in the harbor. Once we got on the boat (which was very slow moving and reeked of diesel fumes) we were headed to Uros Islands. They were interesting, but the island defined the term ¨tourist trap.¨ I half wondered if the people even really live there anymore of if they take an early morning boat from their apartments in Puno. There was a small charge for everything, and
it was clear that the culture that they once had is all but gone.
After several hours on the boat, we arrived at Amantani Island. This was much different than the Uros island experience and I was awed by the Inca terraces that defined the shape of the island. There was not an inch of the island that hadn´t been converted to farmland by the Incas. I laughed when I saw the families that came to gather up their tourist houseguests. The tour company clearly mandated that they wear their ¨traditional dress¨for the tourists. Their perfectly laundered costumes made me wonder if they were celebrating halloween. The woman that picked us up spoke almost no Spanish, but she was glad to hear me struggle along in Quechua and was very helpful in teaching me some new expressions. The island is almost entirely vegetarian, they raise some chickens during the rainy season, but otherwise eat a delicious diet of cheese and vegetables and of course, potatoes.
After lunch, we hiked up to the Inca temple to pachatata at the top of the island, at over 13,000 feet, it wasn´t as easy as it seemed. We had a great view
Silustani
This Inca burial site is one of my favorites so far on this trip, a must see if you are in the Puno area. of the sunset and all walked around the temple three times to clear our spirits of evil. It was a great day and we went back for dinner at the house where we were staying. The husband got home from helping a friend build a house while we were eating and his Spanish was very good. We chatted with him for a long time and decided to enjoy his company rather than join the other tourists at the ¨discoteca.¨ As it got dark it occurred to us that the house was wired for electric light, but only candles were burning. As it turns out, the government of Fujimora graciously gave them a huge diesel generator, but did not account for the cost of fuel. No money for fuel means no electricity for the community and they are back in the dark.
The next day we went to Taquile Island where we saw them celebrating a local fiesta. The people were dancing and playing music and the views were beautiful. The lake is huge and in some directions you can not see the shore from the islands. The Bolivian Andes are snowcovered and beautiful in the background. We had a delicious trout and french fry lunch and headed back to the boat for the three hundred hour ride back to Puno.
We stayed in Hotel America and I enjoyed one of the only hot showers that I have had on this trip. It was great. We also went to a restaurant in the Plaza de Armas that had great pizza. The next day we went to Sillustani ruins and I was pleased to have chosen to spend the extra time in Puno to take the trip. The site is incredible, although the majority of the burial towers have been destroyed by lightning (the rock there is high in iron and magnetized). At the main tower, two mummies and thousands of pieces of gold were found in the 1970´s.
The next day I took a tourist bus operated by Tourismo Mer. It was great and the eight hour ride flew by as our guide explained each area that we passed through and the bus attendant served up hot mate, coffee and cokes. The bus made several stops at some great sites. My favorite was Riqta, a temple that was home to some of the most important people in Inca culture. The main street faces the exact direction of the sunrise on the summer solstice. The houses are lined up perfectly and the impossibly large rocks are fitted together in classic Inca fashion. A must see.
I arrived back in Cusco at about 5pm and felt all charged up for the rest of the week.
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Rachel A
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Lake Titicaca
I am very envious that you had the opportunity to go visit Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is located on the boarder of Peru and Bolivia and it placed 12,500 feet above sea level. You are very fortunate to have visited the largest lake in South America based on its capacity to hold water. There are many interesting facts that deal with the lake you got to visit. I hope you had a good time in South America.