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Published: April 28th 2016
This last week we started out in Puno- high in the Andes, right next to Bolivia. Not too much in Puno except that it is the starting point for Lake Titicaca tours. It is almost at 14,000 feet, but we have gotten pretty used to the altitude and no problems for which we are thankful.
Our 9 hour boat ride on the lake included 2 islands - Uros floating islands and Taquille island. Uros was so interesting - they rely on tourism so were very happy to show us their homes and explain how they live. They originally started out trying to escape the Incas who were trying to assimilate all the minorities, so they moved on to the lake and lived in boats which they made out of reeds. This led to more permanent homes and now there are about 80 islands in total.
The islands are made by cutting large sections of the reeds from the lake including the roots with large saws. These are then towed where they want them, staked together, and anchored to the bottom of the lake so that they don't end up in Bolivia after a large storm.
After they are joined and anchored, the cut top sections of the reeds are piled up until about 1 meter thick to keep things dry, so the total thickness of the islands is about 2 metres.
The island that we were on was very small and had 6 families living there. I think they joined 28 sections of reeds. There is also an island that has a medical centre, one that has play area for the kids, one that has a kindergarten and another an elementary school. Older kids go to Puno for schooling.
Electricity is provided by solar panels by each house. We were told that a previous government provided these solar units because of the tourist value of the islands. This doesn't sit well with farmers who live at 4000 metres, -20 C in the winter with animal droppings as their only source of heat. A lot of poverty here.
The second island - Taquille- was pretty (and steep) and interesting in a different way., The people seemed not as interested in tourists (except if you buy their goods), The men do all the knitting here - they learn
when they are about 6 years old. They knit all the time, walking, sitting just to pass the time.
After Puno we took a bus back to Arequipa, where we were looking forward to seeing the condors. It was a good plan, but we ate a sandwich at the rest stop which set both of us back a few days being sick. Unfortunately, on our condor day, both of us ended up most of the day in the bus trying to sleep. Poked our heads out to see the condors- an amazing site - there must have been 20+ of them, but neither of us really enjoyed the day. The tour guide did find us the lobby of a hotel that had a couple of couches that we spent time on when the others went to the hot springs!
Lima is the last stop of our travels. We have done free walking tours in each place we stay, and the one in Lima was great, but a marathon day. Learned the trans-bus system, how to use someone else's bus pass if you give them the money, figured out which way the bus was heading,
and where to get on/ off. That was on the way downtown, but on the way back we were on our own, Only once did we have to admit to someone that "estamos perdidos" (we are lost). Made it back after 10 hours.
The highlight of the day (besides making it home) was the San Franciscan Cathedral and catacombs where there are at least 25,000 bodies below the church. The whole church and monastery was incredible - each cathedral we see is more beautiful than the next and this was truly spectacular.
We found the Gran Bolivar hotel - the original home of the Peruvian national drink - Pisco Sours. Delicious, but we had a few samples at a stop on our free walking tour, so by the time made it to the hotel, we passed on another drink but enjoyed the beauty of this grand old hotel.
Lima is so huge that - glad to be staying in Miraflores -a neighbourhood that is nice and safe, easy to walk and a beach nearby. Lots of people surf and the part where we are going (Parque el Faro) is known for
the para-gliders taking off from the cliffs. One more day to explore the Barranco neighbourhood and then home.
It's been a great holiday!
See more photos below - I can't seem to get pictures and text to match!
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Dennis
non-member comment
Great to see you on your adventure. Have a pisco sour at the Gran Bolivar for me
I admire your adventurous spirit. What's next??