Another early start, we were picked up from our hotel at 6.30am to catch a bus that left at 7am from Cusco to Puno. We were warned by our guide the night before that there had been a two day strike down Puno way but not to worry as the bus would go slow and they hoped it would all be over by then. Apparently the strike was over the prisons down that way. There are 4 and they wanted 2 to close as they were so dangerous. All the worst of the criminals from Lima like kidnappers and murderers were sent down there and I don't think they liked it (the people, not the prisoners) Lucky for us it was resolved around midday but as we drove through the main commercial city of Juliaca , approx 45 km north of Puno, we could see the remnants of the troubles. We couldn't believe the state of this city, strike or no strike. The main streets weren't even paved, most streets were just dust and mud with huge potholes and deep water everywhere. Littered on these roads was smashed glass from broken bottles, burnt or smouldering tyres, large rocks barricading the way and metal objects and car parks scattered everywhere. The driver of our large 50 seater bus somehow managed to drive through or around the potholes, broken glass, rocks etc although not all the time managing to avoid them. It seemed such an impossible task but somehow we made it. We passed some burnt out buildings and were told they were illegal nightclubs that had been set alight by the locals as they didn't like all the muggings and murders that went on in the small hours of the morning when they shut for the night. Bear in mind this was the main city of the area, had the only airport for miles around and had approx 250,000 people living there. It looked like something out of the Wild West.
The rest of the 10 hr trip was great. As we made our way across the Altiplano, passing sleepy Andean villages, sheer cliffs and rampaging rivers. We stopped every couple of hours and had short tours of sites of interest like the ancient Pre-inca town of Raqchi with the remnants of stone walls and store houses or at the small town of Andahuaylillas with an old Spanish church known as the sisten chapel of South America. We stopped for lunch at Sicuani with its restaurant seemly in the middle of nowhere then Pukara known for its ceramic bulls or Toritos de Pucara that help protect your home and families then finally at the highest point of our trip, 4335m above sea level which of course had the usual vendors selling alpaca hats, scarves, blankets etc. Everwhere a bus stops there are vendors selling the same things. If I had room in my bags I would be tempted to buy a lovely soft baby alpaca blankets but one guide said you had to be careful it wasn't made of baby acrylic. We had a great view of the snow covered mountains of the Andes but the wind was very cold so we hurried back on the bus after our photo opportunity. On the way we saw a lot of llama and alpaca as well as a few flamingos which was a surprise, wasn't even aware Peru had flamingos.
As we pulled into Puno, which rests on the shores of Lake Titicaca, there was a parade going through the streets and just happen to be going down the road of our hotel. It was so colourful with amazing and elaborate costumes. It was the students celebrating the 5th anniversary of their university.
The next day we were picked up for our trip on the lake. This lake is very large, around 167 kms long and 50 kms wide. The border of Bolivia and Peru runs through it and at times you cannot see the other side, it looks just like the ocean and even smells like it.
The first stop was to one of the floating islands of Uros. It was a bit touristy admittedly but these people did genuinely live on these islands. There are over 40 of the floating islands with around 2,000 people living on them. They are one of the most ancient civilisations on the American continent. Each island lasts for around 35 years before they start to break apart as well as the stench being to much to bear. The one we landed on was only 5 years old but already it was beginning to smell a bit ripe. They constructed the island by first tying together the root ball of the Totora reed beds then layering them with cut reeds. All the huts were also made of the Totora reeds. As the floor of the islands started to rot and sink they would layer more reeds on so it was a constant job. Every now and then they had to lift the huts up so they could put more reeds underneath them. The islands were moveable so they would tow them by boat to where they wanted to be then anchor them down by using ropes and poles. It was a very strange sensation to walk on the island, a bit like walking on a waterbed.
About 7 families lived on this particular one, each family living in a hut that consisted of just the one room. It got very cold at night, at least down to 2 deg and all they had were blankets, there was no heating at all. To use the loo they had to row, in their boats also made of reeds, to another island made especially for the purpose and the waste was eventually disposed of by burning it. It was very primitive and we weren't really sure just why they did it. They even had to give birth on the island with the help of a mid wife. If anything should go wrong there was no further help for them. We elected to pay a bit more money and go for a ride on a reed boat. One little native girl, no more than 3 years old, jumped on the boat just as it was pulling out and plonked herself between Jon and I. She then sat happily playing with a piece of string and jumping on me every now and then. She was a sweet thing but very grubby, running nose, clothes were filthy and I was reluctant to touch her too much, not being child friendly at the best of times. In fact they all looked like they didn't rate washing as a high priority so I wasn't displeased to wave goodbye after their farewell little song.
The first stop was to one of the floating islands of Uros. It was a bit touristy admittedly but these people did genuinely live on these islands. There are over 40 of the floating islands with around 2,000 people living on them. They are one of the most ancient civilisations on the American continent. Each island lasts for around 35 years before they start to break apart as well as the stench being to much to bear. The one we landed on was only 5 years old but already it was beginning to smell a bit ripe. They constructed the island by first tying together the root ball of the Totora reed beds then layering them with cut reeds. All the huts were also made of the Totora reeds. As the floor of the islands started to rot and sink they would layer more reeds on so it was a constant job. Every now and then they had to lift the huts up so they could put more reeds underneath them. The islands were moveable so they would tow them by boat to where they wanted to be then anchor them down by using ropes and poles. It was a very strange sensation to walk on the island, a bit like walking on a waterbed.
About 7 families lived on this particular one, each family living in a hut that consisted of just the one room. It got very cold at night, at least down to 2 deg and all they had were blankets, there was no heating at all. To use the loo they had to row, in their boats also made of reeds, to another island made especially for the purpose and the waste was eventually disposed of by burning it. It was very primitive and we weren't really sure just why they did it. They even had to give birth on the island with the help of a mid wife. If anything should go wrong there was no further help for them. We elected to pay a bit more money and go for a ride on a reed boat. One little native girl, no more than 3 years old, jumped on the boat just as it was pulling out and plonked herself between Jon and I. She then sat happily playing with a piece of string and jumping on me every now and then. She was a sweet thing but very grubby, running nose, clothes were filthy and I was reluctant to touch her too much, not being child friendly at the best of times. In fact they all looked like they didn't rate washing as a high priority so I wasn't displeased to wave goodbye after their farewell little song.
The next island was a proper one but quite high. Lake titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3400 meters above sea level and we had to climb up this island to a height of 4000m. Walking at high altitudes is a real task. You run out of breath fairly quickly so you have to stop a lot more frequently to get your breath back and this was a fairly steep climb. I'm not sure of the point of this climb except to have lunch as the restaurant was at the top and we had to walk down the other side to get to the boat so there was no way we could avoid it. There was also a craft market in the main square at the top so I guess this was another tourist trap and the point of it all. They are however, renowned for their textiles. The women wash, dye and spin the wool (they walk along the steep paths herding the sheep and spinning the wool at the same time) then the men knit it. Boys are taught from a very young age how to knit and every male is expected to know how to knit. Our guide reckoned that if a young man wants to marry a girl, the father would make him knit a hat then hold it upside down and fill it with water. If it leaked he was no good! Not sure how true that was but it made a good story.
The women all wore red blouses and several multi coloured skirts covered by a black overskirt. The men wore black homespun pants, white shirt with a wide belt woven in special designs and a short vest of different colours. You could tell if a man was single as he wore a funny looking white and red hat, the married men wore just red hats. They seemed too small for their heads and weren't worn to keep them warm just, I guess, to identify them.
The women all wore red blouses and several multi coloured skirts covered by a black overskirt. The men wore black homespun pants, white shirt with a wide belt woven in special designs and a short vest of different colours. You could tell if a man was single as he wore a funny looking white and red hat, the married men wore just red hats. They seemed too small for their heads and weren't worn to keep them warm just, I guess, to identify them.
That evening as I was resting on our bed after a long day I felt the bed shaking. I thought it was Jon shaking his leg and making it rock but he was lying still. I thought no more of it until the next day when we found out there had been an earthquake which had made international news. Lucky it hadn't been much larger as I wouldn't want to be in any of those buildings during a major quake.
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