Gorgeous!

After several buses and dozens of hours, Rach and I finally arrived in Puno. Puno is a small town that is nestled along the coast of Lake Titicaca. Peruvian buses have undoubtedly proven to be the worst yet, although I heard Bolivia is a strong competitor for the title. The town of Puno itself is nothing exceptional. It has the makings of an old port town metamorphed into a tourist transfer station. The food is cheap and the restaurants are yummy, but I recommend staying only for a day.

We took one nights rest and headed for the islands. Lake Titicaca is known to be one of the world`s most navigatable lakes. It is split between Bolivia and Peru. Its ancient mythological shape of a puma is supposed to interconnect with a story about pachamama (mother earth).  The Peruvian people are very interested in folklore and offerings.  Their past is filled with Shamans, spirits, and coca leaves. We visited the coca museum. It is here that we learned of the medicinal, social, and cultural purposes of the plant. I have consumed an extraordinary amount of coca tea in the last couple of weeks. So has Rach, it has done wonders for her altitude sickness.

Perfect blue waters, deep gray mountains, and crystal clear skies.

Anyways, back to the islands. Our first stop was Uros or the floating islands. These are manmade islands produced from mudroot blocks tied together. They are then placed in shallow waters, anchored down by stakes, and covered with multiple layers of reed. The local people place their reed huts on top of the islands and whalaa...you have a village. The best part is that these islands are movable. Come rainy season, it is time to move to even more shallow waters. Up come the stakes, with some boat power the island is moved. Sweet huh! We stayed overnight on Animati island. We were greated by a local family who took us in. Our main host was a 17 year old named Norma, who had lived on Animati her entire life. She showed us around their lovely adobe home with doors that came up to my waist (small portals mean less cold air coming in and out). Plus she introduced us to Lourdes and Chico (the cows). The view was absolutely spectacular. Perfect blue waters, deep gray mountains, and crystal clear skies. The moonlight was even better.

Our food consisted of potatoes, oca, corn, homemade cheese (thanks to Lourdes), and soup. Three meals like this actually. The difficult hike to the top of the mountain is worth it for the view. We met some great people on the trip. That night the village treated us to a little dance. A great couple from Arequipa had us dancing all night long! Plus we were dressed up in traditional garb. Oh yeah! It was by far one of my most memorable evenings. ;)

On our last day we visited the island of Tequile. It had some good photo opportunities, shops, and restaurants. Upon return to Puno we awaited our journey to Cuzco which is where i still am. I don`t want to write about it yet because i have two days left. But i`ve already explored a bit, danced at discos, conquered an Andean trek, and stood within Machu Picchu. It has been spectacular and i can`t wait to write about it all!!! God love Peru! By far a must see country.