Puno and Tourist Tat

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So Puno is pleasant but unremarkable. Its main point for the backpacker is to get to the floating islands which are so touristy its a little dispiriting. Shame because once upon a time it must all have been very special.

The background blurb is as follows for those in search of more in depth info. Thanks Mr Wikepedia!!

¨Puno is a city in southeastern Peru located on the shore of lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake, at 3,860 m (12,421 ft) above sea level. The city boasts several churches dating back from the colonial period, they were built to service the Spanish population and evangelize the natives.

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Many homes in Puno, much like surrounding cities, are half-finished. This is done so that the inhabitants do not have to pay taxes. Much of the city economy relies on the black market, fueled by cheap goods smuggled in from Bolivia. 

Puno is known as the "Capital folklórica del Perú" (folkloric capital of Peru) due to its wealth of artistic and cultural expressions, particularly dance. To this day, the Uros people maintain and live on these man-made islands, depending on the lake for their survival.¨