PUNO TO CUZCO

PUNO TO CUZCO

This a very scenic trip along the altiplano with lots of sparse open spaces and streams to follow. Lots of grazing llarmas and sheep and then after we went over the top pass and starting to go downhill again toward Cuzco we followed a lovely valley full of crops being harvested . Everyone was busy and saw horses being marched around in a circle stomping out the grain. This trip took over 7 hours during the day so just as well it was pretty from the point of view of a paid tour.

PUNO to CUZCO

PUNO AND NIGHT OUT

PUNO AND NIGHT OUT

These tour companies always have their mates places organized to take us out to dinner to, but this night was great with entertainment and good food. Puno comes alive at night and the streets are full of people and sound with the cars talking to each other as everyone tries to outbluff the next person. Pretty much the same on the tiny footpaths as nobody wants to step off onto the road. In the restaurant there was dancing and a good band playing the typical Andean panflute type stuff. Liz requested ‘El Condor Pasa’ not even realizing it was like their unofficial national anthem so we got a couple of different versions throughout the night

Puno-Night out

PUNO—SILLUSTANI FUNERAL TOWERS

PUNO—SILLUSTANI  FUNERAL TOWERS

After coming back to Puno from The Floating Islands we decided to go on an optional tour to the Funeral towers at Sillustani . These were put up by the ancient Colla people who were warlike and buried their nobility in these high towers in the shape of a glass up to a height of 12metres. There were some villages built in the old ways on the way in and we stopped there coming out and they gave us snacks and sold us stuff. Cute pairs of stone bulls crowned the top of each house for good luck.

Puno-----SILLUSTANI funeral towers

LAKE TITICACA FLOATING ISLANDS

LAKE TITICACA FLOATING ISLANDS

LAKE TITICACA FLOATING ISLANDS

These famous islands are not far from Puno so have become very commercial. The idea of living on a floating island occurred to Indians hundreds of years ago to provide security from attack from more aggressive tribes  and its pretty neat to go there and see how they did it. Liz had recovered from her problems and was waiting for us with Juilo, our tour organizer. The place was very colourful and  they told us  how it worked and we went for a row in their reed boat which they put together with the use of lots of plastic bottles hidden underneath to help with flotation—finally a use for plastic bottles after people have finished with them. The reeds are used for everything including the houses and the only thing they really have to be careful of is their use of fireplaces

Amantani Island on Lake Titicaca

Philip and our host Momma

Mommas wave goodbye

Our dance on Amantani

football spectators

Our host family's kitchen

PUNO—LAKE TITICACA ISLANDS

PUNO—LAKE TITICACA ISLANDS

The sudden switch from sea level at Lima to Puno at nearly 4000 metres really hit a couple of girls including Liz who wasn’t able to come on the tour of Lake Titicaca which included staying overnight with a host family on one of the islands. It was a beautiful day and we did a long haul out to Taquile Island where we had to do a steep climb up to the village and we all struggled  with the thin air. Had a nice lunch overlooking the lake and some more islands and then did the 540 steps down to the other side of the island where the boat waited to take us to Amantani Island.

We were matched up with host families and had steep climbs again to our houses and then up to the mini football pitch to play the locals. The young guys from Europe knew there stuff and one girl from Germany was goalkeeper and did great. Some people climbed to the top of the island to catch the sunset but I cheated and hooked up with some people from other tour groups and turned the local store /bar into something resembling  a ski lodge, drinking hot wine and hot chocolate with Baileys!!

Back down the hill to our house for dinner which was adequate and then dressed up and taken back up the hill to a dance where we lasted for just a little whirl or two before all crashing.

x

Taquile going down 

Taquile going up

close call on the lake

Liz in Puno before she got sick

With Phil in taxi on way to the boat

LIMA to PUNO Peru

Miraflores Lima before GAP Tour

I arrived in Lima to find the same weather that was along the coast further up--FOG. Its miserable for the first half of the day, very cold and sometimes damp. They say they get this weather 8 months of the year. Its caused by the cold currents that run along the coast and that's not too good for the surfing comfort zone either. Seems strange considering its in the tropics. After a couple of days Liz arrived from Australia and it was great to see her again. We had one nice day and took advantage of it to have a surf. They had good gear to rent and Liz enjoyed her 8'4" and new steamer with a good session at Miraflores. I couldn't get going but enjoyed the session even if just for a paddle.
A few days later we met up with the rest of the Gap crew doing the 14 day tour we were booked on. We were staying at the very nice Antigua Hotel that had the ultimate luxury of a bath----my first since Costa Rica to soak in. The local Peruvian tour organiser turned up and we were on our way to the airport for our flight to Puno. Its at an altitude of 3850 metres and was to confront us all with the hazards of altitude sickness.

Miraflores Lima before GAP Tour