July 5, 2025
Colonial Plaza Hotel
Puno, Peru
 |
| Mountains on the Way from Cusco to Puno |
Thursday morning, we left the hotel at 6:00 in order to catch a 7:00 bus to Puno. The bus that we took was a first class public bus, although there were two Intrepid tour groups aboard and only a few other people from another tour company. We got seats on the upper level. The seats were comfortable and even had curtains between the seats for privacy. Emilie and I were in the second row. She had the window seat and slept most of the way, so I couldn’t take any photos out of our side of the bus, but I managed to snap a few out the front when the girls up there didn’t have their feet on the dashboard.
 |
| First Glimpse of Titicaca |
We drove south through the mountains for eight hours. About 13:00, we finally stopped in Pukara to use the restroom and buy snacks. After Pukara, the scenery grew more urban and less interesting until we got our first glimpse of Puno and Lake Titicaca.
The hotel where we stayed, the Colonial Plaza, was right on the main square in Puno, across from the cathedral. The rooms were spacious and did have heaters, although our heater could barely cut the 12,500’ winter chill. We took a few minutes to get settled and then set off on a short walk around the city with our local guide, Elvis.
 |
| The Colonial Plaza Hotel |
We walked across the main square and then down a pedestrian street to another square which hosts a major folklore festival in the summer. There, we saw a sculpture depicting the battle between good and evil, with evil being depicted as an alebrije. We continued past the square to a roasted chicken restaurant where we got a quarter chicken with a large side of chips for 20 soles. It was a typical meal and filled us up for a reasonable price. On the way back, we stopped at an ATM to replenish our soles.
 |
| The Puno Cathedral |
Friday morning was relatively relaxing. We had plenty of time to eat breakfast before our meeting time of 8:30. Unfortunately, the breakfast was below par. The hot items were empty and everything else seemed stale. I had been feeling jittery, so didn’t even get to enjoy a cup of coffee.
Our ride to the harbor was short. We had left our suitcases at the hotel and packed only a change of clothes, toiletries, and warm clothes for our homestay in Llachon. We boarded a chartered boat with comfortable seats and headed out through the reeds in Puno Bay towards Uros, the floating islands. The water in Puno Bay is quite shallow and we could see the bottom. After about an hour, we came to one of the outer floating islands that welcomed tourists.
 |
| Puno Bay |
 |
| Floating Island |
 |
| Demonstrating How the Islands Are Made |
The floating islands have been inhabited for centuries. They are inhabited by a pre-Incan group of Aymara speaking people who left the mainland when the Incas invaded, living first in reed boats, and then developing the technology to create floating islands. When a new island is constructed, several clumps of reeds are towed to the desired location. Stakes are driven into the roots and the clumps are lashed together. Then they are anchored by driving several long stakes into the lake bottom and securing them with lines. Next, about a meter of cut reeds are piled atop the natural reeds to form a platform. These reeds must constantly be replenished to prevent the islands from sinking.
The houses are also built from reeds and are lightweight enough to be picked up in order to replenish the reeds beneath. The house we visited consisted of a single small room and sheltered a family of five. The only conveniences were a layer of plastic under the reed roof to keep out the rain and a single small solar panel for lights. Cooking was done atop a stone hearth to prevent the island from catching fire. While the larger communities closer to Puno are using composting toilets, the island we visited just used a latrine dug in the reeds. Bathing was done in the lake.
At 16:00, the three of us walked down to the volleyball court where our group formed two teams and competed amongst ourselves. The winners were then trounced by the teams of middle-aged Peruvian ladies in traditional clothing. It was an amusing sight. They took their volleyball quite seriously.
 |
| The Local Team |
 |
| These Ladies Could Play |
After the game, they dressed us in traditional clothing and then we were forced to wear it as we climbed up the hill to a big dining room. The clothes were beautiful, but prevented me from wearing my warm hat and coat and the voluminous skirt made it impossible to use the restroom. We were trapped in these clothes while we helped them peel potatoes and skin beans. Eventually, we ate another dinner of vegetable soup, fries, rice, and vegetables before finally being allowed to walk back to our various homes and shed the traditional clothes. The bed may have been uncomfortable, but I had five heavy blankets and I was not cold.
 |
| Michelle, Janine, and Emilie Dressed as Single Girls |
July 6, 2025
Bus
Just over the Bolivian Border
 |
| Our Hostesses Saying Goodbye |
It was very cold when we woke up in our homestay. I awoke at 5:30. At that hour I could just get a little cellular data, so I stayed in bed, surfing the internet until the signal quit. We could hear stirring in the kitchen and smell enticing odors, but breakfast was scheduled for 7:00 and we didn’t want to rush Marcelina.
Breakfast was pancakes, Peruvian fry bread, and coffee with evaporated milk, which really made my morning. Marcelina was busy, so we didn’t get a chance to talk much with her. About 7:45, she escorted us down to the boat. We had a little goodbye ceremony with our hostesses and then boarded our boat for an hour’s ride across the main part of the lake to Taquile Island. Taquile is not the biggest island in Lake Titicaca, but it was voted the fourth nicest island in the world.
 |
| Taquile Island |
 |
| Men Knit on Taquile |
Taquile was settled by the pre-Incas and nearly the whole island was terraced. We climbed a pretty and well-maintained flagstone path, which seemed to be the main road of the island, to the community center where we learned about the local hats. On Taquile, only men knit. They knit beautiful, finely patterned hats using five needles. The women make textiles by weaving. They explained how there are different hats for children, single men, married men, and community leaders. Women cover their heads with black shawls. The pompoms decorating the corners of the shawls indicates their marital status.
 |
| Knitting Detail |
After showing us their hats, they performed a local dance and then invited us to dance with them. We followed them as we danced a shuffling step in a circle to the tune of panpipes and drums. Then we were given a few minutes to shop for knitted items. I bought a knitted alpaca scarf to wear in Bolivia.
 |
| Taquile's Main Street |
 |
| Terraces on Taquile |
 |
| View Towards Bolivia |
We continued up the flagstone road for a few more minutes until we reached a restaurant near where the path crossed over the ridge of the hill. We were served vegetable soup and delicious grilled trout in a large, sunny dining room with a lovely view of the lake. After lunch, we followed the path along the side of the hill skirting the shore of the island before descending to the beach where the path ended. Janine and Oddvar went swimming in the lake while the rest of us watched and took photos. Then we loaded back into our boat, which was waiting for us, and took naps on the long ride back to Puno.
 |
| Janine and Oddvar Swam in Titicaca |
We checked back into the Colonial Plaza Hotel and were reunited with our luggage. I immediately turned on the heat and wrote for 90 minutes until the room warmed up enough to consider taking a shower. This room’s heater was much quieter and actually had a thermostat. While the room never really got warm, it got consistently bearable. It was surprising how none of the buildings in that cold climate had any sort of insulation or dual-paned windows.
 |
| Guinea Pig for Dinner |
We gathered for dinner at 17:45 and walked across the square to a restaurant called Mojsa where many of us finally got a chance to try guinea pig. It looked like rabbit and tasted like dark meat chicken. It was served with mashed yams, tabouleh made from quinoa, and a peanut sauce that somehow managed to be completely different from Thai peanut sauce. I washed it down with a sangria made with red wine and a splash of the local brandy (more like grappa) called pisco. It was all very tasty but didn’t really agree with me.
It was our last night all together because some of us were staying in Puno. It turned into quite a party. The younger members of the group had quite a lot to drink and then went out to another bar to dance and drink more. Emilie didn’t get back to the room until after midnight. They were all hurting the next morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment