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On the 21st Jan we headed to Puno by coach with Anders and Tora. We were originally going to get the train… aka the "boneshaker express!!"… but it was fully booked. We didn't really know what to expect from the coach as we got the tickets from a travel agent we haggled with in the street. When we saw the coach it seemed ok … reclining seats and a hole in the floor for the toilet!! The drivers in Peru drive extremely fast, but by far the scariest part of the journey was the "Lamb Lady". She was a local that got on the bus about 2 hours into the journey, with a huge sack on her back. She put the sack onto a seat and opened up the many layers of cloth and paper to reveal … a huge lamb carcass (didn't look too fresh!)She proceeded to hack away at it with a butcher's knife, with bits of lamb flying all over the people in front. She then distributed it around the bus in little paper bags. We did NOT have any of this rotting filth... food poisoning central!
The rest of the journey wasn't that eventful, until we arrived at Puno. Oh my God, it almost looked like a bomb had hit it. There was not one single finished building, dirt roads everywhere, it just looked horrible. We didn't want to stay there for 1 minute longer than we had to, so we booked a trip to Lake Titicaca and its islands (the only attraction in Puno) for the next day staying just 2 nights in the Puno hostel.
We set out at 6.45am to catch the boat trip to the islands. It took about 25 minutes to get there. The 1st stop was the floating islands of Uros. They were amazing to see as they are made entirely of reeds floating in the water. It felt very spongy underfoot, and was unusual to walk on! People still live there to this day leading a very primitive life with no electricity, no running water and only VERY basic accommodation. A set number of 10 families can live on one island, and when it increases above this a new island has to be formed.We then had a short trip on a traditional reed boat across to another of the islands (see photos). It is so hard to imagine living here…
Getting back onto the boat it took another 2 hours to reach the island of Tequile (a permanent island on the lake). This island was very different to the floating islands, having a Mediterranean feel with beautiful scenery. It gave the impression of being in the middle of the ocean as the lake is so big. We had fresh caught trout and locally grown potato chips for lunch… tasted very good! As the island doesn't have any running water the toilets were a new experience… you have to flush them yourself by filling a bucket of water and tipping it in!One of the main traditions in Peru is to wear different hats/clothes depending on the region you are from. On the island of Tequile status was shown by wearing different coloured hats…single men had white hats, whereas married men had red and white stripes. This would save a lot of unnecessary confusion back home!! However on Tequile the community is so isolated that there is a lot of inbreeding and woman are expected to be married by 20 at the latest (but usually being 14 or 15). Such a cultural difference!
When arriving back to Puno in the evening we headed down the main restaurant strip to find a place to eat. Every restaurant is very keen to get punters inside so often bribe by offering free Pisco Sours/soft drinks. Anders and Matt bartered with one restaurant to get free beers instead. Once we were inside and had ordered the restaurant then changed their mind and decided that only Piscos were free. No thanks!! So we walked out... finding another restaurant that gave us 1 free beer! Nothing is free in Peru…only the Pisco!
Next stop Arequipa on the 23rd Jan 2008.
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