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Note for Barbara just before we write this blog: With regards to me leaving your daughter, I can understand your anguish but i can confirm that she did ask me to go ahead everytime i did try and drop back to help her (once) I can understand why you want me dead. I´m very sorry.
Right now thats out of the way just a small blog this time (thank god) to get us up to date with where we are!
After Macchu Picchu we returned to Cusco planning a big night out to celebrate our success however as we had woken at 4:40am most of the party went to bed at around 10!! Except the aussie lads and guides who ended up in a seedy Peruvian strip joint! We did go out for a really posh meal though where we thought the Restaurant had ordered us Pisco Sours and then tried to charge us 19soles each for them!! That was the price for my pizza!! Anyhoo some of us (mainly the stingy brits) kicked up a fuss and didn´t pay, later realising it was probably Johann who had ordered them... oops!
We stayed in Cusco for another night so that we could all go to the Incan mummy museum the next day. After a lie in everyone was much more up for a night out so we shamefully went to Paddies an Irish bar(not very Peruvian we know). We did splash out and get a cider and guiness however and it was soo worth it! Then it was happy hour so we made up for the price! We also had some of the best food any of us had had in Peru so far! We stumbled back to our hostel after giving some little cheeky kids way to much money for some chewing gum and had to be up at 6:30 to catch our bus in the morning.
Lukily our hostel were great, they woke us up and made us some breakfast earlier than usual! Our bus left at 8am and took about 6 hours to get us down to Puno. Us is now with Florence and Chrissy from our trek, we´re sticking together all the way to La Paz (Bolivia)
When we arrived at Puno you can see lake Titikaka straight away but dont realise how big it is until you´re actully on it! We spent that afternoon visiting the oldest boat in Peru which was made in pieces in England then carried across the andes by LLama, which took over 6 years! We got to watch a video of Michael Palin and everything! After that we pretty much went to bed early as we had yet another early start!
Today we started our two day tour of the islands on Lake Titikaka! we had to leave our hostel at 7:45 to get our boat. Luckily we are in the best hostel ever and again they made us a special early breakfast. This hostel is run by a women named jenny , and her family and she sorted everything out for us shes lovely! (replaced mother)
We got on our little boat and headed for some of the floating islands, which took about an hour as the boat goes unbelievably slow! The floating islands are insane! There tiny yet are home to 6 families (about 40 people) and they littleraly stay there all day! They are man made islands which i didnt relise and only last about 2 years then they have to make one again! We bought a handknitted wall hanging and a necklace. After visiting a couple of these islands we headed to a bigger permanent island, Amantani, where we were going to stay. When we got to this island we all met the individual familes we were gonig to stay with. As everyone else met whole familes we were greeted by a little fiesty 8 year old name Mellissa. She took us back to her casa and we blatenly had the best digs. The mother made us some lunch and it was amazing. They dont eat meat on this island so it consisted of a huge slab of halumi, cucumber, tomato, potato, and sweet potato! Starting with a keenwa soup!
After lunch was the worst news ever. A 25 minute walk up the mountain! ANOTHER UPHILLL WALK!! This 25mintues actually turned out to be 2 and half hours as we had to go up one mountain to see a pachamama temple, then back down and up to see a pachapapa temple. I swore at the top of this i would not walk uphill and high altitude ever again. The views over Lake Titikaka were absolutley fantastic though and we got to watch the sunset (see batman photo)
This evening was again absolutley freezing but after dinner we got to dress up in traditional peruvian wear and go to a local discoteque! This was held at the bottom of our case too so we didn´t have to walk anywhere! So far in Peru we had been wondering how all the perunvian women could be so fat when they ate so little, but this all came to light when we put on their clothes and appeared to gain 20 stone. I got a lovely poofy skirt thing with a shirt and belt, and Turl got a poncho and hat! We then got a local band and did some great Peruvian dancing. This isn´t really dancing at all just getting up moving about however you like.
The next day we visited another permanent island called Taquile which was about an hour away. Again this involved climbing up ANOTHER mountain. I couldnt belive it, all i want is to be at sea level again! This lunch wasn´t included in the tour but our guide still took us up the mountain to what was blatenly just his mates house. It was only when we were sat down in this dump that flo glanced up and saw that there was rotten meat covered in flies on the roof. Not the kind of thing that builds your appetite! Turl and I decided it was probably best not to go for the meat and both got omlets instead! Well its been over 24 hours since we´ve eaten there and we´re still alive at the moment, so fingers crossed on that one!
Since returning from the islands we have stayed another two nights in our great hostel! Today was spent having a lazy day catching up on missed sleep and dauldling about Puno. We booked our bus tickets to la Paz for tommorow and got on the sketchiest swan boats youve ever seen. We should have known as they only cost 50p each and that was probably at rip of tourist price. It was great fun though despite losing my glasses over the edge and nearly getting stuck in reeds. We also managed to catch a bit of the carnival parade and we´re of to a bit of the carnival party tonight. Not out to late though as our bus leaves at 7am tomorrow morning!! Why do they never do things in the afternoon around here!
So thats it from us, We´ve not given up on the photos yet and there may be a chance to save them so fingers crossed. Will update this bad boy when in Bolivia (hopefully the uprising will have settled down by then)
Missing you all, lots of love Fran and Turl xxxxxx
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