Lake Titicaca

After two weeks of accompanying Ged and Sarah I've been permitted by them to write a blog entry. A move that will only work to their detriment.

Our adventure to Machu Picchu, as amazing as it was, left us sore all over. Thus we all deemed it necessary to have a lazy day exploring Cusco. The day started with a much deserved sleep in, following which we hit the streets of Cusco. We would have been a sore site to all onlookers, as we limped around aimlessly.

Our first stop was the chocolate museum. As to why this was situated in Cusco remained a mystery, particularly considering Peru didn't even feature in the top 10 producers of chocolate worldwide. Can you imagine how excited Ged was to be surrounded by the vast quantities of chocolate? Regardless the museum provided us with large amounts of knowledge regarding chocolate and the production process, most of which we are unlikely to use again. You could even attend a class to make your own chocolate! Eventually we decided to sit down and sample some chocolate, enjoying delicious chocolate milkshakes and brownies, both of which qualified amongst the richest I have ever tried.

Following the museum I was insisting that we get pedicures done, as it had been weeks since my last. After much deliberation I reluctantly agreed that a massage would  be a better option to manage our sore muscles. So it was that we wandered down a dubious looking alley way where I was to receive my first ever massage.

The massage was initially amazing, though this was short lived as the masseurs discovered my obviously swollen wasp stung big finger. Usually this would deter further attention to such an area but it wasn't so. The masseur endeavoured to rub and move the finger in an array of ungodly positions. But even this was nothing compared to the pain experienced when she discovered my calves! On a whole however we emerged much relaxed and hobbled out to our next stop, the markets!

The markets were relatively uneventful, with a vast array of strange fruits, cloths and souvenirs. One highlight was the ridiculously cheap 30c  avocados.

After a slow paced day we decided to catch a night bus to Puno, accompanied by Helen, Nicole and Kendra, friends we met on the Salkantay trek.

We entered the bus to be greeted by luxury. This soon changed, as shortly after dozing off we were woken to find ourselves in a furnace. It was unclear whether someone was trying to slow cook us for their next meal or accidentally left the heating on too high. Either way me managed to to arrive in Puno unconsumed.

Puno was an interesting city 3800m above sea level on Lake Titicaca, apparently the highest navigable(I'm unsure what this means) lake in the world. It is also home to the entire Bolivian Navy, even though the lake only spans across Peru and Bolivia, Peru being Bolivia's closest ally.

Shortly after our arrival we commenced a boat tour of Lake Titicaca (pronounced Lake Titicaca).  Our first stop on this tour was the floating islands. These islands you simply had to see to comprehend how incredible they were. Essentially they were manmade islands consisting of reeds anchored to the bottom of the lake. These islands were inhabited by families of variable sizes, supporting a total population of 2000 people across 70 islands, each with their own president who rotates on a yearly basis. Every 3 months a new layer of reeds would be placed.

It was simply incredible to see how these islands could support life. They were initially set up as local inhabitants of lake titicaca resisted inca rule by living out in the lake in large boats, eventually evolving to islands. Now the settlements are primarily supported by tourism. Children travel to local schools by boat. Some houses (consisting of one small room) even have solar panels. A question on everyone's mind was how do you go to the toilet on such an island. You'll be happy to know there was a specific boat dedicated for this purpose.

Following the floating islands we then moved to a real island called Tacquile. Here we viewed a community which was completely dependent on the lake for water and food. We also enjoyed some local trout and amazing views of the lake and surrounding mountains. Though we learnt how to differentiate between single and married people based on wardrobe, unfortunately for Helen we failed to find an unmarried man above 12. With our stomachs full we returned to the boat, and cruised in the beautiful sun back to Puno.

On return to the hostel we decided to satisfy our cravings for spaghetti, and sat down to a home cooked meal with some wine. A fitting way to farewell our Canadian friends.