Peru to Bolivia

After our four day trek to Machu Pichu we spent one short night in Cusco before taking a bus to Puno which is on the shores of Lake Titicaca. We took the 'tourist' bus so we could see some sites along the way. We made four stops including a lunch stop, arriving to Puno around 5pm. The hostel we booked had offered to pick us up at the bus station. Nice treat for a change!

Puno is not the prettiest town but the main square and walking street where you have all the restaurants, money exchange companies, tourist information, banks and pharmacies is quite nice and convenient for us travelers. The main sites to visit from Puno are the floating islands and Isla Taquile. Of course there are a few other Inca ruins to visit, but we felt we had seen enough for now. Our hostel helped us to book a tour for the next day, get our dirty, smelly clothes to the laundry and book our trip across the border to Bolivia.

THE REED ISLANDS
Our first stop on the days tour was to a floating island. There are several floating islands, the largest of them is said to be 160 years old. These islands are made from layering reeds over each other on top of large floating blocks of dense roots and soil. They continue to add layers and layers of reeds each week as the lower layers start to decompose. The reeds are also a source of food and firewood, and used to build their houses, and of course, their reed boats.

Jens was especially thrilled to see the reed boats. He had read the story of Thor Heyerdahl who had theorized that the people from South America used these reed boats to cross the Pacific Ocean and made contact with people in the islands in the South Pacific. Heyerdahl built a reed boat and successfully led an expedition sailing 5,000 miles across the Pacific in 1947, proving his theory.

The people on these floating islands lead a very basic life. They believe they are descendants of the oldest people on earth, living between water and heaven. Hmmmm.... Sounds very romantic. Anyhow, you wouldn't find me living on any of these islands any time soon. Living in a boat is enough of a stretch for me. ;)

ISLA TAQUILE
Just when I thought our mountain climbing days were behind us, we reach Isla Taquile and had to hike 150 meters up to the top of the island to get to the main square. I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but remember we start at 3,800 meters (high altitude, thin air, still slightly aching legs from our Machu Picchu trip, etc,). This island is a community of 350 Quechua speaking families. They live by the Inca creed of 'do not steal, do not lie, do not be idle'. I can relate to that. It means that the island is neatly organized with stone paths, stone walls bordering tiered gardens and stone arches. Overall, this island is peaceful and serene and has a feeling of a place that is loved and cared for.

The people here wear colorful clothing, knitting and weaving it themselves. The men knit the red hats they wear to symbolize the fact that they are married. Unmarried men wear red and white hats. Unmarried women wear multicolored pompoms at the end of their braids, head scarf or skirt, while married women wear black ones.

ISLA DEL SOL, ISLA DE LA LUNA
We crossed the border to Bolivia the next day taking a bus to the town of Copacabana. This is the best place to get to the two famous islands on Lake Titicaca, Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna (Sun Island and Moon Island). Otherwise, Copacabana feels very much like a 1970's hippy town. I think it might have something to do with the very affordable accommodations and food prices. For example, Jens and I had a nice dinner (stuffed lake trout and texmex chile) with a bottle of wine for $27.00.

We spent two days exploring the islands and chilling out for a bit. Isla del Sol is said to be the birthplace of the Incas. The island is complete with a sacred rock, a fountain of youth and the place where the sun came down to earth to give birth to the first Incas. Isla de la Luna is much smaller and has a monastery where they would keep the chosen virgins. Not sure what happened to them...the book only says they participated in special ceremonies dedicated to the sun. Could this be the politically correct way to refer to human sacrifices?

We're now waiting for Anna and Christian to arrive from Cusco so we can have lunch and catch up on their adventures before we head off to La Paz.