Puno and the Floating Islands

Day 138 – No floating toilets

Clean in the centre, but even grubbier than Copacabana everywhere else, we were only stopping in Puno for two reasons – to avoid being stuck in a not very fun part of Bolivia and to see the floating islands.

We organised a 9am tour, but only got there just in time due to our breakfast taking an inordinate amount of time to be made (causing us to take a doggie bag). The tour bus took us down to the dock and onto another ferry across Lake Titicaca about 30 minutes to the floating island settlement.

There are 42 islands, the original Uros inhabitants originally opted for this type of civilisation as a defensive mechanism. Nowadays the primary reason for maintaining the islands is for tourism and only about 10% of the original population still live on an island.

We arrived at Taipi Kili for a demonstration about how the islands are made and also some insight into island life and then sent to explore the island.

Ferry boats chock-a-block waiting to take tourists to the islands.

Tortora reed huts on Taipi Kili, the name of the particular little island our boat stopped at.

The white part of the Tortora reed can be eaten before it is dried for building material.

The head of the island shows us how the islands are built.

The ladies make handicrafts such as weaving and miniature tortora reed boats to sell to tourists.

Across the channel to another set of islands and the one with the school on it.

One of the youngsters on the island particularly enjoyed tormenting the daily throng of tourists, running and throwing himself at them and hanging off their arms. I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine by swinging him around by his feet, which he thought was a fantastic game, as did the other kids who immediately lined up for a turn!

Island life!

The local mode of transport.

The Yavari, was built in England, shipped around Cape Horn in pieces, transported part of the way from the coast by train, before finally being transported over the Andes by mule. All-in-all it took 6 years for it to get from England onto Lake Titicaca! At the moment it is stationary in its home, although we heard rumours that it was currently being restored to sail tourists around on the lake.

Back in town we had an Indian influenced lunch and then were on a bus to Arequipa 6 hours down the road.

Isla del Sol

Day 137 – Island of Sun… and no sunscreen

After saying our goodbyes to the girls (although it’s highly likely we will bump into them again in Colombia) we high-tailed it to the ferry dock to catch the morning ferry to Isla del Sol (Island of Sun).  We were alone again for only two minutes, before we bumped into Canadian couple, Peter and Jacqui, who we had met before in Púcon (the same hostel as we met the Dutch girls!) on the ferry.

The two hour ferry ride to Isla del Sol was long and uncomfortable, especially given I still wasn’t feeling well, although once we were on the island the sun and scenery (and Eucalypt trees!) were enough to cheer me up.

We were dropped at the North side of the island and walked toward the South almost down the middle, taking in the scenery Incan Ruins, passing through three “checkpoints” set up by locals to slog you another 10 Bolivianos ($1.50) to pass and catching up on what the Canadians had been up to over the last 6 weeks.  Lake Titicaca stretched as far as the eye could see and it was difficult to appreciate the fact it was a lake, given it looked just like the sea.  Three steps up each hill though and we were quickly reminded that we were nearly 4,000m above sea level!

The dock at Copacabana.

 
Lake Titicaca and the terraced farming technique adopted on Isla del Sol.

The view from Santuario ruins.

Matt and Peter walk ahead past some Eucalypt trees.

 
We follow a boy and his donkeys into town to find a well earned beer.

 
Church in Yumani on the South side of the island.

On the ferry boat on the way back we bumped into two more familiar faces, Nicki and Dane from the Salt Flats Tour, only to learn that Dane had lost all of his photos and that they are running out of money and so cutting their trip short by one month. 

Upon arrival back in Copacabana we quickly organised bus tickets to Puno (over the border into Peru) as, apart from being Easter Sunday tomorrow, it was also Election Day in Bolivia.  We were warned that all shops would be closed, bus services not running and even the borders would be closed.  Not wanting to be stuck in Copacabana until Monday or later, we high tailed it over the border and arrived in Puno late that evening.

Oh! And the sunscreen… we forgot ours and borrowed some too little too late… some extra special tan lines were found in the morning.

Copacabana

Day 136 – Co-pa, Co-pa-ca-baaa-na

After another all you can eat pancake breakfast, it was off to ring around for some last minute accommodation in Copacabana.  Today was Good Friday and pilgrims from all around Bolivia and Peru would be walking to Copacabana for a mixed Catholic / Cha’alla celebration.  We were aware of said pilgrimage, but actually thought it ended on Easter Sunday – wrong!

The 3 hour journey to Copacabana was nice and painless, although we were quite over like the discussion topics of our like young English co-minivan-inhabitants!  The journey also involved a trip on a ferry boat, van and all, to cross over part of Lake Titicaca.  We were also amused to see that many of the pilgrims had opted to cycle instead of walk, I can’t blame them given the altitude, hills, weather, etc.

Our first glimpse of the enormous Lake Titicaca.

Copacabana, was just as we had been warned, dirty and smelly, but a necessary stop if we wanted to visit nearby Isla del Sol.  Our accommodation was a bit nicer than usual (being all we could get) and after watching the pilgrims march into town singing and holding up huge Virgin Marys on platforms, we trotted up the hill to La Cúpula, a vegetarian restaurant with a great view over the town, to celebrate Hanneke’s birthday and also say goodbye to our Duchess travel mates as we would be heading in different directions in the morning.