Peru - Part 1

I started off in Tacna which is a duty-free border town where there is LOTS of movement. I was extremely tired after traveling so I stayed in the bus terminal and observed the action all day before my next bus was to leave for Puno. I had no idea that so many people come from all over Peru to buy both food and household goods in this small town. When I left the city that night we had to stop at a city checkpoint and wait for an entire hour while everyone’s goods were inspected, then it was off to Puno! Land of Lake Titicaca and some dear friends I know from working at Concordia Language Villages… I arrived at 6 am after a very cold bus ride through the Andes and I was excited to see Sol and Enrique there waiting for me. At this point I was at an altitude of around 12,000 ft. and I could definitely feel a difference in the air, not to mention that I was quickly whisked away to Enrique and Ursula’s house at the top of hill. The view of the town and Lake Titicaca was breathtaking but I was very out of breath by the time I reached their kitchen.

I spent that day exploring the town and taking in the fresh Puneñan air. With Enrique we trekked up to an overlook of the city where he explained a bit of its history and showed me where he had gone to school, worked, etc. Puno really is a small city tucked between the lake and the Andes, from the overlook I could see the entire thing! From there we went to his family’s restaurant Mojsa in the main plaza where he, his sister Ursula, and Sol currently work. Puno has recently become a hot tourist spot because of its easy access to the lake so Mojsa is busy from noon onwards everyday. It was fun to see my Concordia friends in their element and finally get a better understanding of their lives… not to mention I loved tasting the delicious dishes that Enrique had created. Sol is helping the restaurant develop an NGO that works with local farmers to give them fair prices for their goods that they will in turn use to invest in the future of their small pueblos. For the rest of the day I checked into my hostel, walked to the port, went to Mass at the Cathedral, and of course got a taste for the night life.

The next day I took off at 7 am for Lake Titicaca and visited the floating islands of Uros and the larger island of Taquille. Thirty two floating reed islands make up the Uros community, with a population of around 3,000 Aymara peoples. I have never seen anything like it and it was fascinating to know how the islands are constructed and how daily life is organized. They are only a 15 minute boat ride from bustling Puno but seem a world away. They’re constructed by cutting reed grass from its roots and then anchoring multiple blocks of the roots together to form a small island. The already cut reed grass is then spread in many layers over these blocks to form a kind of carpet. The only problem is that the islands are constantly sinking so three times a month new reed grass must be cut and dried to add additional layers to the island. And every few months the islands are completely reconstructed in a new, but close by, location so houses must be rebuilt and families moved. These Aymara peoples currently make their living from tourism and modern technology is beginning to creep into island life, I was surprised to see a TV in one of the reed huts on one of the islands. And it will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Uros as many of the youth now travel to Puno and start lives there. After traveling by reed boat around the Uros community, I was off on a 2 hour ferry ride to Taquille where we explored the island and had some great views of the lake (and a delicious meal of Titicaca trout!)

I was exhausted after such a full day and needed to rest up for the next day’s journey to Cuzco. Thanks Sol, Enrique, and Ursula for such wonderful hospitality!