Peru Part IV: Lake Titicaca May 3-5th

We took a ten-hour bus ride from Cusco to Puno, the town right on Lake Titicaca. I came down with a cold and took the opportunity to sleep furiously throughout the entire bus ride. Ben got to enjoy the few stops on his own and enjoyed hanging out with an eagle for a few minutes.

Giddy Ben with an eagle

Sidenote: Puno was the poorest town that we saw in Peru. Though, honestly, there was a lot more poverty overall than I expected or than I’d ever experienced before. I thought Peru was fairly touristy, and though I knew it would not be wealthy, I didn't expect to see as many poor people as I did. That’s a vague description, but it’s really the best I can do. The few times that Ben and I got cheated a little bit, I had to remind myself that undoubtedly they needed the money more than we did (it was also fairly easy to remember since it was never more than a few dollars). The vacation was an eye-opening experience in that way.

Our hotel was a true case of getting what we paid for - electric outlets didn't work, shower trickled more than streamed, and we chose to sleep on top of the covers as much as possible. We did randomly meet another LDS couple at dinner that night. They were able to identify us foremost because of our wedding rings despite our young age. Then Ben’s perfect Spanish to the waiter in conjunction with his white skin confirmed that he must have been a missionary (little did they know, he’s speaks Spanish mainly because he is Hispanic). We ended up joining tables with them and another German couple we met and having a really great time. This story is not interesting, except to point out that this happened all the time in Peru. We made friends out of random strangers from all over the world almost every day we were there. I don't make that many friends at home.

The next morning we were picked up bright and early to go out on Lake Titicaca. Our boat first stopped on the Uros islands. These are man-made reed islands. 

They have to replace the reeds about every six months. They use the reeds for everything - the island, their food, their clothes, everything! Of course we tried them; they tasted like a mix between celery and lettuce. It was cool, if not a bit of a tourist trap.

Ben sword-fighting on the Uros. A few seconds later the little boy fell dramatically.

We stopped at Taquile next, a natural island with a distinctive culture separate from the mainland. 

There we stayed the night with a local family. It was an incredible experience. The island uses solely solar power and barely any of that. They don’t use tvs or radios and are completely self sufficient for their food. They are self governed and speak the old language of Quechua. Their clothes are also very unique; for example, when the men are engaged, their fiances cut their hair and weave a waist band out of it. From then on, the men always wear the hair waistband (and a specific hat) marking them as married men. They eat a ton of fish and potatoes (there are a ton of different species of potato in Peru. So we ate them everywhere. No objections here!)

Silvano and his family. Gracious hosts!

We hiked around the island with the family and especially enjoyed their son, Clever. He specifically told us that his name meant “inteligente en ingles” (he learned Spanish in school as a second language). 

It’s sad to think that as the world gets smaller, many of the kids will probably leave the island in favor of more education, experience, and prestige. It’s just sad that cultures like that often get lost over time as they get more connected with the rest of the world. One negative side effect.

Ben and Clever. These two had a blast playing soccer, throwing rocks and racing

The next afternoon we left Silvano and his family and caught a boat back to Puno. I was sad, once again, to leave. We ate dinner while enjoying a traditional Peruvian dance performance. We really enjoyed both the music and the dancing while we ate (I tried alpaca for the first time that night - not bad!).

Taquile is known for their handwoven textiles. So I bought one of their hats!