Last Few Days - Puno and the Floating Islands, Lake Titicaca and La Paz

We were sad to leave Cusco, such a lovely city, with so much more to discover. We must come back!  Safe to say there was a small celebration after Machu Picchu, however a fuller description and photos have been withheld so as not to shock the more sensitive readers. I can tell you there were 3L of rum drunk on the coach back to Cusco and then the proper party started in a bar 24.00 followed by a club, shots and dancing on the bar………….. another excellent night!

On the road again to Puno for a night in order to visit the famous floating islands on Lake Titicaca. These man made reed islands are still home to a community of more than 2000 people. The small family groups have everything they need including shops and a school. Whilst they are no longer able to earn a living through fishing, they are still able to continue their traditional lifestyle through tourism.

Quite a palaver getting out of Peru and into Bolivia, especially when one of the group had overstayed her visa and had to pay a fine at a bank miles back from the border. When eventually through, it was only a brief drive to Copacabana on the Bolivian shores of Lake Titicaca. Unlike its swanky Brazilian doppelganger, this small local village is a popular place from which to explore the beautiful islands of the Sun and the Moon.

Ricardo, one of our guides, took us for an early morning market safari to sample the local breakfast delights. The tasty Bolivian version of empanadas come in deep fried and baked varieties and are much more ‘saucy’ than their Peruvian cousins.

One night in Copacabana and then we packed our walking bags for a trek along the peninsula and then to a small boat over to the Isla Del Sol for a lovely night in a tiny hotel on the Island.

La Paz is enormous and the traffic almost gridlocked. The noise, smell and colourful locals make for a heady South American experience. The local ‘witches’ market has all you need for an offering to the gods including dried baby llamas and dried llama foetus.

On our last day I went on the crazy 65k downhill mountain bike ride down the famous ‘Death Road’. Starting at 4600m in the snow and ending 5 hours later at 1200m in the hot tropical rain forest. The steep road winds and curves round some stunning scenery including under several waterfalls. Called the death road because of the number of fatal car and bus accidents, this single track road is carved from the sheer cliff face and has drops of hundreds of metres down the side. A new road twice as long takes traffic away today but it’s still popular with adrenalin junkies on bikes! From our group only 2 ended up in hopsital!

Deb on the other hand had a food and wine tasting lunch at La Paz’s only Michelin star restaurant. Which would you prefer?

 And then all too soon our 6 week South American adventure is over. We’ve met a great bunch of people and shared some great times together, learned about the pre-Inca civilisations, the Incas and the Spanish Conquistadores. We’ve partied in the desert, watched the sunset a dozen times, explored ancient cities and experienced the Amazonian jungle.

Thanks for reading about our adventures, sorry for the spelling etc. At least it’s authentic!

Tim and Deb

Cusco, Capital of the Incas and the trek to Machu Picchu.

Firstly can I apologise for the number of photos on this blog. However I hope you enjoy looking at them.

We arrived in Cusco in a hail storm, wearing only shorts, t shirts and flip flops. However it soon dried out and warmed up. After a day to prepare we were off with a day bag and a small blue roller bag, on our 4 day trek to Machu Picchu, the highlight of our trip and the reason we came to Peru.

The first day was a gentle 6k trek to Zurite where we stayed in a hostel, but a cut in the water supply meant a smelly start to the next few days. The second day was a hard trek up to 4400m, up some steep bits and the altitude and difficulty made it very hard for some. Then a further couple of hours back down to our camp at 4200m.

The set up was that the 22 of us had three mountain guides, generally one at the front controlling the pace, one in the middle and one at the back giving encouragement to the stragglers . During the day we also had a porter and two horses for emergencies. In all there were 6 porters, 22 ponies, and 4 cooks plus the guides. 

Each evening when we arrived at our camp spot, high in the Andes, the sleeping tents were already up, along with the mess tent and the camp kitchen. 

Hot drink at 6pm and then a three course dinner at 7pm. All in bed wrapped up warm against the freezing over night temperatures by 8pm. Although we had brilliant down sleeping bags we both slept in socks, thermal tops and legging, a down gillet and a hat. Bloody cold outside but toasty in our bags.

In the morning we were woken up at 5.30 with hot coca tea and provided with a bowl of warm water to wash in. The cooks produced a hearty breakfast and we walked out of camp at 7.00 on the dot.

Each day we’d arrive at lunch time, in the middle of nowhere to find the mess tent up, and the camp kitchen producing soup and a hot  meal.

So the second day was the hardest with 9 hours of trekking and 1200m of ascent, after that it got a bit easier but still very remote. Here we are celebrating at the top.

The night before our visit to Machu Picchu we stayed in a lovely hotel in Olantaytambo. Then it was a train along the sacred valley and a bus up to Machu Picchu from Aguas Callientes. And then after the visit, the train and a coach back to Cusco for some celebrations. Finally got to bed at 4am…………..

You can’t fail to be impressed by the scale and position of Machu Picchu. Built high on a mountain and surrounded by cloud forest. It was undiscovered until 1911. We did the tour and then hiked up to the Inca Bridge and then the Sun Gate fir some stunning views.

After a days rest in Cusco were off next to Puna on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

Home Stay in Racqui

After a stunning drive over the Andes, we arrived in Racqui for a night in a rural Peruvian village.

Racqui has some excellent Inca ruins which are a popular tourist attraction. However, 12 years ago they began to offer homestays for adventurous travellers. The money for the stay goes directly to the families.

Very basic accommodation but very hospitable people and tasty food. It makes us appreciate what we have at home.

We were each allocated a “Mama” to look after us, and provide somewhere to stay. Ours is Lydia.

After a lovely dinner we were all given local dress to get into and then taken for an evening of Peruvian dancing and fun.

Then next morning we were up for a pottery demonstration and a visit to the Inca ruins. Apart from the homesteads they make money from making and selling pottery, let’s hope our purchases make it home.

After another lovely lunch we were back in the truck and on the road again.

Next stop Cusco.