Puno, Uros Islands and Taquile

            Puno has a population of approximately 150,000 and is located in the southeast portion of Peru between the shores of Lake Titicaca and the mountains surrounding the city.  

            There is less than 2 miles of flat land between the shores and the foothills, which has caused the growing city to continue to expand upwards onto the hillsides. As a result, the town's less developed and poorest areas, which are high on the hillsides, often have very steep streets, which are generally not paved and cannot be accessed by automobile.

            We were greeted in our lobby at the Casona Plaza Hotel at 6:45am for our first destination of the day – the Uros Islands of Lake Titicaca, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world.  After arriving dockside, a brief introduction to our captain and guide, we boarded our boat for the 45 minute trip.  I had pre-arranged for a private boat and private English speaking guide.  We did not want to join a group of 40 – mainly due to our age, the extremely high altitudes and the strenuous climb required to reach the restaurant where we would have lunch. We felt we might hold back a larger group.  This added to the cost of our tour but we were glad we made this decision. 

            Fredy, our assigned guide, was one of 11 siblings born on the Uros Islands and still lives there today with his wife and 2 small children.  He proved to be a very knowledgeable and charismatic guide and we thoroughly enjoyed our day with him.   We came to learn that infant mortality among the Uros people is high.  Fredy related to us that 6 of his 11 siblings died as infants by falling off the island into the frigid Lake Titicaca. 

           

The Uros are a pre-Incan people who live on 78 floating islands in Lake Titicaca at an elevation of 12,500 feet.  They are self-sufficient getting everything they need from their surroundings.  The island construction is accomplished by using bundles of dried totora reeds, which grow in the lake.  Not only are the reeds used to build each island, the families use reeds for construction of their homes, furniture and boats. The larger islands accommodate up to 10 families – normally all related – and the smaller islands between 3-4 families.  The reeds at the bottom of the island rot away fairly quickly so new reeds are added to the top of the island every 14 days.  This causes you to sink 2-4” with every step.  The surface of the islands are uneven, thin and felt like you were walking on a water bed.  Cooking is accomplished by placing clay pots on piles of stones.  The ‘outhouse islands’ can be between 10-20 minutes away by boat so planning ahead is critical.  

            A visitation to the Uros Islands, though primitive, is by a lottery selection process and assures that each island and corresponding family receives equal opportunity to provide tourist education and also affords them the opportunity to sell their hand crafted items.  We were assigned to the island of Corazon Valiente.  Meeting the 3 families on this small island was a delight.  We were educated on daily activities which including building and maintenance of the island, food preparation and hunting requirements.   

The families then sang to us in 4 different languages, one of which was English.  We then had opportunity to go inside their homes and purchase hand-crafted items, some of which take up to 3 months to complete.  Before leaving the Uros Islands we opted to take a ride on one of the hand made reed boats.  We also made a stop at, what Fredy called, ‘the modern island’.  Here we enjoyed a cup of coca tea, fresh baked bread and had our passport stamped showing we had visited the Uros Islands.  Then it was back in the boat and off to Taquile Island. 

           

The soul of Lake Titicaca lies on the unique island of Taquile, blessed with the natural backdrop of Bolivia’s Royal Mountain Range.  The inhabitants of Taquile, that number about 2,200, have their own distinct costumes.  Food is from the lake so fish is the main staple.  They do not eat red meat and their diet is mainly fish, potatoes and quinoa.   Once docked we still faced a strenuous uphill hike of over 800 feet to reach the top of the island.  After about 30 minutes, which included 3 stops for ‘oxygen breaks’, we arrived at the top and sat down to view the spectacular scenery and enjoy a wonderfully prepared lunch.  Quinoa soup, pan-fried fish and rice; tomato and avocado salad and coca tea were sitting before us within a few minutes.  This wonderful society lives on community efforts and on the Inca moral code “ama sua, ama llulla, ama qhilla”, do not steal, do not lie,  do not be lazy.

           

           

           

           

             

The Andean Explorer Train Ride

            Our PeruRail Andean Explorer train departed from Cusco an 8am.  The trip would last 10-hours and would end at Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca.  Representing the delicate style of the great Pullman trains of the twenties, the train consisted of the Engine, 1 passenger car, 1 bar/lounge car and 1 outdoor observatory car.  It truly represented the most luxurious way to travel between Cusco and Lake Titicaca.  It was equipped with large oversized chairs, which made for a very comfortable trip, which included a fashion show, live music, mixology class and a happy hour in the bar/lounge car.  The Society of International Railway Travelers lists the Andean Explorer among “The Best Journeys by Train of the World” and one of the best two in South America, in addition to being the winner of South America´s leading luxury train by World Travel Awards 2012-2013.  

            The train departure from Cusco is to the southeast along the Hutanay river through green fields dotted with willow and eucalyptus trees across remote communities gathered around colonial churches. Around 20 miles into the trip and before reaching Lake Muina, the train crossed the valley road to reach Huambutio Vilcanota River, which plunges steeply into the gorge before widening to reach the Grand Canyon of the Urubamba.  At about 10am we were pleasantly surprised as a plate of appetizers were served. 

            At approximately 115 miles into the trip we began to leave behind the fertile hills of Cusco and enter the plains known as the Altiplano. From here the train continues with a slow steady ascent for another 15 miles past the thermal baths of Aguas Calientes to La Raya, now 130 miles from Puno. At about 1:30pm we reached an altitude of 14,955 feet above sea level, the highest point of our trip.  A cold and remote place where a fine mist or rain will often hide the spectacular peaks. After a brief 10-minute stop to take photos and check out local hand crafted items, the train continued on through a sea of seemingly endless pastures and remote villages that all seemed immune to the passage of time. 

            We began to feel the effects of altitude sickness with tingling occurring in our hands, feet and face.  We had taken altitude sickness medication earlier in the morning so drinking lots of water quickly abated the feeling.   A gourmet lunch was served which included wine and cheesecake.  Mike and I both enjoyed the Pasta Tarta entrée with basil sauce while Tamie and Steve selected chicken with red chili peppers, presented like sushi on a bed of vegetables. 

             

         

            At 175 miles into the trip we arrived at Juliaca.  A commercial town and railway center for close to 150,000 inhabitants, whose unbridled trade seems to be spreading on the railroad tracks as the train continues its way slowly among textiles and craft work sellers.  Juliaca is the last city that the train runs through on the journey through the Andean culture before reaching Puno, just over 13,000 feet elevation.  A city originally founded in 1668 that has now expanded to the shores of Lake Titicaca.  And just how much did this cost you ask?  $289 per person and worth every cent. 

Cusco

            First order of business today was to get a replacement immigration card for Steven as he lost his.  This is not an easy process.  First you must go to the Immigration Office and fill out some paperwork and show your passport.  The Immigration Officer then gives you a receipt, which you take to the Peru National Bank and pay a fee of $14PEN, which is about $5USD.  After getting your receipt of payment, you must then obtain photocopies of your passport.  You need the photo page and you also need the page with the entry stamp from Peru.  Once you have managed to complete all of that, you now head back to the Immigration Office and you are ready to get a new card issued.  This entire process took us until about 10am. 

            Now we began the fun part of exploring the historic downtown area of Cusco.  We found our way to the Plaza de Armas and purchased tickets for the Bus Panoramicos.  They have 3 different colored buses - yellow, red and blue.  We ended up on a yellow one.  At first we were somewhat disappointed that we had selected this company because we went around the block 4 times before we actually began the tour.  I had a feeling it was because traffic was horrible, there was no place to park and the bus wasn’t full.  We laughed each time we went around jokingly saying we hoped that enough folks boarded so we could actually get started. 

            The bus was a 2 story-London style-bus.  Closed seating in the bottom section and open-air seating in the top.  The tour lasts somewhere between 1.5 - 2 hours and included the only 2 things I had on my list of potential places to visit.  First was Sacsayhuaman Ruins (pronounced Sexy Woman).  A citadel located on the northern outskirts of the city, sections of which were built by the Killke culture around 1100.  

            Second was the Mini Christ the Redeemer.  Constructed between 1923 and 1931, it is a towering miniature art deco statue of the “Christ The Redeemer” which is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Made from reinforced concrete and soapstone, it measures 98 feet tall, not included the 28 ft high pedestal with arms that stretch 98ft wide.  

            The weather changes quickly so we found ourselves hot one minute and looking for our coats the next.   At the end of our tour we were dropped back at the Plaza de Armas and decided that lunch was in order.  We located a wonderful spot – El Cuadro Restaurant – and had a late lunch.  Mike and I walked back down the hill to our hotel while Steven and  Tamie continued exploring the old historic portion of Cusco.  We met for dinner at 6:00pm at Valentina Restauarant.  It was directly across the street from our hotel.  We all opted for pizza this time and it was a great choice.  It was then back to the hotel for packing and getting ready for our train departure the next morning.  It would be a 10-hour train trip to Puno, located on the southwestern part of Lake Titicaca. 

 

 

 

 

 

Machu Picchu

          First of all let me start by saying that just getting to and from Machu Picchu is not easy but so worth it.  Breakfast was provided by our hotel and this was the time we took our altitude sickness medication.  We also drank the local coca tea to help adjust.  Altitude sickness is real.  You can suffer headache, tingling sensations and shortness of breath, just to mention a few of the symptoms.  After breakfast we headed back down the mountain to the bus station.  You can opt to hike up to Machu Picchu but I really couldn’t recommend that to anyone.  The hike will take you an absolute minimum of 2 hours and it’s a very difficult hike.  If you hike back that’s another 2 hours plus 3 hours at the top so you can plan on a minimum of 7 hours if you are in excellent shape.  

           The bus on the other hand takes 30 minutes and departs about every 5 minutes.  The road is dirt, or mud, with some stones mixed in with numerous switch backs all the way up so if you are prone to motion sickness Dramamine would be in order.  Getting to experience the wonder of Machu Picchu isn’t cheap!  The bus from Agua Caliente to the entrance of Machu Picchu will run you $24USD per person round trip.  The entrance fee to Machu Picchu will run you another $46USD per person.  We opted to hire a private English speaking guide for the 4 of us at a cost of $15USD per person.  The cost for the guide was so worth it, lasting almost 3 hours.   

          I can’t even begin to describe the beauty and majesty of Machu Picchu.  Built around 1450 by the Incas but abandoned a century later at the time of the Spanish Conquest.  It remained unknown to the outside world until discovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham.  By 1976 only 30% of the restoration had been completed.  Restoration is ongoing today and it remains as the number one tourist attraction in South America. 

          The site is comprised of over 150 buildings that stretch over five miles in distance and feature more than 3,000 stone steps.  At such a high elevation we found ourselves moving very slowly and in a steady rhythm, climbing step by step from one side of the site to the other.  In the hundreds of photos I have seen none really reflect what it is like standing on the edge of any one of the terraces.  Nothing but thousands of feet straight below to the river and mountains thousands of feet above surrounding you.  To the Inca’s this sacred place was their Ying and Yang.  Where they were in perfect balance and harmony with everything.  It truly was a moving experience.  Before returning to our bus we sat in silence for about 20 minutes just taking in what we had just covered on foot.  It was magical. 

            We began our trip back down the mountain to arrive by 2pm as our train departed from Agua Caliente back to Cusco at 3pm.  The return to Cusco was by train and bus with an arrival into Wanchaq station in Cusco at 7:30pm.  The bus portion is not for the faint of heart.  Once again Dramamine would be in order if you are prone to car sickness at all.  Although our hotel was only 2 blocks from the train station, we opted to hire a van for the transport and it was so worth it at a cost of only $20PEN – about $7.30USD for all 4 of us and all our luggage.  We enjoyed a complimentary Pisco Sour and called it a day.  Tomorrow we will explore the ancient city of Cusco.