After a very long journey back north by planes and busses, with stops in Arica, Chile and Arequipa, Peru, we finally arrived in Puno. It lies on the shores of Lake Titicaca at an altitude of 3,600 metres. Even with the altitude, the weather was lovely.
We took a tour out to the floating islands on Lake Titicaca. We were fortunate to have a nice day and a great group of people on the tour. It took about 15 minutes by boat to get out to the islands.
Along the way, we saw some interesting art work on one of the islands.
Although the whole day was really touristy, we learned a lot about how the islands are made and why the people live there. The primary reason is that those who live on the islands do not have to pay taxes.
Dean and Kelly admired some of the handicrafts that the men and women make to sell to the touriests.
They even have gardens on the islands and very interesting boats which are also made from reeds.
After learning about how the islands are made and taking a tour of a family's home, we were left to wander for awhile and admire the various handicrafts.
There seemed to be a lot of just milling about. Other than entertaining the tourists, I'm not sure what these people do with their days.
Dean and I thought we better have at least one photo of ourselves to prove that we actually took part in this while adventure.
Back on dry land, we enjoyed the Plaza de Armas and the shops in Puno.
I never did find out what the locals call these motorcycle cabs, but we continue to call them tuk tuks. And believe me, with the altitude and the hills in town, a ride in one of these is a real treat.
We took a tour out to the floating islands on Lake Titicaca. We were fortunate to have a nice day and a great group of people on the tour. It took about 15 minutes by boat to get out to the islands.
Along the way, we saw some interesting art work on one of the islands.
Although the whole day was really touristy, we learned a lot about how the islands are made and why the people live there. The primary reason is that those who live on the islands do not have to pay taxes.
Dean and Kelly admired some of the handicrafts that the men and women make to sell to the touriests.
They even have gardens on the islands and very interesting boats which are also made from reeds.
After learning about how the islands are made and taking a tour of a family's home, we were left to wander for awhile and admire the various handicrafts.
There seemed to be a lot of just milling about. Other than entertaining the tourists, I'm not sure what these people do with their days.
Dean and I thought we better have at least one photo of ourselves to prove that we actually took part in this while adventure.
Back on dry land, we enjoyed the Plaza de Armas and the shops in Puno.
I never did find out what the locals call these motorcycle cabs, but we continue to call them tuk tuks. And believe me, with the altitude and the hills in town, a ride in one of these is a real treat.
