Something about this photo gives me the heebie-jeebies Shamans, medicinal plants, earthquakes, ancient cities, mysterious symbols; Peru really is the most diverse and magical country we have been to so far! Since this is our first visit to Peru (though likely not our last) we decided to go a bit more mainstream than usual and visit the recommended sites along the well-known "Gringo Trail", taking us through all of the major attractions of the country, starting with Lima.
To start out on our route we headed via airplane from Iquitos to Lima, in order to save a week or more of time (the other option was another multi-day cargo boat from Iquitos since it has no road access, followed by a 24+ hour bus ride). We didn't spend much time in Lima before departing to Pisco to visit the Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve, and to unexpectedly experience a 5.7 magnitude earthquake while face-timing with Donna and Jim, Andrew's parents. The next stop on the Gringo Trail was Nazca where we saw for ourselves the infamous Nazca Lines and learned a lot about the ancient cultures that inhabited the area between 100bc and 800ad, and then spent the next few days barfing due to the horrific flight over the lines and/or some bad food or water, who knows what. After Nazca was Arequipa, the second most populous city in Peru and the hub to get to the beautiful Colca Canyon (but we decided not to go there since it was a bit far and really expensive). Finally, we arrived in Cusco, our base for some intense Shamanism and of course, to visit Machu Picchu. Next and last on the list (heading out this afternoon via bus) will be the town of Puno where we can visit Lake Titicaca before crossing the border into Bolivia. We can really see why so many people travel this route: the diverse beauty and culture have taken our breath away almost every day since we have arrived.
To start out on our route we headed via airplane from Iquitos to Lima, in order to save a week or more of time (the other option was another multi-day cargo boat from Iquitos since it has no road access, followed by a 24+ hour bus ride). We didn't spend much time in Lima before departing to Pisco to visit the Ballestas Islands and Paracas National Reserve, and to unexpectedly experience a 5.7 magnitude earthquake while face-timing with Donna and Jim, Andrew's parents. The next stop on the Gringo Trail was Nazca where we saw for ourselves the infamous Nazca Lines and learned a lot about the ancient cultures that inhabited the area between 100bc and 800ad, and then spent the next few days barfing due to the horrific flight over the lines and/or some bad food or water, who knows what. After Nazca was Arequipa, the second most populous city in Peru and the hub to get to the beautiful Colca Canyon (but we decided not to go there since it was a bit far and really expensive). Finally, we arrived in Cusco, our base for some intense Shamanism and of course, to visit Machu Picchu. Next and last on the list (heading out this afternoon via bus) will be the town of Puno where we can visit Lake Titicaca before crossing the border into Bolivia. We can really see why so many people travel this route: the diverse beauty and culture have taken our breath away almost every day since we have arrived.
Gringo Trail - click on the icons for information
Iquitos
Chili sloth Following our insane Rio Napo trip we spent a couple of days exploring the incredibly loud Amazonian city of Iquitos. There were hardly any cars or trucks in the city, but thousands of moto-taxis (converted motorbikes with carriages on the back), thus the very noisy streets. We have come to realize, however, that almost everywhere in South and Central America so far the people seem to need noise at all hours of the day. You can't help but wonder if they purposfully design the bikes to be extra loud!
On one day while our muuuuuuch needed laundry was being done we wandered around the Belen Market, where one may find almost any kind of medicinal plant (or animal for that matter) you can think of. Of course, as is always wise while wandering in local markets, we only took out our camera a few times and made sure that not many people saw us with it, and we left anything else of any value back at the hostel.
On one day while our muuuuuuch needed laundry was being done we wandered around the Belen Market, where one may find almost any kind of medicinal plant (or animal for that matter) you can think of. Of course, as is always wise while wandering in local markets, we only took out our camera a few times and made sure that not many people saw us with it, and we left anything else of any value back at the hostel.
You name it, they have it The market grounds were wonderfully disgusting, with streams of who knows what kind of sludge leaking down the aisles, dead animals (turtles, crocodiles, snakes, peccary, cuy (aka. guinea pig), fish, you name it) hanging or piled on top of each other, emmitting the most wretched stenches we have ever experienced (to the point of literally chewing back vomit a few times). Other stands were bursting with fresh Amazonian fruits, vegetables and herbs, cooked foods for lunch or snacks (yes somehow we managed to eat the food and not get sick, let alone die), beautifully-crafted traditional clothing and other neat trinkets, and, perhaps the most interesting of all for me, the section dedicated to medicinal plants and other cures. It was as if we had walked into a magical Shaman world. There were bottles with snakes suspended in some kind of yellowish liquid, fat from snakes and turtles, raw and powder forms of the hallucinogenic/medicinal plant ayahuasca and its partner plant chacruna, san pedro (hallucinogenic cactus), ceremonial incense, cures for cancer and diabetes - just about anything you can think of, times a hundred thousand. If I ever get sick with cancer or some other kind of illness, strangely I believe that the cure would be found in this market, and for some reason I really would trust the dealers here over many doctors at home (sorry if any doctors are reading this, I just don't buy some of the current theories in our Western world).
And that is my husband with a butterfly.... The next day we wanted to just sneak back into a little part of the jungle to say our good-byes to nature, so we hired a lancha and driver to take us down the Amazon River a little ways to the Pilpintuwasi Mariposario (Amazon animal orphanage and butterfly farm). We didn't think too much of what we were doing until we were well on our way; just the two of us and the driver in the lancha. When the driver turned us into a swampy area where no other boats passing by could see us, Andrew stole a quick glance from me and I pointed to my concealed pepper spray with a nod. Soon after making the turn we could see another boat parked in a little nook up ahead, and it seemed that we were heading that way; maybe the driver had some friends who were ready to rob us. I looked back as casually as I could to see if I could learn how the motor worked - if something did go down I planned to spray the guy, and anyone else that might be working with him, toss him overboard and jet away with the boat.
Luckily, after a few minutes we came out the other side of the swampy "island-thing", noticed the Pilpintuwasi sign and realized that we had made it after all. Perhaps we're just a bit too paranoid. The driver parked and waited for us while we explored the reserve (we didn't realize that we had hired him for the day, lol, oops). We were first greeted by the ugliest monkeys in the universe (Uakari, a.k.a. red faced monkeys) with their little creepy red faces. They just ran around, jumping from tree to tree and chilling out on the deck near the manitee pond. We were asked not to touch the monkeys, but managed to get some silly photos with them. Next we were herded into the butterfly cage area where there were all kinds of plants and mariposas maravellosas! (marvellous butterflies)! For some reason they kept on landing on Andrew and for a while he looked a lot like a dainty fairy. It took a few days before I agreed to call him Mandrew again. Later on, we toured the property with a volunteer who showed us Pedro the GIGANTIC Jaguar, who had been rescued from poachers years earlier, as well as Gudrun the playful and attitudy Ocelot who was confiscated from the Belen Market by some good-natured tourists. There were also many kinds of sloths and monkeys, one of which had been rescued from a street gang (he was trained as a pick-pocket but left to starve after failing to please the gang members), and many others confiscated from poachers and toursits at the airport, especially the very small monkeys (people like to take them home as pets). Perhaps the weirdest animal there was a giant ant-eater. It was very young but still the size of a large husky, and since its diet is mainly ants, ants, and a lot more ants, it needs to spend most of its day outside of the reserve searching for ant hills to scourge. To allow this to happen, there is one man who works with the ant-eater EVERY DAY for several hours, just following it around the jungle looking on its search for ants. I imagine that job would be fun for about 25-30 minutes, and then would get very lonely! However, he apparently likes his job a lot and has a very close relationship with the little (big?) guy. We had such a great time at the reserve and highly recommend a visit if you ever happen to be in Iquitos, but maybe take one of the collectivo boats (which we thought we were doing at first) that takes many people - safety in numbers!
Luckily, after a few minutes we came out the other side of the swampy "island-thing", noticed the Pilpintuwasi sign and realized that we had made it after all. Perhaps we're just a bit too paranoid. The driver parked and waited for us while we explored the reserve (we didn't realize that we had hired him for the day, lol, oops). We were first greeted by the ugliest monkeys in the universe (Uakari, a.k.a. red faced monkeys) with their little creepy red faces. They just ran around, jumping from tree to tree and chilling out on the deck near the manitee pond. We were asked not to touch the monkeys, but managed to get some silly photos with them. Next we were herded into the butterfly cage area where there were all kinds of plants and mariposas maravellosas! (marvellous butterflies)! For some reason they kept on landing on Andrew and for a while he looked a lot like a dainty fairy. It took a few days before I agreed to call him Mandrew again. Later on, we toured the property with a volunteer who showed us Pedro the GIGANTIC Jaguar, who had been rescued from poachers years earlier, as well as Gudrun the playful and attitudy Ocelot who was confiscated from the Belen Market by some good-natured tourists. There were also many kinds of sloths and monkeys, one of which had been rescued from a street gang (he was trained as a pick-pocket but left to starve after failing to please the gang members), and many others confiscated from poachers and toursits at the airport, especially the very small monkeys (people like to take them home as pets). Perhaps the weirdest animal there was a giant ant-eater. It was very young but still the size of a large husky, and since its diet is mainly ants, ants, and a lot more ants, it needs to spend most of its day outside of the reserve searching for ant hills to scourge. To allow this to happen, there is one man who works with the ant-eater EVERY DAY for several hours, just following it around the jungle looking on its search for ants. I imagine that job would be fun for about 25-30 minutes, and then would get very lonely! However, he apparently likes his job a lot and has a very close relationship with the little (big?) guy. We had such a great time at the reserve and highly recommend a visit if you ever happen to be in Iquitos, but maybe take one of the collectivo boats (which we thought we were doing at first) that takes many people - safety in numbers!
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Lima
Ruins and city, all in one place The next day we flew into Lima (LIMA BEANS!). Our time there was brief since, 1) it is a huge city and we generally aren't fans of cities, and 2) we were eager to set out on the infamous Gringo Trail! Though slightly weary that we were heading straight into tourist-universe, it was nice to have delicious food options again, and to have fast internet so we could watch some Netflix (we really got into "Parks and Recreation" while we were in Montanita and were dying for a few more episodes), and also so we could call our families again.
We spent our one full day wandering around Miraflores (a.k.a. Gringolandia, lol), a very fancy and touristy area with lots of fun shops and restaurants, and then we took a tour of Huaca Pucllana, an ancient pre-Inca adobe and clay temple constructed between 200 and 700ad, that was amazingly only officially discovered in the late 1960's by a condo building company (even though there is evidence that road construction crews MUST have found it earlier but didn't say anything because they wanted to keep working - similar to if a mining company found an ancient arrowhead in the middle of an open pit, lol). Before heading back to our hostel in the old part of the city, Breña, where all of the big fancy buildings are, we swung by the coast and hung out in the parks high on the cliffs above the ocean. The views were incredible! It really was a beautiful place. But it is a city after all, and we were anxious to move on to a another national park!
We spent our one full day wandering around Miraflores (a.k.a. Gringolandia, lol), a very fancy and touristy area with lots of fun shops and restaurants, and then we took a tour of Huaca Pucllana, an ancient pre-Inca adobe and clay temple constructed between 200 and 700ad, that was amazingly only officially discovered in the late 1960's by a condo building company (even though there is evidence that road construction crews MUST have found it earlier but didn't say anything because they wanted to keep working - similar to if a mining company found an ancient arrowhead in the middle of an open pit, lol). Before heading back to our hostel in the old part of the city, Breña, where all of the big fancy buildings are, we swung by the coast and hung out in the parks high on the cliffs above the ocean. The views were incredible! It really was a beautiful place. But it is a city after all, and we were anxious to move on to a another national park!
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Pisco
The Islas Ballestas were soooo pretty! We chose to stop in Pisco, a town on the coast, because when we very quickly read about it we found out that there was a large national park in nearby Paracas, so we thought, "hey! we can go hiking and hang out in the trees again!!!". We couldn't get there fast enough.
We took a bus from Lima and arrived in the late afternoon. It was a small town with a friendly vibe but we quickly realized that there were absolutely no living plants for miles! We were directly on the coast, ocean in view and everything, but it was a complete desert along with sand dunes and the whole bit. After the long bus ride in we thought we would go for a run to explore the town a little more. I don't think many people run in Peru, because we got the craziest looks from people, and later when we went out for dinner someone recognized us at the crazy running people.
We booked a full day of tours for the next day (my birthday) and settled into the hostel for the night. Before hitting the hay we gave a couple phone calls to family, and during our face-time chat with Donna and Jim we experienced a full on 5.7 magnitude earthquake, centered about 100km away in Ica! Once we realized what was going on, we turned the computer so we could still see each other, and Jim and Donna watched us shake away for a few minutes, while we hugged the concrete column at the designated seismic safe zone. It wasn't strong enough to do any damage but it was definitely exciting! The locals hope to feel something at least every six months: any longer and that just means that more pressure is building up, along with the potential for a larger quake, as well as tsunami.
We took a bus from Lima and arrived in the late afternoon. It was a small town with a friendly vibe but we quickly realized that there were absolutely no living plants for miles! We were directly on the coast, ocean in view and everything, but it was a complete desert along with sand dunes and the whole bit. After the long bus ride in we thought we would go for a run to explore the town a little more. I don't think many people run in Peru, because we got the craziest looks from people, and later when we went out for dinner someone recognized us at the crazy running people.
We booked a full day of tours for the next day (my birthday) and settled into the hostel for the night. Before hitting the hay we gave a couple phone calls to family, and during our face-time chat with Donna and Jim we experienced a full on 5.7 magnitude earthquake, centered about 100km away in Ica! Once we realized what was going on, we turned the computer so we could still see each other, and Jim and Donna watched us shake away for a few minutes, while we hugged the concrete column at the designated seismic safe zone. It wasn't strong enough to do any damage but it was definitely exciting! The locals hope to feel something at least every six months: any longer and that just means that more pressure is building up, along with the potential for a larger quake, as well as tsunami.
Reserva Nacional de Paracas In the morning we left for our tours, starting with Isla Ballestas where we saw hundreds or maybe thousands of sea lions and birds of all kinds. Apparently a Chinese company used to constantly harvest the guano (bird poo) for fertilizer but the Peruvian government now has a limited them to one harvest per year, in order to preserve the area. On the way we also passed by La Candelabra, a mysterious symbol carved into the side of a hill, similar to the Nazca lines; nobody knows who made it or why, which makes it extra interesting. In the afternoon our tour took us on a small bus through the Reserva Nacional de Paracas, the seemingly endless desert of sand dunes, sea fossils and dramatic sand cliffs above the ocean. It was a place unlike any other either of us has ever been. Definitely not the lush forest we were expecting, but well worth the visit!
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Nazca
We come in peace... The next day we hopped back on a bus and headed for Nazca to explore the infamous and mysterious geoglyphs - huge geometric shapes carved into the desert sand - that beg the absolute question of archeologists (aliens?). This magical place is where we really delved into the ancient cultures. We spent the afternoon at the Museo Antonini learning about the Nazca lines, ancient aqueducts and what archeologists currently know about the ancient cultures of the area that pre-dated the Incas. The next morning we flew over the lines and symbols that had been carved into the hills and plains between 400 and 650ad, and then spent the rest of the day puking and in pain... needless to say we re-scheduled our bus for the following day to Arequipa. We still don't know what made us sick - I was fine on the plane though it was a very turbulent and acrobatic flight which turned Andrew all shades of green. Andrew couldn't eat breakfast after the flight while I could, but through the day I became sick so we were both in bed trying not to think about the rotting feeling in our guts. Was it worth the flight? I guess so, but man that was a bad day!
After our time in Nazca, Andrew's sure he's solved some of the important mysteries surrounding the lines, and has presented his irrefutable arguments here.
After our time in Nazca, Andrew's sure he's solved some of the important mysteries surrounding the lines, and has presented his irrefutable arguments here.
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Arequipa
Arequipa & it's gorgeous backdrop After giving our guts some time to recover from the Nazca fiasco, we next headed to Arequipa. Admittedly we didn't do much research, again, but so far that strategy had been kind of fun because everything was a surprise, lol. Unfortunately, though, Arequipa wasn't a highlight for us and cost us a few days of travel that we could have enjoyed more. We had originally chosen to go to Arequipa to visit the Colca Canyon which sounds incredible, but we learned, once we were there, that it is another 5 or 6 hours away by vehicle, and the tour operators charge a lot of money. Trip advisor reviews were mixed and ultimately we decided to move on. We did enjoy seeing the gorgeous stone buildings and walkways and the amazing volcano backdrop to the city, but we didn't stick around long enough to really get to know the place. Many other people have said they loved the city itself - I guess you would have to love cities.
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Cusco
Plaza de Armas Our next stop on the trail was the incredible city of Cusco! We figured we had about a week to see the sights (including Machu Picchu) before having to head to Bolivia for a ten-day Vipassana meditation course we'd signed up for. While we were anxious to book a trip to the ruins, we genuinely could not help ourselves from spending time wandering the beautiful city! The roads are all cobblestone and the buildings all delicately carved. Cusco is the original Inca capital and the ancient culture is still alive and strong everywhere! The rolling hills and mountains surrounding the city are lush and green even at the high altitude, there is music everywhere and every passing face is smiling and bright. After spending a few good hours exploring and climbing the seemingly endless staircase up the surrounding hillside toward the looming Jesus statue, we made our way back down to find a travel agency.
Instead of the very busy and more expensive Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, we elected to do the Inca Jungle Trek ($185) which included a day of downhill biking, followed by two days of hiking to reach Aguas Calientes (aka Machu Picchu City), and a day to explore the ruins. Everything was set except for the looming city strike that was planned for the next morning, our departure morning. As instructed, we were ready to hit the road at 2:30am in hopes that we would be out of the city before the roads were blocked, but soon enough it was evident that we were not going anywhere. We were told we would try again the next morning but we figured this would just mean another wasted morning of sleep...
This extra day in Cusco really made things interesting for us. We figured we still had time to see Machu Picchu and make the meditation course, as long as we very quickly left for Bolivia afterward. While wandering around the city, however, we stumbled on another option that was a bit more intriguing. After some consideration, we changed our plans and swapped the ten day Vipassana course for a three day traditional Shamanistic retreat. Quite an interesting experience - we'll write more about this in an upcoming post. =)
Instead of the very busy and more expensive Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, we elected to do the Inca Jungle Trek ($185) which included a day of downhill biking, followed by two days of hiking to reach Aguas Calientes (aka Machu Picchu City), and a day to explore the ruins. Everything was set except for the looming city strike that was planned for the next morning, our departure morning. As instructed, we were ready to hit the road at 2:30am in hopes that we would be out of the city before the roads were blocked, but soon enough it was evident that we were not going anywhere. We were told we would try again the next morning but we figured this would just mean another wasted morning of sleep...
This extra day in Cusco really made things interesting for us. We figured we still had time to see Machu Picchu and make the meditation course, as long as we very quickly left for Bolivia afterward. While wandering around the city, however, we stumbled on another option that was a bit more intriguing. After some consideration, we changed our plans and swapped the ten day Vipassana course for a three day traditional Shamanistic retreat. Quite an interesting experience - we'll write more about this in an upcoming post. =)
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Machu Picchu
The rain and clouds made it more green and surreal! 
Posing seconds before the lightning struck The morning after returning from the retreat, we finally set off on our Inca Jungle Trek, making our way to the legendary Machu Picchu. The first day was a lot of fun, biking down a steep and winding cliffside road. We started the ride with a beautiful sunny day, but within the hour a large dark cloud was looming overhead. While stopped for a quick break, we were nearly struck by lightning (we actually felt the electric charge in the air, and later heard a guy claiming he felt the shock through his arms and into the bike handlebars - he even had a burn mark in his glove!). The ride then turned even more extreme as we maneuvered through the pouring rain, and even a few minutes of hail (quite painful on the face and hands!). We didn't let the storm ruin our fun, in fact it added to the excitement! We ended up in a small river town called Santa Maria, where we had a nice hot dinner and comfortable beds in a budget hostel.
The "local transportation" across the river The second day took us up into the hillside where we hiked through several little mountain settlements, learning about some of their natural products (coffee, cacoa, coca, honey, fruits and other veggies, all available at the nearby gift shop). I couldn't resist picking up a bag of fresh-roasted cacoa, SO GOOD!). Near the end of the day we trudged through another torrential downpour and then crossed over a deep river valley using the "local transportation" - a super sketchy metal basket manually pulled along a steel cable - all the while hoping we wouldn't get another taste of lightning. Finally, once the group had all made it across (with no fatalities!), we made our way down the hill and into a perfect hot spring surrounded by gigantic mountains, all happy to relax and warm up after the rain-soaked excitement. Again we ended up at a passable hostel in another town called Santa Theresa, and had some more delicious food before resting up for another day of hiking.
We felt so small amongst the giant mountains Many people from our group chose to go zip-lining for the first half of the third day, but we chose to hike instead. This was a nice change, as it meant we had an entire morning free of the constant and shrill blabber of the group of annoying Swedish teenyboppers we'd had to put up with thus far. We hiked along a very pretty road, passing by a few hydro-electric plants that were literally embedded into the mountains. After lunch (which was surprisingly even more delicious than the previous days, a difficult feat), we walked along the railroad tracks into Aguas Calientes, the last stop on the route before Machu Picchu. The town is nestled into the crutch of the immense mountains and the views were absolutely stunning! We checked into our hostel rooms early and spent the rest of the afternoon soaking in the local hot spring (not quite as pretty as the Santa Theresa ones, but still very nice) grabbing a couple beers, and heading to bed early. The morning trek would start at 4:00am to allow us to be the first ones into Machu Picchu.
The seemingly endless steps up to Machu Picchu We awoke at 4:00am to hit the road at 4:30. We reached the gates before their 5:00 opening, and once able to pass huffed and puffed our way up the steep mountain-side via the gorgeous (but awkwardly-spaced) stone staircase. It took us about fourty minutes which aparently is pretty quick - we even beat the bus containing most of the staff. Finally, we waited around until 6:00am for the final gates to open, and were amongst the first few people to enter the ruins (letting us score a few elusive tourist-free photos). Luckily, because it's relatively low-season for tourists, not that many people were up that day, giving us free range of the whole place! Our guide explained some of the history and significance of some structures and then set us free for the day. We hiked Huayna Picchu for an amazing view (though I am surprised by how sketchy the top was, very very steep - why would the 5 foot tall Incas build such awkwardly large steps?!), hiked over to the Inca bridge, and lastly made our way to the Sun Gate on the other side for the opposite view. The whole day was exhausting, though we couldn't get enough of it. Truly a wonder of the world!
To end the day we took a bus back down to Aguas Calientes (a complete rip-off at ten bucks each, but we were absolutely beat) and had just enough time to grab a quick dinner, ice cream cone, and snickers bar, before catching our train & then bus back to Cusco. What an amazing trip - it will definitely be tough to beat! We still haven't figured out how the company charged us so little. If we were to do it on our own, given the entrance and train fees, hostel stays and food, we could not have done it for less. Rainy season is the perfect time to come here (though it does rain quite a bit...) :)
To end the day we took a bus back down to Aguas Calientes (a complete rip-off at ten bucks each, but we were absolutely beat) and had just enough time to grab a quick dinner, ice cream cone, and snickers bar, before catching our train & then bus back to Cusco. What an amazing trip - it will definitely be tough to beat! We still haven't figured out how the company charged us so little. If we were to do it on our own, given the entrance and train fees, hostel stays and food, we could not have done it for less. Rainy season is the perfect time to come here (though it does rain quite a bit...) :)
Inka Jungle Trail Photos
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Machu Picchu Photos
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Puno & Lake Titicaca
The floating Islands, everything's made of reeds! The final stop on the Gringo Trail before crossing into Bolivia was Puno, a small city on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Arriving in the late afternoon after the nine hour bus ride (that should have taken six ... Latino Time strikes again!), we managed to sneak our way into a nearby hostel before getting sprayed by water or foam-from-a-can - Carnival celebrations were going strong! With the main plaza and streets hopping with people, we later went out (now armed with a couple fresh cans of spray-foam) and joined in the fun. We quickly realized that, although most people will hesitate to spray obvious tourists, as soon as you're seen holding a can you're more than fair game. Soon after surviving our first couple foam-fights with other wandering duelers, we learned a couple important lessons: that the main goal is to coat your opponent's entire face with foam (concentrating on their eyes, mouth, nose, and ears), and that, while in a fight, remember to keep your mouth closed (the foam tastes like it smells - perfumey).
The following afternoon we went on a few hour tour of the nearby floating islands, one of the more interesting aspects of Lake Titicaca. I should first mention, that despite the name, the lake does not seem to have anything to do with titties or caca (much to Mandrew's disappointment). At any rate, the floating islands are a group of more than eighty small islands made completely out of beds of dried reeds that grow in the area. About 700 years ago, a conflict between two groups of indigenous peoples led to one of the groups constructing islands and floating them out into the lake. Although the conflict ended soon after, these people have continued to live completely separate from the mainland (although they depend on Puno for things such as health care and education past grade three). Even though the tour we did was horribly touristy (quite obviously designed as a way to get tourists to buy their handmade souvenirs and give tips for eagerly-performed song and dance), it was still impressive to set foot on the islands and check out the ornately-constructed reed catamarans.
The following afternoon we went on a few hour tour of the nearby floating islands, one of the more interesting aspects of Lake Titicaca. I should first mention, that despite the name, the lake does not seem to have anything to do with titties or caca (much to Mandrew's disappointment). At any rate, the floating islands are a group of more than eighty small islands made completely out of beds of dried reeds that grow in the area. About 700 years ago, a conflict between two groups of indigenous peoples led to one of the groups constructing islands and floating them out into the lake. Although the conflict ended soon after, these people have continued to live completely separate from the mainland (although they depend on Puno for things such as health care and education past grade three). Even though the tour we did was horribly touristy (quite obviously designed as a way to get tourists to buy their handmade souvenirs and give tips for eagerly-performed song and dance), it was still impressive to set foot on the islands and check out the ornately-constructed reed catamarans.
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Despite the fact that the Gringo Trail is, well, not exactly off the beaten trail, it's probably the best way to see a whole lot of awesome things in Peru if you've only got a few weeks to do it. We spent about a month in total, but could have easily spent twice as long exploring some of the many other attractions slightly off the main drag. Packed full of interesting and in-your-face culture, history, and epic landscapes, Peru is, by far, the most interesting country we've visited yet. It's definitely a must-see on any kind of extended South American trip, in fact we'd even recommend it for a two or three week vacation from work, if you're one of those unfortunate folks who can't just quit life for a while. Well, we're off to see what Bolivia has in store, wish us luck!
Until next time, keep bein' chili!
~ Chelsea & Mandrew
Until next time, keep bein' chili!
~ Chelsea & Mandrew
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