The Floating Islands of Puno, Peru

Hola familia y amigos,

We are currently in Puno, Peru waiting for our bus to take us to Cuzco where we will begin our trip to Machu Picchu. We were scheduled to leave at 8:30 this morning, but there is a hospital strike going on right now preventing all vehicles from crossing into Cuzco. Our plans have changed and we will now be boarding a bus at 9:30 in the evening. No problem though, it gives us some time to write the blog. We spent the last three nights on the shores of Lake Titicaca in the city of Puno. Lake Titicaca is the highest lake in the world at an elevation of 3,812 meters or 12,507 feet. It is easy to feel exactly how high you are when you are trying to walk up the hills. It is amazing how people climb at elevations twice this altitude. We only had two full days in Puno as we are starting to take a less relaxed approach to traveling. On the first day, we strolled around the city visiting the main squares, alleyways, and viewpoints. On the second day, we took a boat to the Uros islands, or floating islands. They are man made islands that people actually live on (or some think, used to live on). They now have a whole tourist setup around them. There are 70 apparently inhabited islands in total. Each island has a president who serves for a period of one year. They make money by hunting, fishing and selling products to tourists. There is much debate as to whether the islands are still inhabited, but they are still beautiful to see as long as you can forget you are on a gigantic tourist trap. Please enjoy the following images from our short stay in Puno

On the way over, we stopped in the coastal city of Copacabana. It was very beautiful and we were sad that we didn't get to spend a day or two




After a full day of traveling from Sucre, to La Paz, to Copacabana, to Puno, we finally made it to our beautiful hotel in the center of the city




Day one

The main square and cathedral










Our tiring walk to the condor mirador called Kuntur Wasi. It's not the distance or the height, but the lack of oxygen that makes it challenging







Check out that wingspan. The condor's is pretty good also




The view from the top overlooking the entire city of Puno (at over 4000 meters)







After the mirador, we walked around the city




And ate lunch with the locals- $2.00 per person gets you a heaping bowl of soup, a plateful of chicken and rice, and a drink




We haven't seen richshaws since Southeast Asia







A market by the water




We ended our day with a visit to the lake
















A lot of boats waiting to take tourists to the islands







Day two

We woke up early in the morning to get on a boat that we had reserved the day before. We had a conversation (in Spanish mind you) with the very friendly captain. He told us the details of the trip and we agreed to go. The boat would leave in the morning, visit three islands and return late in the afternoon. But apparently we missed something. When we got on the boat the next morning, we started talking to a French couple who asked us if we were spending the night on the last island. Although we would have loved to do this, we already had a bus booked to Cuzco for early the next morning. As it turns out, we could have gone anyway, but I digress. Anyway, we told the French couple that we would be coming back in the afternoon. Just in case, I asked the captain, "the boat is coming back today, isn't it." "No, tomorrow," he replied. Our Spanish isn't great but we definitely know the word for tomorrow. He must have thrown in a word like overnight or something similar in our previous conversation. Long story short, we had to get off the boat right before it was going to leave and board a different boat that was only going to the first set of islands. We were a bit disappointed, but learned an important lessons: when you don't understand a language completely, ask more questions

Mila on the top of our new boat ready to depart




En route to the floating islands







Glassy water




Puno behind us







The welcoming committee to the island. It's a very touristy, unique experience







The floating islands










We stopped on one island (1 of 70) and were told about the history of the island and how it was made




This is the "president" of the island we visited telling us how they make the islands and explaining how they hunt ducks to eat




Elsewhere on the island







At one point, the inhabitants tried to sell us their products, but they weren't pushy at all and they did have some nice things




From the watchtower, a view over several islands. The president told us that if they don't like their neighbors, they can literally tug the whole island to a different location




We were then all invited to take this boat to the capital of the whole area







Before we left, these ladies sung, "Row, row, row your boat" to us in five languages




We were being pushed by a motorboat but still needed someone to direct course




On board this little girl sang a song for us, tips accepted. She didn't look very excited about it though. It was probably the fifth time of the day that she performed the same number








Another boat rowing past us




At then we reached the capital of Uros










The view from above




From inside one of the homes




Mila wondering, "maybe life could be even better if I lived on an island like this."




On the way back home. My dreams of being president of my very own floating island will have to wait... for now




We hope everyone is doing well. We can't wait to see you guys in under a month now. Stay tuned for more adventures to come in Cuzco and Machu Picchu

-Mila and Scott


Disclaimer- images on www.wherethewindtakesus.com may not be copied or distributed without permission


- Posted around the world from our iPad

Location:Jr. Lambayeque,Puno,Peru