Puno

Last weekend we took a trip to see the city of Puno and Lake Titicaca, and had a great time! The lake, as surely you remember from geography class, carries the distinction of being the highest navegable lake in the world, sitting at about 12,500 ft. Thankfully none of us had any problems with the altitude, and we could enjoy the beautiful landscape. Puno itself was not so lovely, and there was little to do or see besides the lake, but the weather sure threw us for a loop. Our first night there, as we sat down to dinner, the dark clouds we had seen earlier opened up for a very welcome thunderstorm. This would have been exciting enough, as we haven't seen rain for months, but it then began hailing! Pea-sized hail fell for a good half-hour, leaving the ground covered in almost an inch of white.

The following day we took the morning to visit Los Uros, the floating islands. These are whole communities built on piles of reeds 3-4 meters thick, so they are literally floating on the Lake. It's a fascinating place, an ancient culture, though mostly sustained now by tourism. The Uros are a 20-minute boat-ride from Puno, and the air is so clear up that high, that just being out on the lake had a particular brilliance.

After Noah's afternoon nap, we explored more of the city, and found our way to an overlook. The next morning we finished up our time in Puno with a trip to the Yavari, a British steamboat that was hauled up the Andes from the Pacific in 1863, in parts, over a period of six years. Amazing!

The city of Puno

Plaza de Armas - always Noah's favorite spot

This is my new favorite form of Peruvian transportation. These guys are all over Puno, and they work hard!

Out on the lake, with a traditional reed boat

This was their rough visual aid for explaining how the islands work. The loose reeds (on which we stood) were stacked on top of blocks of thick mud, clay and reeds - all floating, but anchored to the lake bottom.

Reeds, reeds everywhere! They even eat the inside of them when fresh, and we got to try a few bites.

You can actually spend the night afloat on the main island in this "hotel" - rustic, to say the least. Pick your own hut.

One of Noah's favorite words is "agua", so he was beside himself to be surrounded by it on a boat.

The Yavari

Captain Noah!