"c" is for Casual....laid back in Puno.

I don't really know what to say about Puno. It's a nice enough little city, but unremarkable. With a population of about 100,000 people it's not huge, but it's big enough to have lots of different areas. It's small enough that I felt quite comfortable going for a walk early in the morning....where I saw this remnant of someone's evening....wine and cake....my kind of party....cake and wine...my kind of people!

Puno seemed to have a lot of smallish and separate areas. Our hotel was in an older area with lots of narrow streets, a a few tiny shops. It wasn't a particularly nice area,  at least that's what I thought at first, until I wandered around the streets a bit and realized that most of Puno looked the same. Old, a bit run down, some beautiful colonial buildings that needed some upkeep. Like a grand old lady who was trying to look young, but not quite succeeding. Remember the movie with Gloria Swanson, she played Norma Desmond, the ancient actress who "was ready for her close-up."? The movie was sad, but Carol Burnett did a hysterical spoof of it. That's what Puno is like. But, I digress....

Just a short two blocks from our hotel was the main square, with the inevitable cathedral, beautifully lit up at night.

During the day, it was more of a hang out for locals.

Typical little boys, horsing around on their way to school.

There was quite a lovely traffic-free area just off of this square, loaded with restaurants and shops, banks and cafes. There was a Scotia Bank there, always surprises me to see my local bank in a foreign country...it sort of gives one a comfy, soothing feeling, other than the fact that none of my cards, both debit and credit would work in my "local" banks....they did, however, work in strange machines with no visible connection to North America, and no English on the machines.  That's one reason why I always order some local currency before I go anywhere...you just never know.

Margy and I wandered down the street one evening and got caught in a horrendous downpour, one of the very few rainstorms that we saw on this whole trip. So what do you do when you are caught in rain in a city in South America? Why you find a spot to drink some wine of course....

Almost all the tiny restaurants have these little wood burning pizza ovens that produce the best pizza ever!. Really! We sat and enjoyed the wine and the rain and the people watching and the atmosphere....I was finding it hard to believe I was in Puno, and Margy was finding it hard to believe she had returned to the same restaurant she had enjoyed a glass of wine in the last time she was here!

It was a casual, wonderful evening, just wandering around the streets and seeing the sights.

Housing is cheap...maybe I'll buy a summer home here, this place is for sale,...I'll bet I could pick it up for pennies on the dollar.

The stores in Puno are tiny and sweet. None of the big, multi purpose stores. You want a book? Stop in at the bathroom sized bookstore:

You want a religious icon? Stop in at the tiny bathroom sized religious icon store:

You want a cookie? (Yes please) Stop in at the bathroom sized cookie store:

You want a bathroom? Stop in at the, ummmm...bathroom sized bathroom store:

The more I wandered around Puno, the more this quirky little city at the top of the world appealed to me.

As I was walking back to the hotel from the traffic-free street, I could hear a barking dog. It was quite loud and non-stop. I looked everywhere, but couldn't see any dogs at all, until I looked up and spotted this fellow, being a look-out dog I suppose, at the very top of this yellow building.

This was early in the morning, before the shop had opened, so I guess he was just shouting a joyful hello to everyone. Either that, or he was somehow stranded and needed help, I prefer to think the former.

 

The food in Puno was simple and fresh and delicious. Bread and olives before the antipasto plate

The antipasto plate before lunch. Fresh focaccia (or something similar) fresh fruit, avocado, a veggie sort of pancake thing, cheese, more olives and tasty tomatoes, and sadly.....Doritos. 

And lunch, a yummy chicken soup.

This was the outside of the restaurant. Because the buildings are so old, the outside is not at all indicative of what is past the doorway.

The inside was bright and cheery. 

Closer to the dock area, at the edge of Lake Titicaca was a large handicraft market. The prices were surprisingly inexpensive and I picked up a few more items...good thing that alpaca scarves and sweaters and ponchos and socks and hats and earwarmers and mitts all squish up into a ball that doesn't weigh too much. Did I really buy all those things? Ummm...yeah, as well as mugs and a plate and some coffee and...and...and....

This picture doesn't show how the market actually was. There were a lot of rows, each filled with many little stalls, similar to this one:

Wandering through this area of Puno was a bit nicer than our hotel area. Not any "newer" or more modern, it was just as old and decrepit, but there seemed to be fewer tourists, it was a bit of a walk from the main square and the traffic-free tourist area to the docks where the boats left for Lake  Titicaca tours, most people took the rickshaws or taxis, so this area was a bit less walked through.

 Interesting looking Holistic store.

Football games.

Another small plaza.

Interesting signs and walls. I'm not sure what the rooster graffiti is about. "Lucho" means "fight"...ooh, could be underground cockfighting? (Cockfighting at Titicaca ....an immature persons dream sentence...snicker, snicker) However, "Alcalde" means "mayor". So I don't know....calling the mayor names? Someone wants to fight the mayor? The roosters name is Mayor?  I guess I'll never know.

Eventually we ended up back at our hotel.

Supper...trout and potatoes. I was beginning to doubt that I was going to get to try guinea pig. When we were at a nicer type of place, it was never on the menu, or, if it was, it was priced ridiculously high...in the $45 range...screwing the tourists...and when I did see it on a menu priced reasonably it was invariably at a place where I'd be hesitant to eat a rodent. 

On our final night in Puno we went to a very nice, albeit very touristy restaurant, but the "good" kind of touristy...dinner and a show. I'm always kind of partial to this kind of place because you get to see traditional dance and dress. Sure, it's put on strictly for tourists, but how else are you going to see traditional costumes and dances? It's not like you stumble across dancers dressed authentically, just dancing down the street. Pay close attention to that last sentence.

Here are some pictures of the dancers, there were musicians as well, and I thought it was spectacular.

You know how sometimes you go to performances and everything is just little tatty and grubby? Hems are slightly falling down, sequins are missing here and there, feathers are missing bits and pieces, clothes just look a bit faded and shopworn? It's always a bit sad to see the reality behind the glitter. Well, this was none of that. Everything was shiny and glittery and spotless. It was extremely impressive, especially in a remote and impoverished city. 

Hands a blur, he played so fast.

Very sexy cowgirls!

Aaaand, the best dessert ever...I don't know what it was, some sort of sweet, creamy, cheesy, mousse-ish delight.

And, more importantly.....oh yeah, I had a guinea pig for dinner. Little paws and teeth included.

It's presentation. It was quartered, each leg dressed in frilly tassels, the head looking  the other way. I figured if I was going to eat it, I'd look it straight in the eyes as I did so. I mean, what the hell, if you're gonna do something, do it wholeheartedly.

What a great final meal in Puno....dinner, dancing, dessert. 

And that is Puno. I hated to say goodbye, but the next morning was our final bus trip, back across part of the altiplano, to the black market city of Juliaca to catch a flight to Lima. Our journey is quickly coming to its end. And I'm very sad at that thought.

"B" is for behind, as in belated, not as in bum.

It's been two and half weeks since  I've posted anything, all sorts of little things have been going on here, boring, regular things, but things that needed to get done nonetheless, also a 10 day mini vacay to Nevada....stories of that will come later. As well as a semi interesting hospital story. But now it's time to get back to Peru! 

Puno. Funny name to say, considering the lake it's near....get it? "Poo-no, near Lake Titicaca"  Oh seriously Shannon, grow up.

The hotel here was another unique and quirky place, where I had a teensy room. You can't see it in this picture, but there was a mini alcove right beside the door, with one chair and a small round table, barely enough room to sit at. I didn't actually sit there because there was no light. I guess it would be a good place for quiet contemplation. The bathroom was large and bright and sizable, I'd be better off to sit in there, I'm not saying that I did you undestand. But for the amount of time I spent in the room, it was fine.

The morning buffet was like all the others, except this one had a toaster so one could have "real" toast, but still only white bread. I know it was healthy (ish) since it was all preservative free, and freshly made, but I just have an aversion to white bread. White bread and Nescafé....two things I really dislike and those are the two things I saw so much of. Ah well....you know, when in Rome.....

Besides, there was much more than just toast, there was fresh fruit, slices of meat and cheese, pitchers of yogurt (as opposed to pictures of yogurt) hard boiled eggs and a scrambley egg thing, as well as juices. And Nescafé. I'm not a breakfast eater anyway.

First thing on today's agenda was our visit to the floating islands of Uros! Let me give you some information on these, because its just fascinating. Oh but wait, first let me show you how we got to the docks: 

How fun is this? I've never had my ass pedaled somewhere before. Which, understand, is different than peddling my ass.

Anyhow,  The floating islands of Uros are made from the tortora reeds, and here is a quick Wikipedia piece of info, read it through though, it's quite amazing:

" totora is a cattail type rush growing native in the lake. Its dense roots support the top layer, which rots and must be replaced regularly by stacking more reeds on top of the layer beneath. The islands change in size, and more are created as the need arises. The largest island is currently Tribuna. The surface of the islands is uneven, thin, and some liken walking on it to walking on a waterbed. The unwary might not notice a thin spot and sink a leg or more into the frigid waters of the lake."

And what they mean by "the islands change as need arises" is exactly that....if you have a quarrel with your family, you cut your island in half and float away, if you get married or just decide to become a larger family, you attach your islands together. So that's why they never know how many islands there really are...it depends on the latest family feud, or lack thereof. Isn't that really amazing? I love it!

The people that live there are the Uros tribe, they actually pre-date the Incas and speak a whole different language, called Aymara. 

So. We took our little rickshaw down to the docks, the drivers racing  each other, just for fun, veering around corners and almost doing a "bump to pass" type of thing, it was speedy and fun. There is a large and extremely intriguing market near the docks that I'm anxious to explore later.

We boarded our boat, just us, it was a private boat, which was nice, and set off for the islands.

What? Ewwwww.....all that algae....it was pretty disgusting, but it was just in this docking sort of area. The lake itself is cold and clean, I'm not sure what this muck was all about.

Our tourist boat, which had the open top part, and a bathroom as well. Very comfy. The pilot/guide was very informative and explained about what we would see and do. He taught us a few words of Aymara  as well, so that we could at least say hello and thank you and be respectful.

Oh! Speaking of respectful, I was rereading my post about Juliaca and I noticed that I commented on not taking pictures and then I posted 3 pictures...I meant to post that those were stock pictures from a website, not from my camera. 

Back to Uros, the first island we came to was the hospital. Yes, a floating island hospital. 

Not much, but better than nothing. I would imagine that serious cases go to the hospital in Puno 

The islands are constantly rotting from underneath, so new reeds are laid on top, it's an ongoing process. An island lasts about 30 years, but there is a huge amount of maintenance to keep it livable for that length of time. All the tourists that visit cause the islands to deteriorate quicker, but the money helps the people survive and live healthier and happier lives, so once again it's the dilemma of eco tourism and are we really helping or not? More and more of the youth are moving to the mainland, and eventually the islands will be no more.

Each island gets visited in a rotation so that there won't be one family or group that profits from tourism more than another. These are some pictures from "our" family of the day. The men were out fishing, so the women were in charge today. They were  making crafts to sell and tending the children. 

Little Juan had a cold and was given a tortora reed to chew. The white inner part acts similar to aspirin, and is used for teething, colds, fever and hangovers. If its split open and laid upon the forehead, it cures headaches. Parts of are pounded into a paste for a "potato" type of meal, parts are dried and then ground into a flour for breads. The rest of the reed is used to build boats and homes, not to mention the islands themselves. Isn't Nature astounding? What a provider.

Starting some embroidery.

Fresh duck eggs daily! Their diet consists of fish, sea birds, eggs and grains.

This is home. A large bed, clothes are hung on ropes stretched across the roof. There are small tables made with the reeds where dishes are kept, along with, oddly enough, a small TV....an old, old one with rabbit ears, they do manage to pick up signals now and then. Most islands have a small generator  for a bit of occasional electricty. I wondered about the gaps in the roof, what happens when it rains? Apparently, the totora reeds swell up when they get wet, and close the gaps. I wonder how much rain gets in before that happens though?

I sat on the "ground" for but a moment to snap this picture and my bum was wet. No wonder the kids have constant colds and pneumonia. Everything seems damp, even inside the house, the bed seemed cold and clammy.

The boats are fantastic though, like something from Middle Earth. This is from the top of the boat, leaving the island we visited. 

We clambered up that boat, up top, which did seem a bit precarious, and we were taken to an island that had a tiny restaurant on it. 

The women rowed us there. I can't imagine how heavy the boat was, these were strong women.

Our boat, docked at the restaurant island. You can see the rickety ladder that we used to get up to the top "balcony". My big fear was that the whole boat would tip over,but the women seemed confident and unconcerned. 

Below is the tiny island with the restaurant. Note how the kids play right beside the water, kids that are hardly old enough to walk! My heart was in my throat. Apparently the children learn to float almost before they learn to walk. Actual swimming is not taught at a young age, but floating is obviously crucial. The water is so cold, that to a small child, hypothermia sets in very quickly.

I had a cup of coffee, or should I say Nescafé, along with a really tasty deep fried piece of quinoa bread. It's was chewy and sweet, drizzled with a touch of honey. Yummy! 

One of the ladies with us had a very bad headache that day, and when she mentioned it to our guide, Shidy, she took her by the arm and led her to this tiny bush planted in a little plot of dirt near the restaurant and plucked a few leaves and told her to chew them up. The plant is called "ruda" and acts like acetaminophen. Within minutes, her headache had lessened, and shortly after, it was gone!

It's the plant in the centre, with lots of tiny leaves. Just one amazement after another. It was really a day I'll never forget. Seeing something or somewhere that you've always been fascinated by, but never really dreamed you'd ever see is a mind blowing moment. I was sad it was over.

I'd have loved to stay longer, and to have had a chance to have a cup of tea brewed on their tiny stove/oven. I imagine a fire here could be quite a catastrophe.....I'll bet playing with matches gets more than just a "time out".

Heading back to Puno.

What a day. What a day.