Random Projects

Lake Titicaca (there seem to be so many ways to spell this, I’m sticking with this version). Straddling Peru and Bolivia, I’m sure rivalries have been serious in the past. Today though, it seems that the main preoccupation is who has the Titi (titi) and Caca (poo) part.

The lake is famous for it’s floating islands and reed boats. Originally a way to escape Spanish taxes and other colonial tinkering. Now, if it wasn’t for the tourists these islands and way of life would almost certainly not exist anymore. Some might say that the way of life has already gone and what you see is purely for the tourists. Look behind the wonderfully manicured islands and the picture postcard houses on them and you’ll probably find a motor boat rather than a reed boat. How many people actually live on these islands after the tourists go home I have no idea.

We went for a full day trip to the floating islands and Taquile island (you can do half days that only take in the floating islands). This trip from Puno is shamelessly touristy! One look at the harbor will confirm just how popular this trip is with hundreds of boats moored up ready for the morning rush. I think if you go with this in mind, you won’t be disappointed though.

Whatever the reality is, they put on a good show here. Just stepping on the islands is fun, they don’t bob up and down but they’re really springy. We got a little talk about the lake and how the islands and boats are made (out of reeds of course) and then ate some of the reeds. Very nice. Good for the thyroid apparently, so I’ll bare that in mind! We were then shown the inside of one of the houses. I really don’t know if it was used or not. The main thing I wanted to do though was wander and check out the islands. The final part was an optional ride on the reed boat.

The visit to Isla Taquile is probably worth it too just for the views [more]

Tourist spotting over Taquile square

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Woops! Totally forgot about this until just now. In Arequipa there’s a town within a town. A huge convent behind a huge wall now mostly open to the public. Only 30 nuns live there now (down from hundreds in the 15th century) and the place is run as a huge museum. The nuns are still there going about their business but you’ll never see them as they live in seclusion just as they have always done. Here’s some pics..

and Arequipa main plaza…

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We’d heard horrible stories of the crossing from Peru to Bolivia at Copacabana and the UK Government travel advice website only reinforced those stories. People left right and center trying to scam you, asking for fees and trying to get passports off you and other really great things.

We’d heard it was possible to book a trip from Puno on the Peru side that included the border crossing and transport right the way to La Paz in Bolivia. We went to a few travel agents and got pretty vague answers and ridiculously cheap prices neither of which filled us with confidence we’d actually get to La Paz.

Then we heard about a “luxury” hydro foil trip that took you to Isla Sol (the birthplace of the Incas), which we really wanted to go to anyway and gave you lunch and dinner and on the way. And basically walked you through the border crossing, holding your hand all the way. We booked this at great expense, but had no regrets at all.

Of course the reality of the border crossing was nothing like the scare stories and website trouble making made out and I think anyone taking just a normal bus trip over the border could easily make it over in one piece! Either the authorities have done a really really good job of cleaning the place up or all the scammers had taken the day off. The closest we got to any trouble was a kid asking to change an Ozzy dollar he’d been given to Peruvian. It’s not that obvious where you should go on either side of the border to get your exit stamp in Peru and entrance stamp in Bolivia, both offices are just mixed in with various shops though and we were glad our guide took care of everything. If you speak Spanish I’d imagine there’d be no problem. If not, then as long as there’s a group of you on the bus and one person knows where to go I’d imagine there’d be no problem too. All the offices are defiantly on the left side of the road going from Peru to Bolivia. You need to go to two offices in Peru; the police and the passport offices and just the immigration office in Bolivia.

Peru – Bolivia border. Bolivian entrance stamp office just to the left through this arch.

Anyway, back to our luxury trip. A short bus ride from the border got us to Copacbana. It wasn’t quite a hydro foil waiting for us but a very nice catamaran at least!

After some sightseeing in Copacabana, the cathedral and market etc we boarded our catamaran bound for the Isla we Sol and then onwards to the northern Bolivian coast where another bus was waiting for us to take us all the way to La Paz.

Isla del Sol was great fun. It did kind of lull us into a false sense of security though and some of the Bolivia we’d encounter later was a far cry from the organised and very pleasant Isla del Sol!

There’s a really good little museum,

some good stuff about the reed boats, we got blessed by a shaman,

rowed a reed boat (well it was a reed catamaran and it had a motor, but apart from that it was completely authentic… honest!)

all in the space of a few hours.

First sight of La Paz…

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What kind of madness possessed us to sign up to a treck 1.3km straight down then 1.3km staright up a canyon! I’m really not sure. Anyway three days and two nights later we’d done it, knackered and aching.

Injuries!

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After a nasty shock with the departure tax at Quito airport (US$40 each!) We made it to Lima. We’ve been here in Peru before and had an amazing time on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and then the Amazon Jungle at the Manu national park. This time it’s quite different and we’re rushing through, bussing right down from Lima to Arequipa in one big bus ride.

We’re actually staying in Lima, something we shyed away from last time. A quick search of hostelworld.com back home turned up a place called Backpackers Family House in the Miraflores area of Lima. A great place and the Miraflores area is brilliant. And Lima has a beach and pier! I never knew that! It shows how little attention we paid to it last time.

This hostel deserves a mention for sure. These guys literally went out of their way to make us feel at home, show us around, give us info and call us cabs. It’s small, so not a place to remain anonymous by any means. Although you could certainly be left alone if you wanted we were welcomed into the place with introductions and beer and info/maps galore. We missed the Pisco Sours unfortunately but the next day everyone was invited out to a local restaurant by the hostel owner for Cervicha (Raw fish marinaded in lime juice which has the effect of cooking it – see Hugh Farnley Whittingstall for more!). I think it said a lot that almost everyone staying there went out to this. Of course we had to pay our bill but apparently this was a common thing about once a week.

I guess Miraflores is the posh residential area of Lima. It’s got loads of good restaurants and an amazing supermarket. It seems completely save and I think that’s for a good reason, there are police and security guards everywhere for the wealthy residents as much as for tourists I’d say.

Miraflores is a great base to use in Lima and a good place to relax and get supplies from food to electronics and outdoor gear.

There are even some ruins, right in the middle of the city but I can’t the pics right now!