If I had a Boat

...I´d go out on Lake Titicaca...and we did!

After watching the sunrise over the lake during breakfast, we boarded a boat with 15 other eager tourists and set out for our day on the world´s highest commercially navigatable lake. Our first stop was the floating island of Uros. This was one of the most unique things I have ever seen. The Aymara people construct these islands out of reeds that grow abundantly in the lake. There are about 35 islands, but this number varies. Stepping onto the floating island felt like stepping onto a water bed of hay. After a brief educational lecture from our guide (most of which I understood in Spanish, but was happy he repeated himself in English), we walked around the island which was about three times the size of my apartment. All the people were dressed traditionally and there was a little girl who was about 2 who kept us entertainted. After a ride in a traditional reed boat paddled quietly by one of the men we arrived at a more ¨commercial¨ island that was complete with a small store and restaurant. We then boarded our boat and headed off to a natural island of Taquile. The trip accross Puno Bay took us about 2 hours and it made me realize just how enormous this lake is.

Once we arrived to Taquile, we hiked up to the top of the island and learned about the traditional weaving and dances of these people. The high altitude made us feel like we were really out of shape. At a local community house, we enjoyed the most scenic lunch ever (including some more delicious quinua soup)! We were over looking the lake with the beautiful blue water with well as snow-capped mountains in the distance in Bolivia.

After lunch we hiked back down the other side of the island to meet back up with our boat. As we walked carefully down the 500 vertical steps, I thought to myself how happy I was to be going down these and not up. There were so many picture perfect moments and I just could not capture them all..nor do the pictures do any real justice to the majestic views.

Once our boat arrived, our guide was nowhere to be found. Luckily, the captain of the boat was there, but after a considerable amount of time waiting the captain informed us that we had to leave. Our guide would be left on the island for the night! (what?!, I mean what if that had been us..would they have just left us??...oh, so glad it was us!)

Well, poor Herman was left while we cruised the 3 hours back to Puno. It was unbelievable watching the sunset over Lake Titicaca. As I sat on the top of the boat with the cool wind blowing in my hair, I thought to myself, ¨this is the stuff adventures are made of!¨

If I had a Boat, Lyle Lovett

She Finally Spoke Spanish

Day 2 began with an adventure. It was off to Puno today, so we had to go to the Lima airport to fly to Juliaca. Our driver picked us up 2 hours before our flight (we are thinking that is plenty of time) and it took over an hour to navigate through the traffic filled streets of Lima. Along the way, we practiced our Spanish with the driver and were able to find out some interesting things. He informed us that he was looking for an American girl to marry and that his favorite book is The Secret. That is just a two of the many fun tidbits we talked about. During our drive I also noticed that the Chili´s we passed looks exactly like the ones in the U.S. and that I haven´t seen the sun since we arrived in Lima. The clouds and smog are too busy getting in the way.

When we finally arrived at the airport (oh, forgot to tell you that we have no proof of tickets, no reservation number for our flight...nothing), our guide from the travel agency kept asking me for the flight information and I kept telling us we did not have anything because he had not given us anything. Luckily, when he hurried us to the LAN Peru check in desk and we showed them our passports it turns out that we do have reservations after all...phew!

After checking that our reservation for the flight for the end of the trip was in fact secured as well, we headed upstairs to the departure lounge. While it was now about 10 minutes until our flight was supposed to leave, the travel agency representative didn´t seem worried at all. He told us to get some mate de coca at Dunkin Donuts (yes, they sell coca tea at Dunkin Donuts in Peru) because it is supposed to help with altitude sickness. Then, we said our goodbyes, payed the domestic flight departure tax, went through security and headed to our gate.

Our flight departed late and we had a stop over in Cusco, but we finally made it to the Juliaca airport. On the flight I sat by a really nice Peruvian mountain guide who was super excited to return home for his birthday celebration and his mother had made is favorite meal--cuy (yes folks, that means guinea pig). Before leaving he gave me a little lucky bean that they have here in Peru. It is a little red and black bean and I put it in my pocket for safe keeping.

The airport in Juliaca was much more like the Peru I was picturing--one runway and a "baggage claim" that was one belt where you could see they guy outside putting your bags on the belt. We enjoyed some traditional Andean music from a band while we waited. We still were not enirely sure if our "tour" had been booked (the company we used never really sent us full comfirmation), so we were hoping someone was there to meet us. And there was! Again, holding a sign with my name on it. Our driver drove us through Juliaca and over to Puno about a 45 minute ride. On the way we finally saw more of what I was expecting to see in Peru--traditionally dressed women, mototaxis, dirt roads, delapitated building--and it was exciting!

We again practiced our Spanish with the driver on the way to the hotel and I felt much more capable than the day before. I started to feel like I might actually be able to communicate. We stopped for a picture overlooking Lake Titicaca..can´t believe I am actually here!

After quickly dropping our bags at the hotel we set out to look around Puno. We walk to the main plaza and stopped in the Cathedral. Turns out there was going to be a wedding there later tonight, so we ended up going.

We eat dinner at La Cosona and we try some of our first authentic Peruvian meals. I eat quinua soup with vegetables. Quinua is a grain that reminds me of cous-cous and they put it in soups, eat it as a side or as cereal. It is my new favorite soup! I also gave up my (mostly) vegetarian ways and tried an alpaca steak. It was a little gamey at first, but I ended up liking it with my side of quinua. The alpaca sort of reminded me of a mix between dark meat chicken and pork.

Well, another great day and we went to bed looking forward to our day on Lake Titicaca.

She Finally Spoke Spanish (to me), Joe Ely