Lake Titicaca, Part II

First off, I need to share with you a sign on the bus from Cusco to Puno.

This sign makes me wonder who exactly "Responsalisa" is and why she is in charge of keeping track of the company?  Poor thing.

Anyway, getting back to Lake Titicaca.  We loaded up a boat and putted along Lake Titicaca, which is very, very high (3,812 meters or 12,500 ft., to be exact).  It is one of the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world.  

The boat we were on was ridiculously slow, but we eventually arrived at the floating islands of the Uros people.  These people are incredible and industrious, making islands out of nothing more than dried totora reeds and their roots.  Here, a small scale version of what goes into each island:

On the bottom, roots from the totora reeds.  Above that, layers of dried totora reeds are placed in alternating directions to form the floor of the islands.  On top of that, they build houses, kitchens, decorative arches, and boats out of these same reeds.  The islands are then anchored to the bottom of the lake by ropes.  Walking on the islands, you definitely notice that you're not on solid ground.  The surface is squishy, and you really do sink down a little bit with every step.  It's pretty amazing, though, that these people have come up with so many ways to use a single plant.  They even eat the reeds, and were nice enough to give us a sample.

When the outer layers are peeled back like a banana, the inside is crispy and refreshing, but lacking in flavor.  

Nicole, Erica and Kristi are pictured here enjoying the presentation by our guide and one of the residents of the island we visited.

The Uros people themselves were extremely friendly and outgoing, and even waved to us from their island as our boat passed by.  The decorative things they make (i.e. the fish and other decorations pictured here) give each island its own character.

One little girl in particular caught our attention, as she was holding a rather large package in her arms.  We asked her what she had inside the blanket, and she told us that it was her brother.  We tried and tried to get her to show us her baby brother, but she would not.  We did hear evidence of his existence, though, as he began to cry at one point.

The Uros people have such a beautiful, bright and cheerful style of dress, and the textiles they sell are gorgeous as well.  Unfortunately, I had run out of room in my backpack by this point, so I was unable to buy any of their goods.  But, here's a picture of some people selling some of their handiwork:

After the floating islands, we took the boat for another 2 hours to the island of Taquile.  This is another island full of rich culture and traditions.  The people speak Quechua, and have all sorts of different ways of indicating who is married or single, of asking someone out on a date (the girl asks the boy in this culture), and of helping their spouses (the women cut their hair after the wedding and weave it into a thick belt, which the men wear to support their back while doing heavy lifting).  

Above is the hat that a single person would wear (the white top is supposed to indicate that there is a part of their life that is not yet fulfilled), while a married person's hat would be completely full of color.  No comment.  

This is an example of a belt with a woman's hair woven into it.

After this brief presentation, we danced with them and then were treated to a great lunch out in the open air.  It was wonderful!  The views on this island were spectacular, too, with a snow-capped mountain in Bolivia in the far distance and clear, blue water all around.

In addition to having so many neat traditions, the people on this island also do cool things like recycle the soles of old sandals and shoes and use them for things like gate springs.

Overall, the trip to Lake Titicaca was enjoyable and memorable, even despite my terrible memory.  It was fun to hang out with the 3 sisters from Minnesota, and to get to experience a way of life that is completely unique.  

Lake Titicaca

While buying a bus ticket from Cusco to Puno, I felt somebody tap my right shoulder.  Having fallen for the oldest trick in the book one too many times, I immediately looked over my left shoulder.  There, a girl about my age with red hair stood.  I figured I must know her from somewhere, and gave an enthusiastic, "HI!  How are you?!"  She, not having any idea who I was, answered, "I`m doing well- and you?"  We later figured out that 1) She never tapped my shoulder.  Either it was a ghost or my imagination. 2) She and her 2 sisters, with whom she was traveling, are all from Cottage Grove, MN. 3) She graduated from St. Ben`s 2 years before me, and studied Spanish.  Woah.  Small world, getting crowded.

As it turned out, we were all heading to the same city, so after a long bus ride (6 hours on a crowded bus, but no puking!), we reconnected and the three of them joined me in the cab to my hotel.  They ended up staying there, too, much to my delight, and we booked a tour of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, for the next day.  Ate at a nice restaurant where we got good bread, olive oil (of which the three sisters are big fans), and veggie lasagna.  Not exactly traditional Peruvian food, but oh so good.

The next morning, we woke up early, had a fabulous breakfast at the hotel that included bread, cheese, avocado, cereal, yogurt, fruit, coffee, etc. and then headed out in a station wagon for Lake Titicaca.  It was like going to camp.  Freezing cold, backpacks full of necessities like sunscreen, sunglasses, scarves, cameras, etc.

Because the lake is divided between Peru and Bolivia, and because there is a big rivalry between the two countries, the Peruvians joke that the Titi part of the name is for Peru, and the caca part is for Bolivia.  (caca= crap).  Ha!  Very clever, those Peruvians.

I`m about to be picked up in by a camión (mini-bus) for a 1-hour trip to the airport in Juliaca.  I would be lying if I said I wasn`t just a bit nervous, as all the camiones I`ve seen driving by have been packed to the gills with people.  A friend I met in Cusco said that he once had a Peruvian woman sitting on his lap for the entire camión ride.  Hopefully that won`t be the case for me.  I`ll post pictures of Lake Titicaca later, but for now, the first leg of my long journey home begins!  Cheers!

Machu Picchu, Part 2

The bus ride from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu was bumpy and full of hairpin turns, which made it difficult to finish my coffee, which did not come with a top.  I was sort of glad that I wasn´t able to see anything at that hour, because it seemed as if we were relatively close to the edge of the cliff.  We were.  Here´s an aerial view of that road.

When we got there, there were already around 100 people there- a combination of people who had just hiked the Inca Trail (which I was too late to sign up for- you have to book months in advance) and those who had walked from Aguas Calientes to Machu Picchu.  We took a group photo and then said good-bye to our Argentinian friends.

Ronald and I got our choice of what time we wanted to climb Wayna Picchu, and Ronald chose 7 AM, the earlier time.  The guidebook says to take the later one if given the choice, but I was not about to argue with someone who had just been so incredibly generous to me.  This decision ended up being a great one.  We climbed Wayna Picchu when it was still cool out (later on it got very hot), had plenty of time to play around on the top, and were able to encourage people who had chosen the 10:00 ascent as we were making our descent.  Here, I show my excitement about getting a chance to climb that beautiful mountain.

The climb up Wayna Picchu was not for the faint of heart, or the out of shape.  It kind of reminded me of the Great Wall, except that there were no fences to catch people who might fall backwards down the steps, and it was either all uphill or all downhill, depending on which part of the journey you were on.  Like the Great Wall, the stairs were all made of stone, and quite irregular.  Some were higher than my knee, which made it a bit rough, and in most places there were no hand rails.  The Incas thought of everything but hand rails.

The altitude (which starts at 7,875 ft. and finishes at 8,875 feet) was more than I'm used to.  This was really the only thing that made it difficult.  We had to stop several times to catch our breath.  One of the people we met up with on the trial pulled out a bag of...lettuce...and we put that in our cheeks and let it take effect.  Okay, so it wasn´t lettuce.  It was coca leaves.  Which is where coke comes from.  It´s only a narcotic, though, after you put it through a nasty, dirty chemical process.  Before that, it´s commonly used to treat altitude sickness.  In fact, at every hotel at a higher altitude like that offers you a complimentary cup of coca tea upon arrival.  I don´t think the coca leaves really had any effect on me, but Ronald said they made his cheek numb.  Maybe I didn´t try enough, which is fine with me.  I had no problem.

Eventually, we started getting to the point where we had some pretty sweet views of Machu Picchu.  One of the final stages of the climb was to go through two narrow tunnels, which freaked the living crap out of me.  Getting stuck in something like this is the sort of thing I have nightmares about.  I kept thinking, "Gee, I hope we don´t have an earthquake right now," which, of course, we didn´t.  Here I am, emerging from the second and final tunnel. 

Finally, after about an hour and a half of climbing and stopping along the way to take pictures, we arrived at the top.  I imagined a nice, flat, grassy area with maybe a railing or something like that.  Ha!  Right.  It was nothing more than a series of boulders, which looked like they had been dropped out of the sky at random.  Some were a bit slippery, making climbing around on them difficult.  But, the view was spectacular.

I did a little meditating at the top of the highest rock,

 tried standing up,

and only fell once (but I caught myself).

After descending the mountain (which was probably the hardest part, because you´re looking down instead of focusing on the next step up), Ronaldiño and I went to the cafe and *inhaled* some food.  I could have eaten my weight in pizza, but it was so expensive that I just got one piece.  We had also both brought snacks along with us, and stopped to eat periodically on the way up and down.

We re-entered the park and hired a tour guide (just for the two of us, for the low low price of only 20 soles, or about $7 each- it helps to go with a Peruvian) to show us around.  We took the standard photos that you might see in a postcard, with the mountain we had climbed right behind the ruins.

Our guide was very nice about taking pictures of us, which I don´t think would have been the case if we had been in a bigger group.

We stopped to pet the llamas that live on the grounds towards the end of our journey.  They apparently started out with just two, and they have since multiplied and are all over the place.

All in all, our day was fabulous.  It started out quite dismally, and then everything started going my way (thanks to Ronald).  The weather was beautiful, and it was fun to be able to see the ruins with a new friend.

Machu Picchu

I arrived in Aguas Calientes, Peru (a small town just 20 minutes outside Machu Picchu) two nights ago at 11:00 PM.  The train was about 40 minutes late in leaving, and it took its sweet time, stopping frequently to smell the roses and stargaze.  I happened to be sitting in the same area as a group of teachers, an Assistant Principal, and high school seniors from Canada who were going to be doing some volunteer work with local schools after visiting Machu Picchu.  They were a riot, and kept me entertained the whole ride.  We said our good-byes after the train finally arrived, I checked into my hostal and went right to bed.

Four hours later, I at 3:30 AM, my alarm went off.  Awesome.  It was time to make a mad dash for Machu Picchu.  Only one problem: I had been told the night before that I needed to purchase an entrance ticket for MP and a bus ticket to get there from Aguas Calientes.  I hadn´t purchased either one.  I had my heart set on climbing Wayna Picchu, the mountain behind the ruins that you see in most pictures of Machu Picchu, but knew that I´d have to be one of the first 400 people through the gates to do so.  I figured I was probably screwed, that there would be no more entrance tickets to Machu Picchu for that day, and that even if I did get a ticket, I wouldn´t have a guinea pig´s chance in Peru of making it in time to climb Wayna Picchu. But, I had to at least try.

So, I walked to the front of the bus line, which was already about 50 people deep by 4:15 AM, and asked a Peruvian man (whom I assumed was a worker, as he was very well dressed and stood out amongst all the North Face gear toting, backpack wearing tourists) where I might go to pick up an entrance ticket to Machu Picchu.  "I still have to do that, too," he replied.  "It´s right around the corner, off the Plaza de Armas.  I`ll meet you there in a little bit.  The office opens at 5."  I wandered around, found the place, and was the first to arrive.  Sat on the steps and ate my breakfast, a sad little cheese sandwich from the hostal, and drank a bottle of water.  I tried to avoid eye contact with a drunk man wandering through the plaza, and was greeted by two very giddy girls who had just spent the evening doing God only knows what kind of substances with a shaman.

The man I met in the bus line was the next to arrive, and he introduced himself as Ronald from Chiclayo, a northern coastal city.  He is 26 years old and works as a mechanical engineer in Lima.  He had arrived by train at 1 AM that morning and, instead of paying through the nose for a hotel (hotels in Aguas Calientes tend to price gouge), decided to just wander around the city for a couple hours.  He got in line for the bus at 3 AM, met an Argentinian family that got in line behind him, and then had them hold his place in line while he went to pick up his tickets.  So, basically he was in the same boat as me, except that he had a sweet spot in line and I was on track to be way back, in danger of not even being one of the first 400 people through the door (and thus not being able to climb Wayna Picchu).  After talking for a while, he offered to let me come with him to the front of the bus line.  I almost peed my pants in excitement.  Obviously the answer was yes.

So, problem solved.  We bought both of the tickets necessary, went to the front of the line (which I felt HORRIBLE doing, but I´ve been budged in front of so many times on this trip that I feel like it´s kind of just how things work around here) and nobody complained.  Got coffee orders from the whole group after introducing myself and hurried off to hook them up with a caffeine fix (which, really, was the least I could have done).  We stood in line, getting to know each other and sipping coffee, and I wondered what I had ever done to get so lucky.

Galapagos Islands

I`m happy to report that my cruise throughout the Galapagos Islands went off without a hitch.  Having already paid my homage to the porcelain gods in the Amazon, I escaped seasickness thanks to my good friend Dramamine and a couple of sea bands, which are nothing more than elastic bracelets with a plastic ball that presses on pressure points on the wrist.  Some of the other 15 passengers on the boat were not so lucky, and I was able to commiserate with them and share my motion sickness remedies (with varied results).
Our voyage started on Baltra Island, and hit various hot spots on Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Rabida, Santiago, Española, and Floreana Islands. 

For an 8-day cruise, that was a lot!  They kept us very busy, and as a result, most nights people were in bed, conked out, by 9:30.  Except for the second night, when we had a dance party with music provided by my iPod.  But that was a pretty early night, too. 

We mostly cruised overnight, which was great for me but torture for others.  I took a Dramamine, put my sea bands on, and was oblivious to the rocking and swaying that kept some people up all night puking. 

Most mornings I was the first to wake up (maybe due to having to wake up at 4:30 a.m. for the past month?) and thus got to see some awesome sunrises. 

Our first full day, we went snorkeling in a bay full of sea lions and blue footed boobies.  This was my first time ever snorkeling, and I was taught using the South American method: being given snorkel gear and then getting yelled at to jump in already.  Fortunately, my shipmates were more patient with me and actually explained what to do.  As soon as I overcame my fear of breathing underwater, I was swimming along.  Sea lions zoomed around right below me, breaking up schools of brightly colored fish.  I swam to a nearby rock to unfog my goggles at one point, and looked up.  To my right, a lazy sea lion sunned itself.

To my left, a blue footed booby took a break from the action. 

Right above me, a marine iguana sneezed salt water.

All around me, brightly colored crabs walked sneakily sideways. 

It was then that I realized the true magic of this place.  Because the animals have very few natural predators, they are fearless, making it easy to approach, observe, and even interact with them.  I had a lot of fun with one sea lion in particular on the red sand beach of Rabida Island. We bantered back and forth for a bit, played a game of monkey see, monkey do, then shimmeyed our way to the ocean.  Well, at least he did.  I discovered that I haven`t yet evolved enough to be able to drag myself along like that. Maybe someday.

That`s all I`ve got time for right now.  My flight for Arequipa is about to leave.  More to come! 

Patty