We were on a bus from Copacabana on the eastern side of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, and were travelling to the western side of Lake Titicaca, which is across the border in Peru. The border crosses this amazing Lake which is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3,812 m above sea level, and the largest lake in South America in terms of water volume and surface area.
 |
| Lake Titicaca with distant Andes Mountains |
It sits on the Andes Altiplano (high plains) and from certain points on our drive around the lake to Peru, we could see various peaks of the Andes Mountains.
We were looking forward to Peru - we'd planned a month there to explore its mountains, beaches, rainforests, deserts, cities, villages, and cultural history.
Our first stop in Peru was Puno, a city of over 140,000 people located on the western banks of Lake Titicaca at a breath-taking 3,826 m above sea level.
 |
| Tour Peru bus and tuk-tuk near Puno, Peru |
Driving into Puno, our Tour Peru bus had a minor altercation with a tuk tuk. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and we carried on with our trip, but we got our first close-up view of Puno's colourful tuk-tuks.
Once in Puno, we grabbed a taxi to Hotel Cantata. However, to our dismay, we found that we'd been allocated a tiny windowless room. After quite a lot of discussion at the reception desk, we were eventually given a much better one - thank goodness, as we were planning to spend a few days in Puno.
 |
| Marg outside the impressive cathedral in Puno, Peru |
Our hotel was well located, just a short walk from the Plaza de Armas, Puno's main plaza. It is an attractive open space, and contains the impressive 18th century Andean baroque-style Puno Cathedral.
On our first night, we enjoyed a really delicious Lake Titicaca trout for our evening meal. We were sitting in an enclosed carved
wooden balcony that is typical of Spanish Colonial architecture. The Spanish ruled Peru for almost 300 years, and many of Puno's restaurants,
businesses, churches and government offices are in Spanish colonial-style buildings.
 |
| Architecture, walkways, markets and the main square in Puno, Peru |
Over the next few days, we did quite a bit of walking around Puno, checking out the architecture, handsome pedestrian walkways, and vibrant markets.
During our walk, we noticed a lot of whistles being blown. Looking around, we were interested to see female traffic police, each with a gun, baton and a whistle, directing traffic and pedestrians. They must be effective, as taxis never doubled parked and people used the designated crossings.
 |
| Reed islands and boats on Lake Titicaca, Peru |
While in Puno, we took a boat trip on Lake Titicaca to visit the floating islands (Islas Flotantes). The islands float because they are made of masses of dried totora root and reeds that are readily available in the lake. The Uru people (who predate the Incas) have been making reed islands here for hundreds of years.
Currently there are more than 70 islands with around three to ten
families per island. To survive, they rely on fishing, bartering, sale of
handicrafts, and tourism. Cooking us done outside, and ablutions are carried
out on a separate island built specifically for that purpose.
 |
| Marg and an Uru woman on her reed island, Lake Titicaca, Peru |
We met some families occupying one of the islands and it was fascinating to see how they use the reeds to build their island, houses, furniture, and boats.
To make an island, the totora plant roots are tied together and anchored with giant rocks and sticks. Then the reeds are placed on top to form a mat that can be up to 2.5 metres thick. The mat tends to be spongy, and difficult to walk on. The roots and reed mat are continuously replaced as the base level rots away.
 |
| Reed boat on Lake Titicaca, Peru |
We were taken out on a reed boat to another floating island to see examples of Uru weaving and handicrafts. Overall, it was a great morning, seeing this very different community.
Leaving the floating islands, we headed further out onto Lake Titicaca to Taquile Island, about 45 kms east of Puno. Around 2,200 people live on Taquile, which is very small at 5.72 square kilometres.
After landing on the island, there was a strenuous walk up a very steep hill in the 4,050 m altitude which left us gasping.
 |
| Traditional dancing and costumes on Taquile Is, Lake Titicaca, Peru |
At the top, we were rewarded with a display of traditional dancing and lunch at the home of a Taquilean family. The dancing was interesting with lots of colour and expression.
Lunch consisted of soup and lake trout. It was really lovely, sitting outdoors with a stunning blue sea as the backdrop, and enjoying the home-cooked meal.
During lunch, the home owner explained some of the local customs, which includes knitting by men.
 |
| Men knitting on Taquile Is, Lake Titicaca, Peru |
For around 500 years,
Taquilean men have been knitting, and they begin as young as 5 years of age. The women of Taquile tend the animals,
gather wool, then dye,
and spin the yarn.
Now-days, the handwoven textiles produced by Taquilean people are seen as some of the best in Peru, and the art of producing these, has been recognised by UNESCO as “Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”.
 |
| Traditional clothing for women Taquile Is, Lake Titicaca, Peru |
Traditional clothing is still worn on Taquile. Women wear a colourful skirt and blouse underneath a black shawl that often has pom-poms attached at the bottom. The size of the pom-poms shows whether they are married or single.
Men knit and wear a hat, using colour to define their age and marital status, accompanied by black pants, white shirt and a vest. Both genders wear a broad woven belt for formal attire and events.
 |
| Houses and terrace farming on Taquile Is, Lake Titicaca, Peru |
The Taquilean people live in a very simple way and most don’t have cars and in many cases, electricity or running water. Their economy is based on textile production, fishing, horticulture, and tourism. Most of the crops are gown on terraces that cascade down the hills of the island.
We found Taquile to be a beautiful and fascinating place.
 |
| Herding sheep on track to boat, Taquile Is, Lake Titicaca, Peru |
It was soon time to catch our boat back to Puno, so we made our way back to the boat dodging donkeys and sheep along the way.
After a great stay around Lake Titicaca, it was time to move on, so back in Puno, we booked bus tickets to depart the next day. We chose Mer Bus Lines as they seemed to have nice modern buses with big comfortable seats – perfect for the ten-hour trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu - our next destination.
This
is part of a blog series about our travels through the north-eastern countries
of South America. The first blog in this series is called “In and around Santiago”.