Islas del Soul

There´s so much to catch you up on so I´ll just get right to it.

With Machu Picchu in the dusty, crooked rearview mirror, we arrived back in Cusco with just enough time to eat a rushed dinner and catch a cab to the bus terminal. A short three hours later we arrived in Puno. Sleep deprived and still adjusting to the altitude, we climbed five flights of stairs with all of our belongings to the bare dorm room. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. We pampered ourselves a bit the next morning and slept in until 10 or so, checked our emails, ate the conventional breakfast of coffee and bread and jam, and hit the steep brick streets of Puno. First stop: artesenia markets. We had been resisting purchasing things along the way in Peru because we had heard that it´s cheapest in Puno. Arms loaded with bags full of handmade jewelry, home decorations, and alpaca wool skarves, we headed to the shore of Lake Titicaca to inquire about tours to the islands. We decided on a tour that visits Uros, Amantaní, and Taquille which would leave bright and early the following morning.



After we each ran our own errands, we met up back at the hostal and grabbed some dinner with a new friend, Amy, who was staying at the same place. Partway through dinner, Molly and Sam began to feel ill and headed back early. This was unfortunate considering what happened on the way home. We were accosted by a tall Columbian man speaking English faster than I can, explaining how all of his things were stolen and he was stuck in Puno and if we could just purchase a couple of his bracelets or earrings, we could help him continue his travels. If it was just him, we probably would have expressed our condolences and walked on. However, the small quiet woman standing next to him caught Jessie´s eye and she just had to ask her about her beautiful long dreads. Jessie had been contemplating getting some for the past few weeks but she was still unsure. So the nice couple offered to satisfy her curiosity for S./5. They began ripping, tearing, and tying in knots a section of her hair until just a few minutes later, she had her first dread.

But you can´t stop at just one, right? Before we knew it, two other dreaded rastafarians and were working away fulfilling Jessie´s dream on a bench in downtown Puno. I can just imagine what this must have looked like to the other tourists and respectable Peruvians passing us on the street: three white American girls and a curious French Canadian all gathered in the street around another young white girl getting her gorgeous, wavy brown locks ripped to shreds by four Latin street rats. But we all laughed and shared stories about our travels, and then we moved to a bar after a couple hours to continue the work and share a few beers. Five hours later and the work was done.

After three hours of sleep, we got up and headed to the boat. Blissful morning. Sitting on the top of the boat, face to the bright morning sun, breathing in the cool, biting wind, maneuvering through patches of reeds, taking in the sight of the clear blue water reflecting the surrounding mountains, chatting with El Capitán. It was hard to tear myself away from the comfort of sailing, even to chat with the locals who live on Uros--manmade floating islands made of the reeds that grow in the lake. We sat in a circle around two women who explained exactly how the islands stay afloat and what has to be done to maintain them. Then we were shown inside the homes--reed mattresses, reed tables, reed walls... It´s still hard to believe that several families will live next to one another their whole lives on an island smaller than the average home in the States. (Although many of the locals in Puno claim that many of the residents commute the islands for tourists but sleep at nights on the mainland.)

We spent a short hour or so in Uros and then headed to the beautiful Amantaní. This is one of my favorite places that we´ve been so far. We arrived well before the other tour boats and were indifferently greeted by the wife of El Capitán and led to their home where we would stay the night. After settling in, we hiked to the top of the island to see the ruins of Pachamama and Pachatata. We were the only people at the top and we spent a good half hour sitting in silence just taking in the view. Across the blue lake and over several other small green islands, the shore of Bolivia can be seen. A maze of knee-high ancient rock walls criss-crosses Amantaní´s rolling hills; herds of sheep and llama graze amongst the ruins; and near the dock, a group of small homes are separated by crooked wooden fences and small crop fields. After a while, we headed back down the steep, rocky path and stopped when we noticed a sign that read ¨Best hot chocolate in the world in the best place in the world with the best view in the world.¨ So true. And so delicious.

After another blissful morning boat ride, we landed at our final stop the next day. Taquile´s claim to fame is their society based around colorful knitted hats. The men wear long knitted caps of different colors and patterns depending on their marital status and societal importance. They knit the hats themselves and also wear colorful belts knitted by the women. After wandering the town a while and purchasing a few souvenirs, we relaxed aboard the boat for a couple more hours until we were back in Puno. Another night in Puno and the next day we said our goodbyes to Peru as we crossed the border into Bolivia.

We decided to make Isla del Sol a quick day trip so that we could be in La Paz that night. If you ever decide to go, give yourself at least an entire day, if not two. We spent a total of 30 minutes on the island, most of which was spent hiking up to the main area and back down to the dock. We basically paid for four hours on a boat. And this time it was cold and there were about three times as many people on board. Lesson learned.

I wish I could sit here for the next two hours and tell you all about La Paz, Santa Cruz, Sucre, Potosi, and Uyuni, but this is my last night in Bolivia and it would be a shame to spend it here in an internet cafe. So off I go to absorb all of the sights and smells and tastes (or as many as possible without getting sick) and then I´m off to Lima in the morning!