Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake - 3800m altitude and spans about 200km. On our extremely slow boatride across the lake our leader explained that the name means Puma Stone.. not shit (caca!)Our first stop was to the Uros Islands - a group of about 4o small artifical floating islands made out of river reeds. These islands are held to the riverbed with anchors to make sure they don't float away - even their houses are made out of dried reeds!
We continued on the boat for another 3hrs before arriving to Amantani - our island for our homestay. We stayed with a family and helped around the house collecting potatoes and trying to peel the potatoes for dinner with a knife. Our 'Mum' kept laughing at us because the potatoes came out very small and square after we were finished with them! The kitchen was very basic - the floor was made out of compacted mud, and the stove was an open fire which managed to fill the kitchen with thick smoke.
The family was very poor. There are over 2000 varieties of potatoes in South America.. and we definatly had our share on the island! Lunch and dinner consisted of potato soup.. boiled potatoes.. rice and beans.. tomato and cucumber, grilled cheese and other type of potato that tasted like a mix between corn and potato.After dinner the locals put on a party for us.. we dressed up in the traditional clothes and danced the night away in a traditional 'hoe-down'!! Our mother was very enthusiastic and got us up to dance for every song.
The next day we made our way back to Puno before getting on another bus to cross the border into Bolivia.
What an experience!
I had to get out of the bus and physically walk across the border to get my passport stamped by the Bolivian immigration.
Our bus had to pass a strait in the lake.. and again we all had to get out, get into a speed boat while the boat was put onto a barge and shipped across the lake. Apparently a vote to build a bridge resulted in a no - it would lose too many jobs.
Finally we made it to La Paz in Bolivia and our group was down to 3 Aussies!
On our last night together on the tour, Jesus took us to a restaurant where I had chicken Cordon Bleu and Mojito for $AUS8.o0! Bolivia is really cheap..
When we arrived back to our hotel there was a festival to celebrate the Saint of Power. Locals were synchronised dancing in the street! They looked like they were dancing for the finale for Slumdog Millionaire!
Locals were handing out free warm alcohol that tasted like cinnamon and was very strong!!There were also fireworks being let off in the middle of the crowd without warning.. bits of coal and ash from the fireworks landed on us.. I have never been afraid of fireworks until that night....
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