Blissful lie in; ablutions over, skills hard won in the tent to the fore, we hastily dressed and packed up. Surprisingly warm these Andean blankets, or maybe it was the Marino wool long Johns, despite the storm I slept well.
Breakfasting on coffee with tinned milk (surprisingly nice) banana pancakes and doughnut like bread; good job I gave my pancakes away as I consumed more than my share of doughnuts!
We thanked our hosts giving them the gifts we’d brought from UK, Yorkshire tea & London tea towel, colouring book and pencils. Not sure what they made of them. Our guide having to explain the English were traditionally tea drinkers. Lovely people, kind, however it was more like a boarding house than a homestay; they didn’t even eat with us.
Avoiding the hard handicraft sell, we started the second hike to see the view at end of the peninsula. Locals, out to tend their terraces accompanied us as we walked up; the trail steep and a scramble in places. Off to work to plant potatoes, we saw a man with his scythe, foot plough and hoe strapped to his back, whole families with donkeys, herders with sheep or cattle. One lady yelled at me; she shouldn’t have turned round!
University researches provided the community with a few modern warm houses; the rest a mix of adobe with reed roofs or easier to maintain metal ones, tiny kitchens with clay/gas ovens beside the main larger living room. Many families abandon their elders way of life; worth little, their farms fall into disrepair. Terraces everywhere, some freshly planted, some a work in progress or just abandoned. We watched discretely as taking advantage of the night's rain, the gentleman from earlier hand ploughed his plot whilst his wife planted the seed potatoes. A pleasure to witness an endangered hard traditional Andean farming way of life. The dry air is mitigated by the lake, making the peninsula perfect potato farming land; hence the terraces.
Climbing, rubbing wild muña to clear the sinuses, we reached the 4100m summit, fantastic panoramic views on both sides of the peninsula. Taquile Island home to our captain shining in the sun. More like looking out to sea, than to Bolivia somewhere out of sight!
Yesterday I’d seen his exquisite knitting (hat in progress); traditionally the boys from Taquile learn to knit and girls to weave, on marrying they give each other an elaborate handmade gift, hat (warmth) and cummerbund (to save the back and kidneys when carrying).
Evidence of locals hedging their bets, Sunday worship and with the shaman, burning reeds or building mini rock houses; hopefully good fortune and home ownership duly followed. Closed to tourists the local treasured pre-Incan Carus shrine complete with offerings of wine and grains was just glimpseable from above.
Descending through the village, a precarious boat hop, we reached our ride back to Puño across lake Titicacca. Some say Titi meant puma in old Quechua, whilst Kaká can be translated in Aymara as “Grey” and in Quechua as “Mountain” or “Rock”. Depending on their location on the altiplano locals speak Aymara or Quechua.
Lovely, peaceful, relaxing alternating between the roof observation deck, the open back or comfy seats. Must have nodded off; a very short 2hrs!
Not at all what I expected, but a very enjoyable trip to the countryside. We were our excellent, extremely knowledgeable guide’s first guests since Covid.
Back at the hotel, reunited with cases & laundry we ordered room service, dining in style, and took “5” as grandma would say! A much needed restorative flop in our upgraded suite complete with balcony. The Andean sun pretty hot despite the wind and altitude.
It’s an early walk across the border with Bolivia tomorrow. Again not sure what to expect.
PS I now know why... the generator is extremely noisy!
(Chez Casa Lusiano; doughnut bread; our hosts)
Walk through village, other side
(Locals off to work their terraces; foot plough in blanket pack; farm houses; university warm house; traditional reed-roofed adobe house)
Walk to Carus Shrine peninsula summit & views from both sides
(Spiny plant, spines used as knitting needles; sniffing muña clearing the sinuses; Taquile island; traditional local tree used for building before eucalyptus)
Carus Shrine
(Shrine; peek over the top alter corn & wine sacrifice; stone house offering; catholic shrine twin to yesterday's fir anual festival in may; dock; official tourism opening 2007)
Return boat ride to Puño
(Aboard boat; views; town sign; monument to general Grau sane guy as in Lima; Puño; our palatial suite; also great selfie!)
Video to follow if technology back home allows.
We stayed at Casa Andina Puno, Kake Titicacca, Peru:
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