Hello everyone! Once again it’s been a busy week. We got to Puno in the south of Peru last Saturday after a long day’s bus travel from Cusco, travelling for about twelve hours in total. Luckily, the buses here so far have been so good, with this one having reclining seats and Lord of the Rings for entertainment!
After an early evening, we woke up on Sunday ready for what Puno had to offer us. There’s not exactly much to do within the city itself, but it’s most famous for being the starting location for a tour of Lake Titicaca, an enormous lake between Peru and Bolivia, and home to numerous islands. Most of the islands house many indigenous communities.
Our first stop once on the boat, was off to visit one of the many floating Uros Islands, small islands wholly made up of almost bamboo-like reeds. It was amazing to see a small group of people live on a space of land probably equal to the average house area in England, but completely out in the water, and living off what they find for themselves. They were happy as anything as well. The kids of the island stole the show for me. They were happy playing around, with no Playstation or any other fancy gear in sight, and it really put things in perspective. A small traditional boat took us around the island briefly, and our guide showed us how they’d collect the materials for the island by boat. Everything there is done by boat (even going to the toilet, there’s no actual toilet facilities on the island itself!). It was a great insight into how they live their everyday life. Me and Karina left the island with a very happy experience.
We next headed to the big island of Tequile, where the local men are distinguished from each other accordingly to the style of hat they wear. This island is known for the textiles it produces, with a major contribution coming from the male community. After a small hike to the centre of the island, we wandered around a bit and got a feeling for what kind of life the locals would live. The main square was very small, but everyone seemed so hardworking, and very friendly. We even got a rendition of a traditional dance they do whilst having our lunch. It was pretty entertaining! Just before we headed back to rest our heads for the last night in Peru, we even caught a glimpse of the mountains in Bolivia in the distance, our next location.
After getting up early on Monday, we sadly had to say goodbye to Peru. This country had amazed and surprised us so much over the past two weeks. There was so much diversity in what there was to experience, from snowy mountains to sunny beaches to exciting jungles. The people had been amazing as well. Goodbye Peru. We will miss you. But we hope to return one day!
Lima to Mumbai 
Another amazing read. It’s great to see how the local live and fend. Great pictures. Would like to do the floating islands.
Enjoy.
Looking forward to the next update.
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