Surfcrest
December 20th, 2013, 02:00
Peru Travelogue, Part 4 Puno & Lake Titicaca
Peru тАУ Empire of Hidden Treasures
A four part travel article on Peru, South America
Part 1 Lima
Part 2 Cusco
Part 3 The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu
Part 4 Puno & Lake Titicaca
We booked the Andean Explorer out of Cusco for the next part of the journey up to Puno and Lake Titicaca. The 10 hour trip by train costs about $260 US each for the one way trip up, the trip back down though is cheaper with a return ticket. This isnтАЩt the Hiram Bingham luxury train that runs between Poroy and Machu Picchu, but it is one of the next best for Perurail.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1912.jpg
When we booked our ticket, the online ticket we were given had us both is two different cars of the train, not even sitting close to each other. Thankfully, although IтАЩm not certain why they need to work around their own problems, they greet you at reception and reassign everyone back into sets of couples or groups and there were even available doubles for singles to have for themselves. There is a bar car and an open observation car attached to the end of the train.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1915.jpg
The train departs at 8 AM and for those that choose, can order breakfast and coffee a la carte for a charge. Lunch, drinks and tea were all part of the ticket price as were some stunning views of the Andes, from the comfort of a lounge chair. We had already been hiking quite a bit in the mountains already and were happy to relax on a train for the day and taking in the sites rather than slugging it out with the effects of the altitude. There were fantastic views of the mountains and countryside throughout the trip.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/P1020169.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1959.jpg
The train, in the afternoon reaches its highest elevation at 4319 meters as we level out for the final part of the journey along the plains that surround Lake Titicaca.
[youtube:hchvodtp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-qltl3wQD8[/youtube:hchvodtp]
We landed in Puno on a Friday night and the train had to creep through the downtown to get to the station as the town was alive with a party celebrating the local universityтАЩs anniversary. The university either plays a big part in their local community here or it was just a good excuse to get wasted for the kids. A parade, kilometers long was winding along the waterfront to the downtown of school clubs and bands playing, dancing..all dressed in show costumes and almost all quite inebriated. We ducked into a little Italian diner for dinner catching the parade from the front window and the lightning strikes over the lake from the back. There must have been a storm over on the Bolivian side over by La Paz.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/P1020261.jpg
We are staying in a modern high-rise hotel in downtown Puno in a town which for the most is made up of two and three story buildings. I was expecting the town to be rough looking, so far up and out of the way but it was actually quite nice. We are a block away in one direction from the Plaza de Armas in one direction and the walking street, El Sol in the other. Even though reed grass surrounds the lake and open harbor has been cleared at the port Plaza de Faro. ItтАЩs about a 20 minute walk from the port to the town square or Plaza de Armas dominated as usual by the town Cathedral.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2042.jpg
Lake Titicaca is the one of the highest lakes in the world with a surface elevation of 3 812 meters. ItтАЩs also incredibly deep, making it by volume the biggest lake in South America. Unfortunately, Titicaca has only three species of fish, all small and the most dominant an ugly piranha like fish that feeds on the other species. There are good restaurants here, especially if you enjoy some of the traditional vegetarian dishes. From a protein perspective, chicken turned out to be the safest and best bet.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1999.jpg
We joined a day tour out to the Islands on the lake, Uros and Taquile. The Uros Islands are actually floating islands made from the reed grass that surrounds and grows in the lakes. The Uros people have been living like this from before colonial times to escape the Inca, who used to round tem up as slaves for their building projects. There are hundreds of islands in the chain made up of communities and family units, or collectives that sustain their way of life including being supported by tourism such as this trip of ours that day. They took us for a tour of their island, explained in Quechua their way of life, took us for a boat ride in their reed boats and then sold us some of their crafts.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2124.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2090.jpg
[youtube:hchvodtp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB2ZHLlxGHU[/youtube:hchvodtp]
Then we headed farther out into the lake to Taquile Island, again a community of Indian people still living as they have for quite some time. The town is build high up on the top of the island and have some stunning views of the lake, the mountains and Bolivia in the distance. The people wear colorful clothing with colors signifying their rank in society and their marital status. Like the Uros people, the people of TaqyuileтАЩs economy is partially weighted on tourism and this island in particular is known for their fine work with wool and knitted goods that back in the city would cost considerably more. We purchased some scarves, gloves and hats as gifts for family and friends back home at a small collective where the entire townтАЩs work is for sale in one place. The townsfolk watch you closely as you shop to see whose work youтАЩll choose. It was mid-September by then, closing in on the end of the dry season for the Andes and still the skies were clear for the most part each day and perfect for a day on the boat out on the lake.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2220.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2277.jpg
We also got a chance to hire a car and driver again to take us out into the country. On one of these days he took us to the ancient site of SillustaniтАжgreat tombs built on a cliff overlooking another significant lake. This site was started by the pre-Inca people of the area and later continued with complex Inca stone quarry techniques and ingenious methods for lifting and placing extremely large and heavy stones. All of their construction contains a significant amount of symbology and references to the air, through condors, the earth through the puma and within the earth with the snake. Like the Maya and the Nahua peoples of Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan the main construction was built around and aligned to the stars and telling time, marking the seasons.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2413.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2403.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2415.jpg
We took a boat across this lake to an island in the center, a strange looking island with a flat plain surrounded by high cliffs. The pre-Columbian people had a deep connection with the lake and the island, perhaps due to its unique look compared to the hills around. One of the last small wild herds of vicu├▒a live on the island now with a caretaker family. A small donation for allowing us to visit helps keep things going and the family living there did not seem to be used to seeing many visitors.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2369.jpg
Most tourists only pass through Puno on their way to and from Bolivia or over the Andes. We stayed for 4 days, allowing us to spend some time out on the lake, visit the islands, head inland to Sillustani and wander around town. This was our last stop on the trip before heading home and so we were already used to the altitude, climbing up slowly from when we started out in Lima. Not everyone suffers from altitude sickness, IтАЩm not sure who it affects more. Some of the folks that took altitude medication said they suffered more from the side effects of the drugs. Some were able to find some relief chewing coca leaves and / or drinking Mu├▒a tea. The people we saw at our hotel that were suffering the most had started their trip through Peru way up here.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1937.jpg
The airport for the region is in the next town of Juliaca. Juliaca is about an hour away from Puno, farther out on the plain and inland from the lake. It is also an extremely ugly town, especially as you pass through by train with all the scrap tents for kilometers. Because we were flying One World all the way back to Vancouver, we were able to check our bags all the way home and collect the next two boarding passes. Of course weтАЩd have to go тАЬin and outтАЭ through the turnstiles of LAX, but this is a Hub we pass through often and so can breeze through it easy enough.
Peru has an incredible amount of things to see and do and other diverse Regions we didnтАЩt go to on this trip such as the mountain colonial city of Arequipa to the south west of Puno, the northern city of Trujillo where Cacao and chocolate essentially came from and Iquitos in the Amazon basin.
Language is not really a barrier in Peru, English is widely spoken in most of the cities and especially in the service industry, I have heard the odd story of crime in the cities, but this is probably low compared to other countries in the Region and almost non-existent in the Andes. You do, however, hear of terrible bus accidentsтАжpassing at the wrong time, veering too close to a cliff edge.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1989.jpg
The Shining Path is hardly talked about anymore except with respect to their minor role in the drug trade in the far north. Peru does get frequent earthquakes and so you will see tsunami escape routes along the Pacific Coast, collection areas in parks and safe spots marked out in buildings, usually near support beams.
There are so many different meats and vegetables served in Peru, some great restaurants and imported wines and meats from Argentina and Chile are plentiful. The ceviche is amazing!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/P1000472.jpg
The weather is cold, but is mostly clear in the Andes from June to September and quite wet December to March. In Lima wet and dry season is the opposite of the Andes. Even though Vancouver is on the same Pacific Coast as Peru, Peru is three hours ahead of us on Eastern Standard Time.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/World.jpg
Of course, Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail remains the biggest draw for tourists to come to Peru. The site was never found by the Spanish conquistadors and so this suggests that it is difficult to get to, where it is situated in the mountains. Most guide books will suggest that you book your train tickets or domestic flights in advance. If you are staying on the top of the mountain at The Sanctuary Lodge or booking the Hiram Bingham train, you will have to book these well in advance and be willing to spend a considerable amount. This would be the best option though for anyone with mobility issues.
One of the most helpful links for planning our trip was this.
http://www.perutreks.com/machu-picchu-by-train-1-day.html
Enjoy,
Surfcrest
Peru тАУ Empire of Hidden Treasures
A four part travel article on Peru, South America
Part 1 Lima
Part 2 Cusco
Part 3 The Sacred Valley & Machu Picchu
Part 4 Puno & Lake Titicaca
We booked the Andean Explorer out of Cusco for the next part of the journey up to Puno and Lake Titicaca. The 10 hour trip by train costs about $260 US each for the one way trip up, the trip back down though is cheaper with a return ticket. This isnтАЩt the Hiram Bingham luxury train that runs between Poroy and Machu Picchu, but it is one of the next best for Perurail.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1912.jpg
When we booked our ticket, the online ticket we were given had us both is two different cars of the train, not even sitting close to each other. Thankfully, although IтАЩm not certain why they need to work around their own problems, they greet you at reception and reassign everyone back into sets of couples or groups and there were even available doubles for singles to have for themselves. There is a bar car and an open observation car attached to the end of the train.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1915.jpg
The train departs at 8 AM and for those that choose, can order breakfast and coffee a la carte for a charge. Lunch, drinks and tea were all part of the ticket price as were some stunning views of the Andes, from the comfort of a lounge chair. We had already been hiking quite a bit in the mountains already and were happy to relax on a train for the day and taking in the sites rather than slugging it out with the effects of the altitude. There were fantastic views of the mountains and countryside throughout the trip.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/P1020169.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1959.jpg
The train, in the afternoon reaches its highest elevation at 4319 meters as we level out for the final part of the journey along the plains that surround Lake Titicaca.
[youtube:hchvodtp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-qltl3wQD8[/youtube:hchvodtp]
We landed in Puno on a Friday night and the train had to creep through the downtown to get to the station as the town was alive with a party celebrating the local universityтАЩs anniversary. The university either plays a big part in their local community here or it was just a good excuse to get wasted for the kids. A parade, kilometers long was winding along the waterfront to the downtown of school clubs and bands playing, dancing..all dressed in show costumes and almost all quite inebriated. We ducked into a little Italian diner for dinner catching the parade from the front window and the lightning strikes over the lake from the back. There must have been a storm over on the Bolivian side over by La Paz.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/P1020261.jpg
We are staying in a modern high-rise hotel in downtown Puno in a town which for the most is made up of two and three story buildings. I was expecting the town to be rough looking, so far up and out of the way but it was actually quite nice. We are a block away in one direction from the Plaza de Armas in one direction and the walking street, El Sol in the other. Even though reed grass surrounds the lake and open harbor has been cleared at the port Plaza de Faro. ItтАЩs about a 20 minute walk from the port to the town square or Plaza de Armas dominated as usual by the town Cathedral.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2042.jpg
Lake Titicaca is the one of the highest lakes in the world with a surface elevation of 3 812 meters. ItтАЩs also incredibly deep, making it by volume the biggest lake in South America. Unfortunately, Titicaca has only three species of fish, all small and the most dominant an ugly piranha like fish that feeds on the other species. There are good restaurants here, especially if you enjoy some of the traditional vegetarian dishes. From a protein perspective, chicken turned out to be the safest and best bet.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1999.jpg
We joined a day tour out to the Islands on the lake, Uros and Taquile. The Uros Islands are actually floating islands made from the reed grass that surrounds and grows in the lakes. The Uros people have been living like this from before colonial times to escape the Inca, who used to round tem up as slaves for their building projects. There are hundreds of islands in the chain made up of communities and family units, or collectives that sustain their way of life including being supported by tourism such as this trip of ours that day. They took us for a tour of their island, explained in Quechua their way of life, took us for a boat ride in their reed boats and then sold us some of their crafts.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2124.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2090.jpg
[youtube:hchvodtp]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB2ZHLlxGHU[/youtube:hchvodtp]
Then we headed farther out into the lake to Taquile Island, again a community of Indian people still living as they have for quite some time. The town is build high up on the top of the island and have some stunning views of the lake, the mountains and Bolivia in the distance. The people wear colorful clothing with colors signifying their rank in society and their marital status. Like the Uros people, the people of TaqyuileтАЩs economy is partially weighted on tourism and this island in particular is known for their fine work with wool and knitted goods that back in the city would cost considerably more. We purchased some scarves, gloves and hats as gifts for family and friends back home at a small collective where the entire townтАЩs work is for sale in one place. The townsfolk watch you closely as you shop to see whose work youтАЩll choose. It was mid-September by then, closing in on the end of the dry season for the Andes and still the skies were clear for the most part each day and perfect for a day on the boat out on the lake.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2220.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2277.jpg
We also got a chance to hire a car and driver again to take us out into the country. On one of these days he took us to the ancient site of SillustaniтАжgreat tombs built on a cliff overlooking another significant lake. This site was started by the pre-Inca people of the area and later continued with complex Inca stone quarry techniques and ingenious methods for lifting and placing extremely large and heavy stones. All of their construction contains a significant amount of symbology and references to the air, through condors, the earth through the puma and within the earth with the snake. Like the Maya and the Nahua peoples of Chichen Itza and Teotihuacan the main construction was built around and aligned to the stars and telling time, marking the seasons.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2413.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2403.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2415.jpg
We took a boat across this lake to an island in the center, a strange looking island with a flat plain surrounded by high cliffs. The pre-Columbian people had a deep connection with the lake and the island, perhaps due to its unique look compared to the hills around. One of the last small wild herds of vicu├▒a live on the island now with a caretaker family. A small donation for allowing us to visit helps keep things going and the family living there did not seem to be used to seeing many visitors.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_2369.jpg
Most tourists only pass through Puno on their way to and from Bolivia or over the Andes. We stayed for 4 days, allowing us to spend some time out on the lake, visit the islands, head inland to Sillustani and wander around town. This was our last stop on the trip before heading home and so we were already used to the altitude, climbing up slowly from when we started out in Lima. Not everyone suffers from altitude sickness, IтАЩm not sure who it affects more. Some of the folks that took altitude medication said they suffered more from the side effects of the drugs. Some were able to find some relief chewing coca leaves and / or drinking Mu├▒a tea. The people we saw at our hotel that were suffering the most had started their trip through Peru way up here.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1937.jpg
The airport for the region is in the next town of Juliaca. Juliaca is about an hour away from Puno, farther out on the plain and inland from the lake. It is also an extremely ugly town, especially as you pass through by train with all the scrap tents for kilometers. Because we were flying One World all the way back to Vancouver, we were able to check our bags all the way home and collect the next two boarding passes. Of course weтАЩd have to go тАЬin and outтАЭ through the turnstiles of LAX, but this is a Hub we pass through often and so can breeze through it easy enough.
Peru has an incredible amount of things to see and do and other diverse Regions we didnтАЩt go to on this trip such as the mountain colonial city of Arequipa to the south west of Puno, the northern city of Trujillo where Cacao and chocolate essentially came from and Iquitos in the Amazon basin.
Language is not really a barrier in Peru, English is widely spoken in most of the cities and especially in the service industry, I have heard the odd story of crime in the cities, but this is probably low compared to other countries in the Region and almost non-existent in the Andes. You do, however, hear of terrible bus accidentsтАжpassing at the wrong time, veering too close to a cliff edge.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/IMG_1989.jpg
The Shining Path is hardly talked about anymore except with respect to their minor role in the drug trade in the far north. Peru does get frequent earthquakes and so you will see tsunami escape routes along the Pacific Coast, collection areas in parks and safe spots marked out in buildings, usually near support beams.
There are so many different meats and vegetables served in Peru, some great restaurants and imported wines and meats from Argentina and Chile are plentiful. The ceviche is amazing!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/P1000472.jpg
The weather is cold, but is mostly clear in the Andes from June to September and quite wet December to March. In Lima wet and dry season is the opposite of the Andes. Even though Vancouver is on the same Pacific Coast as Peru, Peru is three hours ahead of us on Eastern Standard Time.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/Surfcrest/World.jpg
Of course, Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail remains the biggest draw for tourists to come to Peru. The site was never found by the Spanish conquistadors and so this suggests that it is difficult to get to, where it is situated in the mountains. Most guide books will suggest that you book your train tickets or domestic flights in advance. If you are staying on the top of the mountain at The Sanctuary Lodge or booking the Hiram Bingham train, you will have to book these well in advance and be willing to spend a considerable amount. This would be the best option though for anyone with mobility issues.
One of the most helpful links for planning our trip was this.
http://www.perutreks.com/machu-picchu-by-train-1-day.html
Enjoy,
Surfcrest