Hotel Jose Antonio Puno

Just arrived in Puno via night bus and yesterday I spent the entire day at Pisac where I was at the market bargaining and enjoying the company of the Quechua and artisans who were out there. Bought some amazing gifts and supported the death of alpacas and guinea pigs yesterday. Alpaca is nice to wear, but not the best to eat as it´s very tough and hard to eat. And guinea pig cannot be worn, but when I ate it, it had so little meat, it wasn´t worth it at all.<br><br>Puno itself has ...

... thing to see in real life ( as with everything i supose!)<br>There are about 20 islands that tourists visit now, they are completely made of reeds, as our their houses and everything else. 10 to 15 families live on each island. When we arrived a local person demonstrated how the islands are built and Henry explained what their lives were like and answered all our questions. A woman took me over to her home, it was one room with a bed and colorful decorations ...

... it smelled of rain. We hurried back down to our house and arrived to see the lovely shades of sunset through the clouds on the horizon. After adding a few layers, Abraham showed us how he cares for his guinea pigs which would eventually provide a meal of meat for this family. Later, we headed to the beach. The waves were rough now and the wind was cold and biting. We arrived back to the home where the rest of the family joined us ...

... out the window. We were high on the antiplano now and the Cordillera Real was on the horizon - grasslands with sheep and the odd house directly out the window with black, snow capped mountains as backdrop. Spectacular!! I took a heap of photos but given we were moving only a few turned out OK. I´ve put the best one in to finish off the blog.<br> <br>I´m ´recovering´ for a couple of days now in La Paz before heading onto Rio :):):)<br><br>Vanessa<br>

... and relaxing boat trip back to Puno on the shore of Peru.<br><br>We find a place to stay and finally have a ¨normal¨ dinner of pasta with spice and red wine!!! Most food here is fairly bland and is based on 400 different types of potatoes and rice. Carb overload, although the potatoes are much tastier then ours in Australia.<br><br>We stayed at HOTEL ROMA in Puno which was really good value. He normally charges S45 for a double/matrimonial but we got it for less and I think ...

... went to the fiesta after aunt selma dressedus up in traditional dress... Al really suited the poncho and hat... not sre about my outfit, not the most flattering.., will upload some pictures soon... we hiked back up thje hill in the dark, bought some drinks, danced and then headed back down to the house (holding hands to support each other - aunt selma and I)... the night sky was breathtaking... so clear and so many stars... when we got back, we say in the little courtyard star ...

... Springy underfoot, soggy near the edge and very well designed for tourism which is really the only remaining industry here. <br>After an explanation of how the islands are built, we are invited to look around and are welcomed to poke our noses into the locals reed houses (just big enough for a bed and a solar powered cd player and flat screen tv). We are then encouraged to buy souvenirs from ...

... plundered the mineral wealth of nearby Bolivia.<br><br>Today, it's a pretty uninspiring place and for many is solely just a stopping off point on the way between Peru and Bolivia. For Peruvians however, its become a major hub in the constant migration of indigenous peoples of the Andes to the larger cities of Peru. <br><br>We're sure if you look hard enough there are probably ...

... lake, and i dont mean to sound all cheesy, but that was a pretty magical site. we hiked all around the village and coast and saw how these people lived and how they prepared the land to farm. what was crazy to me is how they manage to grow anything here because it is so dry, and it is pure sand. no rich soil anywhere. but they manage. i ate so many different kinds of potatoes that i have never seen. and the locals were thrilled to see foreigners and they were ...

... br> had arranged accommodation for us inside the building that also contained the <br> two classrooms we were supposed to use. The school gave us some money to buy <br> a little electrical stove, a water boiler, and two pans (which we left behind <br> when we departed). We had written parts of lyrics and small poems on big posters <br> and hung them on the walls as decoration, much to the delight of certain students. <br> It was an ...