Sillustani Puno

... it was included... a kid checked us out as the boss was out...!?!!) The boss then came back whilst we were waiting to be collected and asked why we hadnt booked the tour with him, we felt a bit bad so agreed to buy our bus ticket to cusco with him when we got back from the islands...

The bus collected us at 7.30 and we for the boat... first stop Uros Islands... floating islands ... we got off the boat onto squidgy bouncy reeds - the islands are made from layers and layers of ...

... wear colourful bobble hats to denote their social standing withing the communities. Young boys (up to 14) wear a bobble hat that's half white and half red, with the bobble worn to the side. After 14 and if they're still single they wear the bobble to the back, but the same colours on the hat. If they get married, they then wear a bobble hat that's all red and stripy. Elders, and men of importance within the community wear a colourful bobble hat (mostly ...

... Rojas has multiple jobs = he is the director at a local university and he & his wife own a hotel. And the best part...the hotel has HOT water!!!! I filled up the tub twice last night - just because it was so wonderful!!!

After a HOT shower this am, I took a walk. I saw a huge slide on the bus ride in and wanted to check it out. I think it is the coolest slide I have ever seen - one side ...

... at various sights etc, causing further delay and increasing the likelihood of more people being at the canyon. Grrr.

Finally we got there just after 9am. The place we stopped at is called Mirador Cruz del Condor and provides an amazing view; the canyon is one of the deepest in the world at around 1km, and many a winged critter resides within. Luckily we managed to find a decent location despite it being pretty crowded, and within minutes some condors appeared. These birds ...

... Titicaca's shallow regions. Every week they must be replenished due to the roots lowest rotting away, and completely rebuilt every few years. About 8 families lived on the one we visited and after our guide explained a bit about their way of life, which used to primarily consist of fishing for their livelihood now adds an hour of tourism a day only a few months a year -- and apparently these Uros just recently opted ...

... local population have built their own islands from reeds to live on. It was very touristy, but quite interesting to visit this community to see how they lived and we enjoyed it none the less - the locals were friendly, and mostly make their living from the tourist trade. Reeds are used to build the islands, boats, houses, are burnt for heat and are even eaten - the green ends are peeled and the white part inside tastes a bit like salty lettuce ...

... people in the Amazon and water being diverted away from small villages in the Andes to power a hydro-electric plant for Lima the capital. Clearly plenty of good reasons to be protesting but it had gotten to the point where the road block was starting to hinder the town itself as food and other supplies couldn’t get in either. We were warned that as it was escalating to this point the military would be getting involved with riot gear and tear gas and ...

... s front windshield was ****ing cracked too like the old one. I thought, if this bus breaks down, I'm going crazy Filipino/American on their asses. And after I've killed them all (including the crazy Peruvian passengers), I'll blame it all on the side effects of the swine flu illness.

At 6AM, we made it to Juliaca, which was a transportation hub city between Cusco and Arequipa. Our original transportation plan was to skip over ...