All About Lago Titicaca

After my friend Truus went back to Holland I decided to make a round of pretty blue Lago Titicaca.

Moho was the first little town, where I ran into the celebration of the virgin of this town.

About five bands were playing at the same time while all the onlookers drank wine and trago with bbq meat. A bull fight went off as well and within about two hours three bulls were played tired and killed with two spears between the shoulderblades. It's the first time I saw bulls being killed in a ring and I have to say that it did not pain me. Probably because I knew that all bulls were butchered and eaten at this same party.

The next day I walked some to cross the border into Bolivia.

Here you can see the border-marked which really was very rustic. This whole north side of the lake is very isolated. No tourist take this route that takes long busses and sometimes long waiting times.
Ever had soup with fries?
Another day of small towns and long mini-busses brought me back on the gringo-trail in Copacabana, Bolivia.
The sunset upon arrival.

Here a good solo adventure departed.

I rented a kayak of the oldest kind (so no light weight fiberglass, but heavy plastic and in the biggest size possible for two people) and peddled off towards Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna.

For four days/four nights I peddled in 'Tigre' from interesting point to desolated beach to Inca ruins.

Here you see me after the first four hour peddled on the first afternoon. My tent is down below in the shade, so I hiked to the top of the ridge to enjoy the last sunshine with Isla de la Luna in the background.

The first morning I woke up on Isla del Sol I visited the most importand temple. The tempel where the Incas believe the sun (their god) was born:

Life on the islands is very simple and tranquilo. The people fish for two kinds of fish: Trucha (trout) and ? (I forgot). Woman wear the big skirts as everywhere but no other traditional colours.

The ladies on this photo are washing clothes in a 'tile' made from a piece of plastic and rocks placed in a circle.

After hiking to the highest point of Isla del Sol I kayaked in three hours to Isla de la Luna.

Notice the peddle which is made from a thick, heavy broomstick. Yes, I was making muscles.

Isla de la Luna (where the moon is born according to the Incas) was a lot more relaxed. No tours go here, it's private and so the inhabitants (no more then 90) are a lot more friendly and open. On Isla del Sol they see several tourboats a day with maybe more then 100 tourists in total. You can imagine that that gets a little tired.

In this photo you see a traditional fishers boat, one upside down with rough wool drying on top and troutbreeding nets in the lake.

Wool and some artesanias are the only things they have to make some income to buy the little things they can't make themselves.

I hiked all round the little island and encountered two little girls who were playing with their colourful, plastic little playthings (it reminded me a lot about myself playing with my dufties when I was little). Their lama was grazing in the back.

I met a very nice lady here on the island who made the most delicious soup for me after I had visited the temple of the moon. With candles and her fire we sat in the little back-kitchen with her two children. I taught them new knot-ways to make bracelets to sell while the guinea pigs were pieping under the stools (they would be to eat later when fat).

The hardest day came next. A massive paddle back to Isla del Sol. Against the waves and wind, five hours long. I had a very sour muscle and empty mind when I arrived on a very fine sandy beach.

Within ten seconds though I had more then 15 kids around me that wanted to play with 'Tigre'. I send them all away for an hour. But eventually they were on it, and the rest of the afternoon I let them go, holy shit, seven kids all at once!

In the morning.

Another isolated beach with Tigre, me and a cigaret.

The last day it was just lovely because I had all the waves behind me and there was no hard peddeling. I went all around the island and camped all alone on a lonely point with a lighthouse and a view of the sunset and the sunrise.

My finger points where my tent is very down below.

It was the only night I made a campfire to cook some lake water for tea. Dead cacti seems to burn very well. The stars were awesome every night and I would sleep with my door open and my head outside to count the shooting stars.

At the island, on the sandy beach, I had met Deger. Originally from Turkey, but living in New York for the last nine years. He invited me to stay in his weird hotel when I would arrive back.

It was this strange egg-shaped house with two floors, a shell-shaped shower, hammocks and.....

..... a huge round bed right when you walked into the lower door. A super cool little place with everything you need.

It was a very nice, luxury night with a warm shower and diner with wine in a more upscale restaurant. Deger was also very interesting to talk with, being an inventor of all sorts of interesting argitectual stuff. He had just won a Red Point award!

Breakfast with view.

The road continued back to Peru where I saw my first wild pink flamingo's. Many would follow.

I did not feel like taking a bus, so I walked for a few hours along the fields of working people. This girl and her mum waved me closer and fed me ava and chocle (big brown beans and a kind of corn). The main food for many.

In little Juli I ran into yet another party. This one was a dance competition with 14 groups from all over who made a parade and after did a ten minute dance each in beautiful clothes. Some where really funny so everybody would laugh behind their hands.

As you can see there is not much veriation in the way you put your hair or which hat you choose.... or which wide skirt that covers all with a vest on top.

It was super cool to visit the animal sell market. Sheep and pigs were transported in every way. Also for sale were puppies (females 30 centd, males 1 dollar), Lama's between 40 and 70 dollara, Alpaca's between 30 and 50 dollars, rabbits for 1,30 and chickens for 7 dollars.
It was time to leave Lago Titcaca behind, the whole circle was completed, I had returned to Puno.

My next bus went to Arequipa, the second biggest city in Peru, but with a very nice downtown with a beautiful cathedral.

I found a cheap hotel in the hooker neighborhoud with private bathroom where I could wash my underwear and recover for four days from the fast moving pattern.

It was lovely to unpack and have a home with a key and warm bed.

Another parade, don't ask me why, but the dresses were again impressively done with broader work.

I visited Monasterio Santa Catalina.

Founded about 50 years after the Spanish concuered Peru and the Inca kingdom. Second daughters of wealthy Spanish families were send here. Isolated cells were build so the nuns could live lonely lives devoted to god. The whole structure is one whole block big, has many hallways and livingquarters in bright colours and a very spanish feel to it. It was very overpriced, but definably interesting.

One of the many kitchens.
In the street I ate a very cool fruit 'Tuna'. It looks the same on the outside but has four different colours and tastes on the inside. I tried all and white/green is the best.

The people of Arequipa were very friendly. Often I would sit down and talk for hours with them. Just how they live, what they sell, and what their kids do. The marked was my favorite place and after four days I think half of the working people knew me. I would try all Arequipa's special delicasies.

With this crazy shoelease seller, who explained me all the symbols of the Peruvian flag, I will leave you untill the next stories about my favorite place so far here in Peru: Cañon Cotahuasi.