Yesterday morning I went to the port to find a boat that was going to one of the islands. The people at the hotel kept pestering me to go with an agency because it would be cheaper and I would have a guide, but I really did not want to go on a boat full of tourists and I hate listening to tour guides. So, I found a boat full of Peruvians and asked the captain where he was headed. He told me he was going to Amentani so I jumped right on board. The ride lasted a little over three hours and was pretty uneventful. I sat on the top deck that was exposed to the outside and froze for nearly two and a half hours. Well not the entire two and a half hours because it was hot whenever the sun was out but once the sun went behind the clouds the temperature dropped about twenty degrees and it seemed to get windier. Maybe an explanation of what I was wearing will help you all understand how cold I was. Torso: undershirt, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, pull over, and a wind breaker. Bottom half: underwear, shorts, jeans, socks and shoes. Finally after two and a half hours, I realized that it was probably much warmer on the bottom deck so I went down there and spent the remainder of the trip breathing in engine fumes.
I didn´t realize that I wouldn´t be able to find a ride back to Puno the same day and the captain of the ship offered me his hospedaje for the night. So lacking any other options I accepted. Let me explain how the islands work. Normally, one buys a package through an agency that covers two days of travel. The first day the boat takes you to Los Uros, which are islands that are man made from reeds, then it takes you to Amanteni or Taquile. The agency sets up a living arrangement with some of the families there and the next day you continue on to Amanteni or Taquile and then return to Puno by mid-day. I, on the other hand, didn´t want to stay the night on the island so I didn´t bring any toiletries or change of clothes. I made the conscious decision not to bring those things after reading a section in my guide book over the islands. I think it said something like, "You will not be able to fully appreciate the islands in one day. Many of the locals (something about opening their homes)." I thought to myself, "Self, you know what this author is actually trying to say. You love your hot showers, toilets that flush, toilet paper, internet, cell phone reception. Why would you give those up?" That and I got really bad sleep the night before. The altitude really gets to me. I had a monster headache all night and could hardly sleep so I couldn´t imagine that the sleeping arrangements would be better on the island.
I got to Amanteni around one o´clock. The wife of the captain was waiting and the captain handed her a bunch of eggs. We started walking up hill and we kept walking. I asked if I could carry the eggs so we continued with me carrying the eggs. I had no idea eggs could weigh so much. There was about 15 to 20 pounds of eggs and we walked about ten blocks uphill to get to the house. I ate around two. Right after that I went out hiking on the mountain. The paved paths are really convenient and make it easy to navigate through the island. The place was gorgeous and the people were so gentle. It is really spectacular to see the local people sitting in the grass on the top of the mountain weaving their textiles in complete serenity. I decided that when the world starts blowing itself up with nuclear weapons, I will escape to live on the mountains. Hmm... maybe not... there wasn´t electricity there. I hiked around the mountain until about 4:45. I started heading back when it began to rain- hard. It was actually hail and that is why it hurt me when it hit. I had my rain coatish windbreaker on and it has a hood, so it wasn´t too bad. I got back to where I split paths with the house I was staying at and the little boy (who looks ten but is actually 14) was waiting for me. We got back to the house at about 5:20 and I went to my room and laid down for a little bit. The boy came back with dinner around six thirty. The room was dark because there wasn´t any electricity, but there was a candle. I ate dinner and sat in the room awake for an hour or two just by the candle light- it was still raining. The boy said goodnight and that we will see each other tomorrow. I realized that that meant I was going to be in that dark room for at least the next twelve hours. I sat there and thought for awhile. Prayed a little bit. Looked at some photos. I turned out the candle out of fear that I would burn down the house if I were to fall asleep with it on. I couldn´t fall asleep right away so I just sat there in the dark. I eventually dosed off and woke up a few hours later- it was only ten thirty. I fell back asleep and woke up- 1:00. Fell asleep, woke up- 5:40. By that time I think I gave up on sleeping. It was beginning to get light outside. I had to use the toilet so I went outside and found the out house with the squat toilet and accompanying newspaper to use as toilet paper. The captain/ owner of the house came in to my room and explained to me that there are two boats that leave in the morning. One goes straight to Puno and the other goes to Taquile and then to Puno. Not wanting to short myself on the Titicacan island experience, I chose to go to Taquile and then Puno. I found myself on a boat with some other tourists. Three of the tourists were from Spain, one from Holland, and two from Canada. The Europeans were in their mid thirties and the canadians were 27 and 23.
We got to Taquile at 9:30 and started going up a steep paved path uphill. None of us knew where we were going so we just kept walking. We found ourselves in the center of the village. The locals said there were a bunch of restaurants, which there were, but they didn´t have food. I ended up eating fries with one of the Spaniards. We then walked back around the island in the opposite direction to find the ruins. We continued along the path until it looped around to the trail to the port. When all of us were there, we set off to Puno (the main port city of Peru). The ride back took about three hours. I slept most of the time. Back at Puno, we all went our separate ways. I went back to the hotel to get my belongings, change, and brush my teeth and then I went to eat before going to the bus station. I ate this really cheap pizza with garlic bread (think really crunchy Iron Kids with butter- I am not even sure there was garlic on it). It wasn´t that great, but it was really cheap so I was happy. Around 4:45 I got a mototaxi to take me to the bus station. I was hoping there would be a bus that would leave around 5:30 or 6:00, but the best I could find was one that left at seven. I also recently realized that the smell of feces isn´t the city, rather it is me. Well, my shoes actually.
I actually really enjoyed the trip to the islands, despite how it may have came across above. The land is so beautiful and the people are so gentle. I have heard good things about Arequipa, so I am looking forward to my day tomorrow. Hopefully, I will be able to get a late start and I think the city is at a much lower altitude so I shouldn´t have any headaches.
Photos:
The van ride from the airport
Puno in the background
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