Lake Titicaca

Lake Titicaca, the jewel of the Andes, my first views aren´t quite so flattering as its covered in a thick layer green weed and hundreds of plastic bottles! Additionally from the Peruvian side it means a visit to Puno, not the most beautiful of places. Most people tell you not to stay the night...its not that bad, just doesn´t fare well against the other cities in Peru.

So anyway back to the lake...Get out beyond the undulating layer of green and general flotsam and the beauty is revealed. The sun sparkles lazily off the azure blue water, hypnotically drawing you in and relaxing you, its all you can do to not jump in, which Im assuming is a bad idea given the number of people living on and around it, unless you want Choelera, Dysentry and a whole platoon of parasites invading your kidneys and brain stem.

First stop on our lake tour was Uros, the floating islands made of reeds, as is pretty much everything they have, hats, boats, toys and food. I guess theres not really much else around other than fish, and they don´t make great hats. More of a Indigena themepark than anything else, fun to visit for 5 minutes but thats about it. Oooh lets climb the rickety platform and look at the reeds from a different angle...I was over it very quickly!

Head off to the meat of the trip, the overnight stay on Armanti (named after the abundant lizards found there). Arrive to the picturesque island and are greeted by the locals, all in traditional dress where we are divided up and sent on our ways with our hosts, ours was a lovely and slightly manic young lady called Celia. After a hard walk up the hill past fields of Quinoa, potatoes and some other tuberous plant we reach our home for the night. A little farm house overlooking the bay with the smallest doorways ever. Pretty much have to crawl through to stop from breaking my spine! Feel like Alice in Wonderland all of a sudden.

Get fed a Quinoa soup which was very tasty and a bowl of fried cheese, potatoes and strange purple wrinkly tubers that we quickly coin "Earthworm Jims". I will leave the reference unexplained so those who know can feel superior! I have to apologise profusely as I have an upset stomach so can only manage a little of the soup. However it does give them the opportunity to tell me about Muña tea and how good for stomach problems it is. You find that no matter where you go in South America they always find some plant to drop into hot water that has amazing restorative qualities. Have a cup and fully expect to be better in seconds, it doesn´t happen and the toilet still beckons me at regular intervals!

So after our lunch we explore the island and walk up to the top of the hill to watch the sunset and wonder what the "traditional dread" on the menu at the cafe there is. Meet some nice American girls at the top, Paige and Simone, have tea and eat the local equivalent of donuts. Sunset happens quickly and then we head back in the dark to our home. Realise very quickly I forgot my torch so we go to the worlds emptiest shop and manage to buy two candles...the shop is now completely empty, actually thats a lie, there is a single can of Fanny tuna (its a brand in Peru) and the obligatory rolls of bright pink poor quality Papel Hygenicos which is about as effective as wiping your behind with a sheet of greaseproof paper.

Head off in the dark to the local dance, Celia reveals her truly manic side by leading the charge and not letting me sit down, constantly dragging me up for the next dance, it seems she likes the whole crazy dancing thing...not much else to do on the island I guess!

The dance consists of a small village hall, lots of locals and gringos sitting in foolish local attire, a band and copious amounts of beer. Every dance starts off with a ritual of trying to pull each others arms off, then running under everyone elses raised arms, finally finished by a hokey cokey style race around the hall. Its closest relative is Snake on mobile phones as you rush round in a big line trying to avoid the walls and the rest of the line. Pretty hectic and very exhausting at altitude wearing a thick heavy poncho! Everyone slinks off into the dark and I have to use the toilet (well cack encrusted hole in the ground is more like it) in the dark, which is probably a good thing that I couldn´t see what lurked beneath. Stars are awesome, some of the best I have seen in the world so far due to the complete absence of light, really do wish I had brought my torch with me as I stumble though fields back to our palacial residence!

Manage to avoid breaking my spine on the low doorway and then its into bed to worry about the parasites and bugs likely to be living in the mud brick walls, feel myself getting nauseous as I drift off to sleep...only to wake up for a beautiful sunrise over the lake, breakfast and the boat journey back to Puno...Bolivia beckons!!!