Lake Titicaca: Amantani and Tequile IslandsJan 5, 2011
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| I wake at 5.30and my mouth feels like I´ve been drinking salt water. My head grumbles but I decide to ignore it. More packing tetris awaits but decide to wait until Elloit is awake before getting on with it. After a light breakfast we charge down to the port courtesy of some cycle tuktuks. It turns into a bit of a race between the drivers and was a mad, fun experience. The lake itself is immense at 167km long by 63km wide. It is also the highest naval lake in the world. Banks and reed islands act as impromptu fields and grazing areas. After 3 hours of gentle cruising (being passed by every single vessel of a similar size) we stop at Tequile island for lunch and to enjoy the views. It is a good introduction to high altitude walking with varying degrees of stopping and wheezing along the way. I loved the inginuity of the locals - using old flip flops and nails to make a gate hinge, however the town square dissapointed me. The place felt unfinished and uncared for. I understand that there may be tax reasons to leave buildings unfinished but to have a town hall that looks so modern in the middle of it and not in keeping with the style was ugly. The whole experience was redeemed by lunch a stunning view from the top of the island and beautifully prepared lake trout and soup. 580 steps and one close encounter with a cow later we are ready to depart for the next island. As well approached Amantani island high chop made our boat look like a paper boat in a pond with a stone dropped in. Unable to proceed to the correct side of the island we make haste to a safe port. Some frantic phone calls by the local guide and we change the location to the side where we are sheltered. We drop the bags and then charge up the the peak (4km above sea level) to watch the sunset over lake titicaca. The climb was made all the more challenging as we hand´t done much walking at altitude. On the way up two boys decided to beg by playing ´pan-pipe Frier Jacque´. I found that telling them firmly ´No´ didn´t work but a gentle hand-off did. The views were worth the climb which probably explains the 100+ photos of the sunset I took. As we descended in the dark we watched a storm over Puno (or Juliacana opions varied). Peter and I are assigned to Rebecca and her family. We are led along pitch black alleys and across fields by anaemic torch light with her daughter, Lupa dancing along in front of her mother. After a dinner of soup, omlete and rice, Peter decided to call it a night (I made excuses for him in Spanish) and I got dressed in traditional robes for the Inca-tech. Fantastic local music and dancing, dancing with my homestay Mama a few times and some others in the group. On the way home I chatted with Mama in Spanish and feel asleep thinking in spanish |
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