Nai-publish: 19.12.2023
Aloha from Peru,
The last days of Peru have begun.
We are now in Puno and have booked a trip to Lake Titicaca.
The trip includes a visit to the Uros Islands - one of hundreds. The islands are very special because they are made of thatch. No other substance. The huts are also made of thatch. After a long conversation, we were shocked about this way of life, but the guide said that this is the optimal freedom and that you can do whatever you want every day and there is no stress.
Ok, now here is my point of view based on bullet points:
No running water
So no usual toilets either
Toilet is a hole in the thatched floor (1 meter deep, so you can do your business in the mud, it is supposed to biodegrade)
20 people on an island of approx. 1000m2
No toys to discover (7 children on the island)
A new mayor on the island every year
Electricity via car batteries
No fire pit (gas grill) or stones with a pot
The capital of the Uros Islands demands money from the individual islands (tourist boat trips)
After 30 years the island is no longer usable
Construction time for the island is 1 year
The state tried to build toilet houses. Were started. Corruption existed - it was never stopped.
You don't like your neighbors? Dissolve the bamboo trunks in the water and look for new neighbors
After a good hour in the stench and garbage, we left this island behind us (the edge of the lake - especially near the islands - is really very dirty)
We drove out onto the wide lake. The real Lake Titicaca. There we visited an island and had to climb a steep climb from 3800 meters to over 4000 meters *phew*. We were rewarded with a beautiful view of the lake and its islands.
Afterwards we were shown a lot of things at a market (wool production) and a dance with music was presented.
After this event we went to dinner. For the first time on vacation we had fish. It really tasted like "I've been lying on the ground for 10 years", but oh well 🙈😂 the starter soup was delicious...
Shortly afterwards the ship drove 2 hours back to Puno.
In the evening we strolled through the city and ended our last evening in Puno with a crepe.
Get up at 5 a.m. oO
6 a.m. check out and breakfast - the hotel wasn't ready yet 🤮🙈
6:10 a.m. in the taxi without breakfast and to the bus station.
7.15 a.m. Bus to Copacabana to Bolivia.
Let's see if everything works with border control.
Sequel follows. And a conclusion about the Peruvians :)
Greetings from the bus
Freddy