Puno

Unfortunately my hostel in Puno didnt have the internet so ive only been able to write something now im in Arequipa. Puno was interesting, a certain change from Cusco and overall ive gotta say i dont particularly like the city. Its just a little too dirty and scrubby for my liking. However, i was only there for 2 nights and one purpose - to see Lake Titicaca. In anything less than a sober mood, the name is hilarious!

Titicaca (im tempted to abbrieviate it to titi) is the highest navigable lake in the world which im sure ive mentioned often enough. Its something like 170km x 60km at the extremes and you really get the feeling of being on top of the world. Your around 4000m up and this vast flat ocean lies before you on the Peruvian Altiplano. The altiplano itself is a bizarre feature. Both geologically and historically. Im not going to rattle on about the relevent geology (ive got a whole module in that next semester) but its weird how something so big, so high and so flat exists in the middle of the worlds largest mountain belt!

The tour around the lake was long and excruiciatingly slow. It took about 3 1/2 hours to travel the 35km to Taquille Island but was overall worth it. It wasnt the best thing ive done in Peru but certainly an experience. On the way we visited the floating islands about 5km outside of Puno´s harbour. Theses are remarkable. Everything is made out of reeds. The islands, the houses, the boats - everything. You can also eat the reeds (they dont really taste of much) which makes me wonder what they do in a food shortage? Eat the island their living on???

The bus to Puno from Cusco was amazingly confortable, its a shame the same couldnt be said for the one to Arequipa this morning. Cruz del sur, my bus agency, has an annoying habit of cancelling buses without telling anyone so i ended up travelling on a cheaper tourist bus. Although it saved me money, the driver was nuts and the bus was a really old and crappy school bus like we had in the UK. The driver was overtaking lorries on the outside of corners with massive drops either side all on roads considered amongst the worst in the world. (The actual worst is just across the border in Bolivia near La Paz but these are pretty bad.)

Anyway, best be off. More on Arequipa soon.
Laters