High Up in the Andes

Note : I have cannot get my photos on this Blog at the moment, but have found some interesting web=stie to illustrate some of the places. There are some good photos on these sites.
I am writing this from hotel Munay Tambo in Puno, the city on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. http://www.puno.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puno
Here we are at 3,860 metres (12,421 feet in old money) which is pretty high. The air is thin here and we are closer to the sun - red faces abound even on the dark skinned Peruvians. Undue exertion causes panting and the first night here I had a headache. This is normal adjustment to high altitude. We are six on this tour - all from Sydney although myself and Michelle originate from England (she from Leeds). Linda (of the couple travelling) is suffering badly from altitude sickness but keeping going.
After a 2 hour flight up here over stunning mountains we spent the afternoon settling in to Puno. This is a bigish city of mostly low buildings around two main squares connected by the main street, the usual mecca for turistas.
I took a tour to see some Pre- and Inca ruined tower tombs at Sillustani.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sillustani and http://www.ancientenergies.com/sillustani.htm and http://www.go2peru.com/pun_foto5.htm
Most are in ruins destroyed by lightning strike. One has been partially restored to show their height. They were quite magnificent and only for the aristocracy. Your lot as a servant was an involuntary journey to join your master. You, however, were buried in the ground while they got thr full mumification treatment. On the way back we visited authentic homestead complete with ooh-aah baby Lama outside. It was pretty primitive and I suspected they may not actually live there now. The nearby town looked more appealing. Still very interesting to see how they used tolive. A hard subsistence life.
That evening we had a very tourist dinner just because we were tired and it was close. An early start the next day.
Up at 6.30 and away in tricycle rickshaws to the port on the Lake. Onboard the boat our new guide told us that in Inca TITI means Puma and KAKA means jsut what you would think. So they named it Puma DooDoo ... very odd for such a lovely lake. It is the highest navigable lake in the world and fresh water too. Our two hour boat trip under a clear sky took us to Amantani Island via the floating islands inhabited by the Uros people. Not long ago these were a declining lot but with government encourangement and tourist dollars their number has increased to a community of about 3,000. The islands are made by the Uros from sections of reed bed cut into squares and tied together. On top beds of reeds are laid to a depth of about a metre at first. Then houses are constructed from reeds and life continues. Each island may last for up to 20 years as each year new layers are added until the island is seriously rotting apart. Then they start a new island. They make beautiful clothes and clothes which we buy... and they take us for trips in their traditional reed boats and we come and look at them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uros and http://indian-cultures.com/Cultures/uros.html
Then on to Amantani Island, the largest island in the Lake. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amantani
We were put to stay with families in their houses. Our host was Pimitiwa, husband Raoul, children Jessica, Franklin, Brian and Janet. They have TV ......
Most of the houses on the island are made from mud brick (adobe) with corrigated iron roofs. A few have some concreting. This is a very local and sustainable way of building. Food is grown in terraces and most root vegetables. Rice, oil, sugar and stuff that cannot be grown comes expensively from the mainland so we brought some as gifts. There were some sheep kept in pens. Against this traditional life comes the satellite dishes and photovoltaic cells, and much plastic - bags and bottles everywhere. And up on a high point a football field with a concrete stand. This island also has electricity.
We walked in the afternoon up to the high point on the island - something of a struggle in the thin air. But the view was worth it. The top of this hill (PanchaPapa) is dedicated to the sun and is an enclosed square ceremonial site where the Shaman still performs annual rituals. Christianity has a light hold on this island. The top is 4,100 metres or 13,000 feet. Lake Puma DooDoo is very large.
The day was finished off by a display of local dancing and wind-pipe music. It seemed a little contrived, sadly.
Our night was disturbed by a heavy rainstorm that presented a washed world in the morning sun.
Farwells to Pimitiwa and family and then off to Taquile Island http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taquile
An altogether more prosperous island, and this one well covered in Eucalyptus trees . Amantani had some too. I am led to believe these came to Peru in teh 19th century and thrive in these altititudes where others do not. There are indigenous trees but these are few indeed. The Aussie gum suits perfectly, grows fast and well, and is providing an increasing source of wood for cooking and building.
A long, slow and very enjoyable walk across the island kept reminding me of Greece - the same terracing, the same steep sides to the island and views across a clear blue sea to the mainland. Small children ran asking for Soles (pronounced Sol-es) or trying to sell knitted goods or woven bracelets. The women do this too by the side of the path sitting with their wares on their coloured woven sheets which, on finishing business, gather the goods and become and sack to carry them on the back.
Again the buildings are mostly adobe - the main square on the island (which is home to severawl communities) is quite grand. One side has the ´town hall´and the other a two story warehouse for knitted and woven goods. Both these buildings are concrete framed.
After lunch in a high resturant that reminded me of one I ate at years ago on Ios, we descended 530 steps to the small harbour and the two hour boat ride back to Puno. The wind had died down so our voyage was much calmer than this morning´s.
Puno has been alive this evening with a huge street parade of brass bands, marching bands (it was almost funny watching military officers line-dancing as a group in the parade) and fire crackers going off to celebrate the festival of the Local Virgin, she being parraded around on a float carried by more military officers.
We, meanwhile, wove our way through this noisy mayhem and found our Balcones de Peru restaurant and were entertained by a very good Andean Pipe band and really excellent dancing in five sets of quite different constumes and dances - two couples did rapid changes to achieve this. And we ate guinea pig. It tastes like duck, in case you ever get hungry enough for your pet. Tasty though it was I won´t be in a hurry to eat it again. My conscience was severly torn anyway but when in Rome ....
Tomorrow we go on up to Cusco, gateway to the Inca Trail for Machu Picchu.