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Lago Titicaca and the Upper Urubamba


Puno
OK - take the lot for 10 Sols
Our first taste of Peru coming from Bolivia - there seemed to be a slight oversupply on the oranges!
   

Silustani

One of the many day trips available from Puno is to the Colla burial grounds at Silustani. Set in a truly spectacular setting on a peninsula in Lago Ayumara these ruins are very atmospheric. They consist of a series of chullupas or burial towers some of which have incredible close fitting masonry. In end though, it is the spectacular setting that sticks in your memory.
The sheep in Peru have long necks

Uros
Visited on another daytrip from Puno, the floating islands of the Uros are totally unique as far as we know. The story we were told is that when the Uros were being supressed by the Inca's (or other pre-Columbian group) they hid in the reeds by the lake. Eventually they spent so much time in the reeds that they tied their boats together to form large floating islands where their decendents still live. Tourism is handled sympathetically in our view - a handful of islands are open to visitors with plenty of photo opportunities - whilst the remainder are off limits unless you have specific business there.
Uros Islands
Trips around the bay
The people have links with Thor Hyerdahl and the Con-Tiki expedition. Many of the skills involved in making strong reed boats were only available here on Uros. A legacy of that period are the 'Norse Style' brows on the boats.
   

Train from Puno to Cusco

In 1999 the road between Puno and Cusco had just been improved making the bus a much quicker and more comfortable option. This train was mostly used by tourists with just a few locals mainly travelling between villages.
Urubamba Summit
The train will be delayed owing to the wrong type of oxygen.
Non the less it was still a spectacular ride across high passes rumoured at one time to be the source of the Amazon (since disproved) and into the Urubamba Valley.
 

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