Click
on an image for a larger view |
Lago
Titicaca and the Upper Urubamba
|
|
Puno |
|
Our
first taste of Peru coming from Bolivia - there seemed to be a slight
oversupply on the oranges! |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
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. |
|
|
|
|
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. |
|
|
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. |
|
Click
on an image for a larger view |
|
|