Hey guys,

 So yesterday afternoon we return from our trip to Lake Titicaca and Puno.  Puno is a city in the east of Peru, about a 7.5 hour bus ride from Cusco.  So Friday night, we got on the night bus for Puno.  We arrived in Puno on Saturday morning around 5:30AM.  First thing we had to do was find the tour we wanted.  Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world and it has lots of interesting culture and islands.  After we found our group, we went to have breakfast and then headed off.  We went to Puno´s port and got on a boat which would take us to Los Uros.  Los Uros are the floating islands.  They are made up of mud and reeds.  There are about 2,000 people living on this group of islands. 

Then we had a three hour voyage to Amantani, which is the largest island on the lake.   Once there, we were assigned host families to stay the night with.  We went with our host famililes for lunch and then took off for a trek to the top of Amantani.  Up there was the most gorgeous view.  We had to walk uphill for about an hour but it was worth it.  We were up there for the sunset and then had to head back down for dinner with our host families.  We had a really cute host family.  There was a mom, a dad, and one daughter.  They had other kids, but she was the only one still living there.  The dad was really fascinated with technology. 

After dinner, we were dressed in traditional clothing and then headed up to the  mian square for a party.  There was a traditional band and dancing.  It was all very fun, but we were exhausted.  By the time we got back to the house we were ready to crash.  They don´t have electricity or plumbing, so we got the experience of using an outhouse, in the dark. 

The next morning we woke up to have breakfast with our host family and then got back into our boat to go to the next island, Tequile.  Once in Tequile, we hiked to the top of the island and spent some time in the square.  Then we went off to lunch.  We ate on top of this cliff looking out onto the lake and it was so beautiful.  After lunch, we walked down 500 stairs to get back to the harbor.  Then we had a three-hour cruise back to Puno.  It was very hot out on the lake and some people on the boat wanted to go swimming.  Lake Titicaca is VERY cold since it is so high up.  We agreed to go though.  So we anchored in the lake and lined up on the top of the boat and all jumped.  Everyone said they could hardly breathe it was so cold.  We literally jumped in and then climbed right back out.  Then we had to lay in the sun to warm up.  And dry off since we were all just wearing clothes.  It was freezing, but definitely worth it to be able to say we swam there.

Finally, we arrived in Puno around 4PM on Sunday.  We had planned to leave for Cusco on Monday, but there was a transportation strike.  No one could enter or leave Puno.  So we were stuck in Puno until Tuesday.  Everyone says Puno is an awful city, very dirty and boring, but we made the best of it.  On Sunday, we found a hostal with a kitchen so we decided to cook for ourselves.  We did have a little scare though.  We went grocery shopping, and while in the store all the lights went out.  Then we heard the doors being slammed shut.  We all thought that the store was getting held up.  It was a pretty scary 30 seconds, until the lights came back on.  So we made our own dinner that night and then went to bed.  The next morning, we woke up, had some breakfast and then went for a walk around town.  We went to the Plaza de Armas, which was much less spectacular than the one in Cusco.  Then we went to the main Cathedral, where I lit candles for Nana, Papa and Grandpa.  It was a reallt beautiful Cathedral and everyone was inside getting ready for Easter.

Then we walked up to the top of one of the mountains in Puno to see the view, which was unreal.  You could see the whole city and the lake.  After that, we went down to the port to do paddle boats on the lake.  Those were really funny, because it kind of turned into bumper boats.  Then we sat on the pier and watched the sunset.  The rest of the evening was pretty relaxing.  The next morning we had to rush of to the bus station for our 8AM bus back to Cusco.  We finally got home yesterday afternoon.  The whole trip was really nice and we got to spend some extra time with a good friend that was leaving Cusco.

This week is Holy Week, so we will keep you updated on all the happenings around here.  We miss you all!!

 XOXOXO Kati and Liza