Last two days in Peru

It is sad to think that this volun-touring (or volunteer-cation, as my co-worker Camille calls it) is drawing to a close. For my last two days in Peru I went to a museum, toured an historical boat, went to dinner with fellow travelers from my islands trip, relaxed, and prepared for the trip home.

Wednesday evening when we returned from our excursion to the islands, Bruna and Andre from Brazil invited me to join them for dinner -- to my delight, since I hate to eat alone in restaurants. We found a lovely restaurant that translates as the Balconies of Puna, which included entertainment as well as good food.

I hadn´t had pizza the whole trip, so Andre and I had pizza and Bruna had ceviche (marinated fish, somewhat similar to sushi), and each of us had a Pisco Sour, a local drink specialty.  The entertainment was provided by Peruvian musicians and dancers, complete with bright colored costumes. A fun evening!

Thursday morning I toured a boat named the Yavari, which had been one of two ships built in England in 1862, shipped around Cape Horn to northern Chile and carried in pieces by train and and then mules across the Andes (an incredible undertaking that took six years) to Lake Titicaca. After long years of service it fell into disrepair and was rescued by the efforts of a visiting Englishwoman.  It has left port under its own power seven times in the last year as a part of the restoration and maintenance, and now spends the rest of its time as a floating museum. 

Another museum in the afternoon, a leisurely stroll around the main square, and back to my hotel to update this blog.  Tomorrow I hope to catch one more museum here in Puno before I start the trek home, with a flight to Lima and then a red-eye flight Friday night, non-stop to Atlanta.

It has been a lovely once-in-a-lifetime trip. Absolutely spectacular weather the whole time, interesting sights and interesting people --- everything I had hoped for, and more.