Second Day in Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca

I arrived last evening in Puno, Peru, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. (No jokes about the unusual name, please.)

At 12,500 feet, Lake Titicaca is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, and is bordered by both Peru and Bolivia. By volume it is the largest lake in South America. Despite the cold temperatures, especially in the winter (June to September), the lake never freezes.

According to Andean legend, this lake gave birth to the sun, as well as being the father and mother of all the Incas.

I had spent Saturday sightseeing in Cusco with Bill and Maureen, and eating dinner with some of the folks we had volunteered with the previous week. I even ate alpaca meat, which was like beef only more tender. It was served on a bed of quinioa, which I have learned to enjoy.

Everyone else went back to Urubamba and I stayed in Cusco to catch an early Sunday morning bus to Puno.

The Inka Express was a tourist bus that took 9 1/2 hours to cover what an ordinary bus could have done in 6 hours. The difference was that we had a wonderful bilingual tour guide, several stops at interesting sites along the way, and a buffet lunch along the way. My seat mate was one of the previous week's volunteers.

The stops included an Inca village from the 1500's, a museum, and a chance to take photos at our highest point --- 14,240 feet. I had taken altitude medicine before I left Cusco, which helped.

The bus arrived in Puno at 5pm on Sunday, rounding the lake to afford us a good view on our way into town. The owner of my hostel picked me up at the bus station, and I was shortly settled into my room at the Kusillo Posado. I fell asleep before 8 pm, wrapped in 3 or 4 layers of clothes, gloves, plus a hot water bottle at my feet (no heat in the rooms), and didn't awaken until 7am the next morning. 

Today I took more altitude medicine and took a leisurely walk to the main square, the tourist information office, and the Lake. I have been blessed with wonderful weather this whole trip, if you don't consider the cold weather in Peru. The daytimes are warm until the sun begins to set, and it stays cold until mid-morning. Sunscreen is a must every day because we are close to the equator and at high altitude.

Tomorrow morning I set out for a two day tour of Lake Titicaca, including a visit to the "floating islands" and an overnight stay on one of the other islands. More about that later!