After a long day working and spanish class, Julia, Lindsay (two other volunteeers from a different program) and I leave town at 2200 for Puno. Puno is the city that is right on Lake Titicaca. This is the highest lake in the world at an altitude of 5000 meters in some parts. We took an overnight bus, so we should arrive there at about 0600. We bought tickets for a nice bus so our seats transform into beds... kind of. The bus ride went smoothly and everyone slept on and off. We started the trip on the lakefront at about 0730. We went through the introductions and we had people from 6 different countries which I thought was pretty sweet. Our tour guide was Pacha (meaning earth) and thus our group was named Pacha Group. He was the cutest little man and a really awesome tour guide.
Our first stop was the Floating Islands of Uros. They are probably some of the coolest things that I have ever seen. They are kind of a little sustainable village with a floating islands with a small hospital and school for the kids. What they do is there is a certain plant that grows in the water here and the water is much more shallow than other parts so they pile the dried out plant on top of the root of the plant and anchor it with some sort of concoction. After exploring the islands and taking a ride on a traditional water taxi, we were taken by boat to another island called Amantani. The weather was absolutely gorgeous so everyone was really good about reminding to wear sunscreen and drink lots of water since the altitude is so high. Amantani was totally incredible. We were shown to our host family's home (which was a hike) then as a group, we met back up to hike the mountain. The views were breathtaking and the hike was pretty hard but definitely worth it. After we think we have gotten to the top, we see the next two mountains/large hills. One was Pachamama and the other Pachatata. We hike up to Pachatata first, about another 15 minutes. Once at the top, we walk around the temple three times and make a wish each cycle and Pachatata will grant your wishes. After you stand with your arms extended out at your sides, close your eyes and you can feel your fingers and hands tingle. After Pachatata, we headed back down the hill and up the other hill to Pachamama. We arrived just in time for the most beautiful sunset behind the mountains. We were also educated by Pacha (our guide) about the third "being" was Pachacocha (sp?) for water, there was no third mountain to climb for that. Thank goodness, because it was incredibly dark because there is no electricity on the island without sunlight (they use a little solar energy) and after the sun sets, it also gets incredibly cold. We trekked back down the mountain which proved to be trickier than expected in the dark, but finally got home for dinner. Everything was homemade and homegrown. They don't serve meat or fish, solely veggies and rice with soup. After dinner, the family dressed us up in the traditional robes/clothing for both males and females. They were so pretty with tons and tons of different colors and styles. The male outfit was fairly simple with a poncho and specific hat, but the female outfit had many pieces. We had so much fun running around the clothes and on the plus side, the outfit was super warm! We all headed into a village for a dance. The locals lead us in some typical dance moves while a local band played. It was hilarious, hot, very fun and totally exhausting!
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