...in the backyard: On the Road – Bus from La Paz to Copacabana to Puno to Cusco

* this entry from 4/15 *
Ask and Thou Shall Receive, enroute to Copacabana

Sheep grazing, donkeys, llamas, and chickens. Fields of fuchsia and gold quinoa, abodes made of sun-dried bricks.

Lake Titicaca spread out to the horizon, so large it seems as though it’s an ocean. At San Pedro de Tiquina, passengers disembark and are asked to purchase a ticket from a small blue building. Meanwhile, the bus boards a wooden boat and floats across the lake.

A 1.50BOL ticket takes us on a smaller boat. On board are a five year old and his mom from London. For his sixth birthday he wanted to visit the Amazon or Mexico City; his Mom is making this possible.

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Bienvenidos a Peru. Inka cola, coca and maca candy. On board the bus, we continue on to Puno, the city on the Peruvian side which borders Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake.

Simple Solutions, Lake Titicaca

Accompanied by a large group of tourists, we board a motor boat and converse with friendly travellers. The guide is thorough, explains that the deepest part of the lake is 284 meters deep, that the lake sits at 3800 meters, and has roughly 40 islands.

The wind is cool, cold almost. The sun reflects off the water, ripples form behind the boat. In the distance -- islands made of reeds, small houses of the same material.

The motor boat docks next to reeds. Florescent colored skirts, bare feet and braided hair, cheeks deeply tinted by the sun’s harsh rays. Inhabitants of Uros hold out their hand, helping passengers off the boat.

Reeds commonly eaten and rich in calcium

A presentation describes how the floating islands are made –
Blocks of Earth tied to one another with grass laid on top in a crisscross pattern. At a 12 – 15 meter deep section of the lake, the grass layered blocks are set and secured to the lake bottom with an 18 meter pole.

About 10 – 15 families live on the island. Should there be disputes with their neighbors, they can either pickup their house, put it on a boat, and move to another island, or simply split the island in half.

Locals sing a song and wave goodbye, "kamisawaki" (spelt phonetically) – an all encompassing word which translates as hello, how are you, good day. It’s said that the locals used to speak Uros, but the last known speaker died in 1960 and since, they’ve spoken Quechua and Spanish. The idea of language as an endangered specie as mentioned in the documentary – Encounters at the End of the World.

Almost at the moment, Bus to Cusco
A bus attendant waves a metal detector across seated passengers. He returns again with a digital camera and records everyone’s faces. He’s swift, nonchalant, routine-like in his demeanor. Past robberies likely prompted this procedure.

An arrival to Cusco at 3:45am -- the city bleak in the dark hours, concrete and gas stations. At the bus terminal, a woman approaches. She shows images of a hotel. After asking prices, checking location and availability, it’s decided to go for it. A taxi ride later, and we’re dropped off in front of a garage-like, metal door pasted to a concrete building. Thankfully, upon entering, the hotel is lovely. Clean sheets, a private bathroom, and toilet paper.