Lake Titicaca Part 2: Taquile Island and Too Long In Puno

         After a wonderful evening of Amantaki Island, it was time to move across the pond that is Lake Titicaca to the island of Taquile. This UNESCO protected community makes a living from their rough, hand woven products and the patronage of visiting tourists. The whole island has a feeling of rough hewn, red rock, and is dotted with more precarious stone archways. After a demonstration of the local dress in the main square, we wandered to a beautiful bluff for a simple lunch of lake trout and quinoa.

         With our hunger sated, we wound our way back down the narrow sandstone paths towards the docks. Our trusty (despite a few engine failures...) boat awaited us and we clambered aboard after a few moments basking in the weak heat of the not-so-distant sun. The engine sputtered to life and the gentle rocking of the boat led me towards the shoulder of my friend, where we fell fast asleep. We woke with a start as we bumped against the docks of Puno, and rose bleary eyed to explore this miserable little town for the next six hours.

          It didn't take long for me to become incredibly bored by the narrow, grey, cold streets lined with spectacularly underwhelming architecture. Tracie dragged me on with a strong sense of adventure from the cathedral in the main square, through some dim markets, meandering through street vendors offering such goods as tire-buckets, before arriving back at the docks . Here we found ourselves contemplating a truly unappetizing circus in a dingy tent before us. "We can go if you want..." I gestured weakly, before adding, "but I will be in no way disappointed if you don't wanna go." My words trailed off into the sound of Reggaeton being blasted from speakers that had seen their prime many years back, floating from the grimy flaps of the tent. Tracie looked up at me with pleading eyes. "Oh God no!" I let out a sigh of relief, and laughed before we proceeded down the boardwalk in a light that was quickly slipping away.

         We eventually decided to get some dinner, and hailed a cab back to the main plaza. After a delicious and economic meal of Alpaca steaks and pisco sours we hopped back in a taxi and headed to the bus terminal. Sometimes goodbyes are hard, and although you hope there might be another day, you just have to leave. This was not one of those times. Puno was... extremely depressing. Tracie rose to defend it as our bus pulled into the frigid night. It had character. Yeah, thats one way to put it haha.                                        Till next time Puno!

Coca-Cola is literally everywhere... even in the middle of Lake Titicaca on a poor little island.

A few local men start a day at the docks right, with a few large bottles of beer as a young boy watches. Personally, I feel like this is a lost cultural gem that should be fostered globally!

A man carries a bulging sack of natural gas barrels down to the waiting boats on his back. How much did you spend on your last super high tech backpack?

Waiting to leave Amantaki island in the morning, as the local women and men prepare for a day of hard work on the water.

Found this in the shop of hand woven goods on Taquile island... I wonder if its real.... Perhaps there was indeed a North Face factory tucked away in the windswept crevices of Taquile. Something makes me doubt that, but +1 for effort Taquile!

Locals use the old soles of shoes to hinge their gates, taking advantage of whatever they can use.

A nice little reminder about just how far away from home I am at the moment, from the central plaza of Taquile island.

Arches on the islands

A house perched on the steep hillsides catches the reflection of a dramatic sky in it's window, providing a stunning contrast with the red of its 

The shockingly clear waters around Taquile Island. Cold and uninviting to be sure.

Tracie and I pose beneath the famous arch of Taquile Island.

Fanciful paddle boats wait on the shores of Puno to take tourists around the lakeside. The murky green water here is a sharp contrast to the crystalline waters around the islands we visited.... Perhaps its because they pump raw sewage into the lake here....

Candles burn in the cold, nearly deserted cathedral in the central plaza of Puno. They provide a cheery respite to the air of decay that seems to hang about this little stopover. 

This is what meat looks like folks. A couple of cows heads sitting out in the dingy market of Puno.

VW Beatles abound in South America, despite their reputation for terrible pollution. This one was occupied by a bunch of kids and parked in the middle of the road in Puno.