After freshening up in La Paz, and appreciating the feeling of a nice fresh clean bed and a hot clean shower, we jumped on the bus to Peru. We were dropped off in Puno, a town on whose banks leis the highest navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca. We arranged to stay with one of the families that live on the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. The islands are made of layers of peat and hundreds of layers of leaves. The top layer of leaves must be replaced every 2 months because the botoom layer immersed in Lake Titicaca rots away. These indigenous people spoke thier own tongue, Quechua (similar to Aymara spoken in Bolivia).
Staying with the family was an interesting experience. After a simple dinner, we got dressed up in tradittional Peruvian costume and danced to the music of the panpipes which were played by a group of locals. The next day, we made our way back to the mainland and onto the next stop in Peru, Cusco.
Cusco is the gateway to the world famous inca ruins Macchu Picchu. Therefore it is the most touristed place in all of South america too. Howver, it is a beautiful city, with little winding streets and viewpoints. We paid the extortionate sum to board the train to Macchu Picchu and left early tthe next day. The train dropped us of where we had a hard climb to the ruins in front of us. 40 minutes into the walk, we were absolutely drenched in sweat. We were surrounded by amindblowing scenery, seperate mountains torering above all around us. The heavy mist in the air clinged to the mountains, making the place look surreal. When we got to the ruins, we could`nt really see anything until the fog suddenly cleared. In front of us was the breathtaking view of Macchu Picchu in all its glory. The scale of this ancient city dawned upon us as the lst of the mist was blown away by the hot, sticky breeze. How a civilization could build a city so perfectly in such a difflcult location was mind boggling. Workshops, houses gardens, walls giant steps and towers came into view inch by inch. The ancient city was surrounded by soaring peaks covered in dense, thick tropical vegetation. After exploring Macchu Picchu, we made our way back to Cusco, and then onto Lima, the capital of Peru. The 24 hour bus ride there was really uncomfortable. We had a look around friendly cosmopolitan Lima over the next couple of days, checking out the torture chambers where the Spanish invaders mutilated heretics (those who had unchristian views) 3 or 4 hundred years ago, and the monastary. We then left for Bogota, the Columbian capital.
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