13 May – Puno

We had 2 good days in La Paz. What a city! What contrasts – some very very grand and expensive homes as well as the sort of slum areas. We had an excellent city tour with a young guide who really knew his stuff and could answer silly questions like do they have MOTs for cars. You may be surprised to know that there are no driving tests in Bolivia, MOTs cost $2 if you put the car through the test and $3 if you didn´t!

We really enjoyed Bolivia and have now crossed into Peru.

We have just completed a trip on Lake Titicaca. This involved visiting Tequile Island where the men were all standing and knitting hats and the women doing the work! We had lunch on the island which involved a 50 minute hike to the Plaza near the top of the Island – phew!! After a delicious lunch we walked down the other side of the island in 15 minutes to rejoin our boat which took us to Amanti Island and our homestay. Our hostess was Fortunata who was 40 but looked much older (it is hard to appreciate the harshness of the islanders´ lives unless you have been there). Our homestay was great very basic and cold and candle light was the only source of illumination. We ate in the kitchen which was very dark and low ceilinged and lit by a candle but she served really good food cooked over a wood fire. We did the tourist bit of being dressed in costume and dancing for the evening with the locals. It was a fantastic experience.

We are now in Puno and tomorrow head for Cusco. You may be interested to know that we have both coped pretty well with the altitude and have escaped the dreaded altitude sickness that has beset many of the younger members of our group – we may not be the quickest but we seem to get there in as good a shape as anyone (So Far!).

As you know we are not doing the Inca Trail but catching the train up to Machu Piccu. Sadly there has been a landslide so those who are walking may have to take a bus for the final day.