isla amantaní

After seeing the Islas de Uros, we headed over to Isla Amantaní.  It is a rather small island with 4,000 inhabitants that thrive on agriculture, artisan crafts and tourism.  We arrived at the dock and were greeted by our Peruvian host family.  There are no restaurants or hotels/hostels on the island so home-stay is the only way to go.  The islanders all speak Quechua and a few speak Spanish and absolutely none speak English.  It was quite the experience!

Alex and I in the ethnic Island Garb.  Ohhh, yeah.

The view of Lake Titicaca from Isla Amantaní

The daughter of our host family dressing us in the islander's ethnic garb.

Alex and I with some Israeli friends we met on the boat.  

We were at a town fiesta with dancing and Cusqueña beer!

Alex and I on a hike to the Temple of Pachamama ("Mother Earth")

Templo de Pachatata ("Father Earth") in the background.

Our bedroom on Amantaní.  

The beds were horribly uncomfortable, but we were so tired we could care less.

Look!!  The door to our room!!  Alex is taller than it!

I definitely whacked my head on the door frame too many times to count.  

The door was literally about 4 feet tall.  I am 5'9.

The front door to our host family's house.

They had some gorgeous flowers...gardenias that reminded me of mom!

isla de uros

From Juli, we headed back to Puno.  We arrived around 7pm, had dinner and a few drinks and headed back to our hostel, Los Pinos Inn.  It was an adorable place and we slept like rocks...for 4 hours.  We had to be very bright and early for our boat ride to Islas de Uros!

Islas de Uros are floating islands made out of reeds.  There are many of these floating reed islands and people live on them!  There is even a church and a school on one.  They were truly incredible.

On a boat made entirely out of reeds!

The women that live on these islands are beasts.  You can never tell their age, but even the ones that look 75 years old are doing serious hard labor.

The kitchen.

Islas de Uros

This woman rowed us all the way across to another island.  

That's one powerful human in a bright pink skirt!

olimpiadas en juli

After arriving in Puno, we took a smaller (much less comfortable) mini bus to a small ghost town called Juli.  

What happens in Juli?  Absolutely nothing.  

BUT it is located on the shores of Lake Titicaca, which is awesome.  AND it hosted "The Olympics for Boarding Schools in Farming Towns of Southern Peru" (title loosely translated).

Juli's main plaza.

Chilling by the fountain with my ladies.

This man interviewed us for Juli's "radio station."

So odd.

I am so happy to have found a restaurant in Juli!!

Here are some of the girls and I before the big theater performance. 

72 girls all slept in this one room with cement walls and about 10 old mattress sprawled about. We were relieved we had booked a hostel upon arrival, 

as they begged us to sleep there with them.  

Note that these girls also hadn't showered in about 4 days and the odor was less than pleasant.

Enjoying the theater performances in the frigid cold.

The next day, we had some free time to take the girls to Lake Titicaca.

As a side note, my bed at the hostel had sheets that said "BEAUTIFUL" all over them.

¡VAMOS PACCA!

Profe Alexandra y Profe Jennifer cheering on our students!

This was the only restaurant in the town open for breakfast.  

I think it was one of two restaurants in the town...period.  Looks cute, doesn't it?

Not so cute when they screw up scrambled eggs so badly.  

They were unlike any eggs I have ever tasted.  Note the instant coffee.  Yum.

The roaring crowd.

A little boat on Lake Titicaca.

The girls thought it a great idea to braid Alex's hair.  

I was so glad they didn't ask me.

They found a dead fish and instead of "eww"-ing, they reached down and grabbed it.  

These girls were literally fighting over who could hold it.

The "beach" in Juli.

Here is the only thing to see in Juli. 

The old church.  Which I did not enter.

Roxanna, one of my students, had never before seen a body of water larger than her nearby pond.  She is from a small farm town outside of Cusco and was enamored with Titicaca's gorgeous waters.

This little girl melts my little heart.

No better place to play soccer than right here.

After a horrible breakfast, we asked someone to send us to the "Best Restaurant in Juli."  They sent us here to "El Lago Azul," which looks basic but had incredible food.  We were delighted.

See!?  Grilled chicken, fresh homemade french fries and salad.  Yumm.

The little rose is actually a tomato!

Huge fires on the Lake somewhere.

I snuck a picture of this adorable Peruvian family and do not regret it for a second.

Our "boat driver."

Out on Lago Titicaca!!

Typical Alex face.