After Cuzco, me and another Michigander traveled to Puno, a city right on the banks of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world (3812 meters above sea level). We spent one night in Puno and they too were celebrating Carnaval. Although the water and foam fights are a big part of the festivities in Puno, there are also lots of parades with dancing and marching bands. In fact, when I went to bed I could hear the marching bands parading through the streets (along with fireworks being set off). I woke up around 3 am and could still hear the music (and fireworks). I then woke up to start my day at 6 am and they were still at it. By 7 am, the parade was passing right in front of the hostel (and still playing the same song that could be heard at 10pm the night before). Good thing I was already awake.
After the band passed, I went to the docks to board a boat to take me onto the lake. The first stop was the Uros Floating Islands. Although very touristy and designed to suck the money right out of your wallet, it was a pretty interesting experience. The Uros people make floating islands out of reeds cut from the lake and then live on them. A little unsettling how squishy the islands are, but luckily they held up very well.
After departing the Uros Islands, we had a 2.5 hour ride to Taquile Island (an actual natural island). Here it was nice because we were allowed to actually explore the island a bit and get away from the other groups of people. Great views out to the lake, the surrounding mountains and to Bolivia. The one disappointing part of the day was the caravan of boats that take groups of tourists out to the islands on the lake, but I´m starting to get used to it. As much as I hate the large groups of people, I´m starting to have to accept it as a part of visiting all these amazing places.
More photos of Puno and Lake Titicaca in the Peru folder at: http://picasaweb.google.com
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