Four - Cuzco to Ushuia

[keith]

After a few delays - relating to train strike, I think we caught the train going South to Puno. We travelled first class (a seat each) as it is a full day's travel.

The poor old train huffed and puffed up to high altitude - the air was thin and the mountains so clear.


It stopped regularly to catch its breath and even the passengers found it hard climbing up the steps back on the train ! The highest was 16,000ft!




Keith, of course, liked being able to travel with the train door open. It was only doing 40kph most of the time.




At some places we stopped and the locals sold their wares.


Puno is on the shores of Lake Titicaca, here we are approaching Puno and the edge of the lake.


We stayed two night in Puno. We wandered though the local market and watched as this freight train travelled between the market stalls.

[keith]

We had a choice of tours but thought the trip to the reed islands would be best. We were taken there in a small boat, and the waters of Lake Titicaca really do sparkle !


The people who first lived on the reed islands set up their village here as a safe place from maraurders.


Some of the islands are fixed reed mats on sand banks, but some really do float. The peg in the middle of the picture is for the anchor point.


The floating islands are about 600mm thick, they add reeds all the time as the bottom ones rot off. They are a bit springy to walk on.


The next day we joined a tour group for our jouney to La Paz. First problem was that the fancy coach could not collect us from the hotel - the roads were too narrow! We drove along the road adjacent to the lake and at Cocacabana were loaded onto a catamaran to Sun Island. Here we had an enjoyable walking tour, just us and the tour leader as all the others in to group (about 20) were too exhausted !


We got to see llamas close up


This reed boat was made for show but constrcted traditionally and beautifully. (and set just to make a fine picture too)

[keith]

Back on the boat where we had the top deck to ourselves.




We unloaded on the other side, after crossing the border, into a less glamorous bus and travelled towards La Paz. By now it was starteing to get dark but the sun still shone on the mountains


La Paz is built in a canyon, the smartest areas at the bottom. All of it is very steep.


It is an interesting city - enormous and very tiring at this altitude. We stayed a few nights at a moderate hotel them moved up the slopes to this rather functional and cheaper one ( definately more entertaining) We happened by as a big military funeral wound up the main street, but didn't dare take photos. We even found a bus with bulletholes in the windows.


Then it was more interesting markets before the flight to Ushia. La Paz airport is the highest commercial airport in the world, the runway is 5km long and the planes really need it. Almost all our South American travelling was done in Boeing 737s as they are certified for landing and take off at high altitudes. We stopped briefly at Santa Crus, the capital, then on to Beunos Aires. The next day we flew to Ushuia, another very hazardous airport - landing between mountains and high winds.