Tuesday, October 12
Today we were at the bus station at 7 a.m. for the tourist bus to Puno on Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest fresh-water lake. The six-hour trip will take ten as we stop at historical features along the way. Of course, there will be other buses of tourists there as well as the local vendors selling the crafts at inflated prices.
We went through the pass at La Raya at 4313 metres. This is like putting another 2000 metres on top of Old Glory. This pass separates the Cusco and the Puno districts of Peru. Also, at this point, the high plateau that stretches to La Paz, Bolivia, begins. There were lots of vendors there and one lady was knitting very nice alpaca scarves going a mile a minute. I went over to watch her and commented on how quickly she could knit. Then I told her that I knit also and I asked her where I could purchase some wool. Of course, she had a bag with a few more skeins, so she sold me two as it would take only one to make a scarf. Being able to communicate in Spanish has been a real asset on this trip. Each day it becomes easier. Once you are not dealing directly with a tourist agent, there is no English.
After we descended from the Pass, we saw a huge storm to the southwest. As we approached the area it had past, there was actually snow on the ground! We came all this way to see snow.
All along the way, the farm people live as they did hundreds of years ago, except they often have electricity. In one whole area almost all the outhouses were made of brightly-blue-coloured corrugated steel. The others were lime green! The houses are surrounded by a wall where the cattle, llamas, alpacas or sheep, pigs, and chickens are kept at night.
Tonight we are living the life of luxury. The hotel is serious four star. Our dinner with a drink and a glass of complimentary wine was around thirty dollars total. The waiter even started a fire in the fireplace and brought a heater next to our table because I put on a skirt and dress shoes and he thought I might be cold.
Today we were at the bus station at 7 a.m. for the tourist bus to Puno on Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest fresh-water lake. The six-hour trip will take ten as we stop at historical features along the way. Of course, there will be other buses of tourists there as well as the local vendors selling the crafts at inflated prices.
We went through the pass at La Raya at 4313 metres. This is like putting another 2000 metres on top of Old Glory. This pass separates the Cusco and the Puno districts of Peru. Also, at this point, the high plateau that stretches to La Paz, Bolivia, begins. There were lots of vendors there and one lady was knitting very nice alpaca scarves going a mile a minute. I went over to watch her and commented on how quickly she could knit. Then I told her that I knit also and I asked her where I could purchase some wool. Of course, she had a bag with a few more skeins, so she sold me two as it would take only one to make a scarf. Being able to communicate in Spanish has been a real asset on this trip. Each day it becomes easier. Once you are not dealing directly with a tourist agent, there is no English.
After we descended from the Pass, we saw a huge storm to the southwest. As we approached the area it had past, there was actually snow on the ground! We came all this way to see snow.
All along the way, the farm people live as they did hundreds of years ago, except they often have electricity. In one whole area almost all the outhouses were made of brightly-blue-coloured corrugated steel. The others were lime green! The houses are surrounded by a wall where the cattle, llamas, alpacas or sheep, pigs, and chickens are kept at night.
Tonight we are living the life of luxury. The hotel is serious four star. Our dinner with a drink and a glass of complimentary wine was around thirty dollars total. The waiter even started a fire in the fireplace and brought a heater next to our table because I put on a skirt and dress shoes and he thought I might be cold.
careful with that alpaca wool: the stuff is frighteningly hot when knitted into socks or scarves... but it sounds like you guys need some warmth. Who would have thought Dad would travel somewhere snowy? Then again, you are at 12,000 feet in the Andes, what did you expect, coconuts?
ReplyDeleteStill, Titicaca makes me giggle.