We arrived in Puno , situated on the north-west side of Lake Titicaca
on Sunday afternoon. And guess what on Monday & Tuesday they set up
road blocks to stop anyone getting in or out of the city !

Anyway they didn´t block the port so we walked there on Tuesday morning
& got on a boat to the Uros floating islands , a 2 hour journey. The
Uros people like their ancestors from centuries ago , live on floating
islands made of totora reeds which grow in Lake Titicaca. The islands
are anchored at the corners & the reeds are replenished from the top monthly as they rot away underneath. The people live in houses constructed of reeds & make boats out of reeds & sell crafts to tourists made of reeds. We even ate some of the edible part of the reed , as they do. There are several hundred people living on the islands. We visited a couple of islands & travelled around several others in a reed-boat. It was a unique & fascinating experience.

We continued on our real boat for another couple of hours across Lake Titicaca to a natural island , Amantani , home to 4000 people. Lake Titicaca is beautifol , a deep blue colour , it is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3820m. The air is clear , crisp & cold & the sun is burning hot , like a mixer-tap that doesn't mix properly , 1 side burning hot , the other side freezing cold ! It was a lovely trip , sitting on the roof of the boat.

On arrival on Amantani , we were met by Nati , the 15 year old daughter of the family we were to stay with. There are no hotels on the island. We had lunch , dinner & breakfast & slept in their humble abode . Very basic , there is no electricity on the island & the temperature dropped to -10 degrees C at night. It was cold , outside hole-in -the -ground toilet & bucket of cold water outside for washing. We were invited to a dance with the locals in the evening but we had to borrow their local costumes. At least the dancing kept us warm !

It was a beautiful island & between lunch & dinner we climbed to the top of it (4130m ) It was a long , hard climb but we watched the sunset over Lake Titicaca from the top . It was gorgeous & peaceful & cold by that time. On the way down we met Giel , a Dutch friend we had last seen 61days previous on an island off Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It is strange how we keep meeting people we have met before. It is not as though we travel the same routes. But it is really good to bump into old friends again.

The next day we travelled to another island called Taquile. Another long steep walk from the jetty to the plaza. Wonderful views over the lake to Amantani & the mountains of Bolivia. The islanders on both islands dress very traditionally but both differently. Even the men on Taquile wear traditional clothing , black trousers & white shirts with woven , brightly -coloured belts & floppy knitted hats ,the colour of which denotes their marital status ! The women wear coloured waistcoats & large flared skirts , the shade of which denotes whether or not they are married , & long black shawls over their heads & shoulders.

There are 2500 inhabitants of this island & no police presence on either island. Taquile means happy in Quechua & it seemed that way on both islands.

It was 1 June , wedding day . The priest comes from the mainland 3 or 4 times a year to perform a marriage ceremony. So we were very lucky to be able to sit in the square eating lunch & watching the brides & grooms & wedding guests arriving at & leaving from the ceremony. The brides clothing was similar to their everyday wear apart from underneath they each wore 20 petticoats of different colours (sort of net sticky-out ballerina-type petticoats ! )

Life on these islands is not easy , everything they do being hampered by the steepness of the islands & often severe weather on the lake.

We returned to the mainland& took a bus the next morning to Cuzco. We have spent 3 days discovering Cuzco , the navel of the earth, the heart of the once-mighty Inca empire.

When we arrived on Thursday there was an incredible procession going round the city square & streets. Held high were statues on rostrums from all the churches in the area , accompanied by marching bands & hordes of people. These statues were carried , each one by up to 50 men , buckling under the weight of them & stopping after short distances for the next 50 men to take over the weight-bearing. I couldn't work out why there were Corpus Christi banners everywhere or what they were celebrating as I knew Corpus Christi had been the previous week. It turns out that on C.C. Thursday they march all the statues from neighbouring churches to the Cathedral , from which all the benches etc have been removed & all the statues remain in the Cathedral for a week . What we were witnessing was their return journey back to their original churches. This is a centuries-old tradition.

It is a lovely city with many buildings & walls consisting of colonial architecture built on top of old Inca foundations. We have visited many churches & museums in the city , all very spectacular. All the churches are full of statues & colonial art , very ornate , coated in gold , with some wonderful woodcarving. There is a huge painting in the cathedral of The Last Supper with a guinea-pig the main dish on the table ! In the museum of the church of La Merced there is a goñd monstrance covered with 1500 diamonds & 1600 pearls.

In contrast to the wealth of the churches is the poverty outside. There are so many beggars & children trying to sell you sweets , postcards or knitted finger-puppets or wanting to shine your shoes for 1 sole -17p.

We are staying in the Hotel Niños (Children's Hotel ) which tells a very wonderful & humbling story.

9 years ago a young dutch couple were travelling in Cusco & were really overcome by the plight of the children begging & working on the streets. The girl , Jolonda returned 6 months later on her own , rented a room & gave 2 children the chance to live with her.

Within another 18 months , her boyfriend who had been raising money in Holland , had joined her & they had become mother & father to 12 adopted boys. So as not to be dependent on donations alone , they started this hotel to provide a steady income & teach the boys some skills & to spread their story through their guests .

They now have a 2nd hotel , have adopted 18 more children , who live with 2 Peruvian foster families & they have 2 little blonde girls of their own , aged 3 & 5.

They also have 2 restaurants which provide a further 250 children with a free nutritious hot meal every day. These 250 children also receive the medical & dental care they need , get homework support , have access to hot showers & participate in a sports programme. The couple still live in the house beyond the hotel here with their 12 boys & 2 girls. The older boys work in the hotel. They do not have volunteers but employ 40 Peruvians in total , thus supporting yet another 40 families. All the rooms in the hotel are named after the children. It is one of the most successful & touching projects we have come across. It is also a wonderful place to stay !

Tomorrow we visit Machu Picchu !