Freezing cold and floating islands oh my!

Hello everyone!  We just got back to Cusco from our visit to Puno Peru a few hours ago.  It is good to be lower because that cold was starting to really get to us.  Puno Peru is located 6 hours south of Cusco on the Lake Titicaca.  Marion is back with us and we are having fun, she was greatly missed.  Puno was fun.  We walked around the town and found all of the good ice cream places even though it was really cold.  We found a really cheap hostel and we learned really quickly that you get what you pay for.  Toilet paper was not included because we were in the shared bathrooms, their was no seat, and the shower was in the same room with no divide and completely disgusting.  Possibly our worse hostel yet, and the cold doesn´t help that opinion. 

The highlight of Puno was the island tour that we took.  We visited the floating islands, Uros, and a natural island, Tequile, in Lake Titicaca.  The floating islands were amazing.  They are built upon the natural reeds that grow in the lake.  The reeds have roots that are really dense and about 3 m deep.  They tie the reed roots together underwater to fuse them together.  Then they stake the islands down with eucalyptus trees and rope.  The island floor is literally reeds and when you walk on it you sink a little.  It is so cool! It takes about 6 months to make a new island.  There about 40 of them and a few hundred people live on them.  Everything is made out of reeds, their houses, their boats, toys, etc.  It is amazing.  We got to ride on one of the reed boats to reach another one of the floating islands.  It was so cool….riding a man made reed boat in Lake Titicaca, check!  Before we left the islands we were each gifted a little reed boat necklace, perfect christmas tree ornament! 

The next island we visited was a 2 and a half hour boat ride away.  It is really cool.  Everyone there speaks Quechua.  They are famous for their weaving, which even the men participate in.  We caught a parade, the 28th is Peru´s independence so Tequile is celebrating the Fiestas Patrias from July 25 to August 5th.  It was interesting to see and there we so many cute kids!!!  The attire was really cool too.  The women wear really full shorter skirts full of bright colors, with a special woven belt of the Incan calendar and a certain hat indicating whether or not they are married.  The men also have special hats indicating whether or not they are single, how convenient haha.  The men also each have a really sturdy belt that they weave using their wives hair.  It is suppose to symoblize the unity of the two.  On Tequile we ate lunch at one of the islanders houses.  They served up trucha de la plancha or grilled trout from the lake.  It was delicious!  Before we knew it was time to head back to Puno.  We are enjoying Cusco for the next few days and they we are on our way to Chile this Friday.  We love and miss you all!!!!!  See you all soon : )

Megan