Days 4,5 & 6 - Peru: Mimi and Milli take on Puno

6:30am departure for their 3 day Southern Peru trip ---

This trip was a Herculean logistical accomplishment by our travel agent Abby! Brava!!! Email me if you want her information. 

From Cusco to Puno to Taquile to Juliaca back to Cusco again and then to Aguas Caliente for a sunrise start to meet up with me at Machu Picchu. 

M&M were on the move. 

Puno is known for its plateaus and plains and for its alpacas and llamas and agriculture. The locals not huge on the photographs, they think the camera sucks out their souls! But it seemed like a warm smile and some soles could help your photo seeking mission. 

M&M stop in Pucara (means fortress in Quechua) along the 7 hour way down 3S towards Puno. 

Don't worry Mimi, we are not climbing that! 

Milli and Mimi take in the views from Puno.

The Uru people and their reed island and boats! 

Milli met and captured on film a little Uru girl. Some awesome photography! 

Lake Titicaca sits high in the Andes at 12,507' (don't worry Mimi brought her oxygen!). It is the highest large lake in South America and the highest navigable lake on earth, it shares its shores with Bolivia and Peru.

The Uros, are people who live on 42 self fashioned floating islands in Lake Titicaca. The larger islands house about 10 families, while the smaller ones house about 3 or 4. The islands are made entirely from Totora reeds and are anchored with ropes attached to sticks driven into the bottom of the lake and they make reed boats. New reeds are added to the top every three months because bottom reeds rot quickly.

Taquile Island is 28 miles offshore from Puno. It's about 2 sq miles, tallest point sits 13,287' above sea level, the main village is at 13,000'. Just think, M&M didn't have to hike stairs to get there! It's an island of textiles, the men do the knitting...the women prepare the yarn! Approximately 40,000 tourists visit every year.