** PERU - IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF VON DANIKEN **
This is the 20 April 2003 Edition of
this page.
CHAPTER FOUR
LAKE TITICACA (plus Puno & Floating Islands)
21st June 2001 (Thursday)
Our van drive from JULIACA to PUNO was alledged to be 50KM (i.e 32 Miles) and at an altitude of
4000metres (that's about 13300 ft!). I'm NOT feeling any ILL-EFFECTS, but there again, the van's
engine is doing all the HARD work (not my legs and heart!)
However, the TEMPERATURE was very high and it was very DRY too!! We needed to make use of our packed DRINKS
to save us from dehydration. On the way to the hotel in PUNO, we got advance glimpses of LAKE TITICACA
which was higher than its 'normal' level - though not unduly so. Not too long ago, EL NINO had caused its
level to get 'out-of-control' with flood levels of greater than 4 metres!
I got settled into my room (No 214) overlooking Lake Titicaca at 14.15hrs and then enquired about the
breakfast 'place and time' (rumoured to be at about 5.00am..) Apparently, we don't meet EMILIO (our guide!)
until 9.00 am in the lobby! However, I still managed to get a small map of our area ('cos I like to walk about and
find useful shops for food!)
Having explained this desire to the staff in the hotel, I was horrified to find that the shops (just half a mile away)
are out of bounds to walkers and that "...you should take a taxi Sir!". I was very annoyed about this 'lack of
freedom' and the large 'prison-like' gates outside the Hotel, as my walking seemed barred. The restaurant,
however, could sell me a 600ml bottle of mineral water (for 3.50sols), which helped. Furthermore, I did
still have some food remaining from my supplies acquired in the LIMA SUPERMARKET!! I then thought
"Sod the shops, who needs them anyway??!!"
As the view from my window was so beautiful, with Lake Titicaca at the bottom of the garden, I decided to
settle in - in comfort. I then pondered on this enforced 'lack of freedom' - PERHAPS IT WAS FOR OUR
OWN GOOD and not worth the risk if we are not yet altitude-acclimatised!
After all we are at 12,767 ft!!
Fortunately, the temperature dropped, despite the double-gazing, so I put my jumper on! I also experimented
with the Electric-Fire controls and success was achieved! I then experimented with finding useful, understandable
channels on TV, and found a little success around channels '40-plus'!! They were showing English, American and
a 'great' singer (French romanticism in song!)
Then a surprise; a Peruvian Lady tried to get in through my locked door. I let her in but could NOT understand
her language. Neither could she understand me! However, by a bit of gesturing and body-language, I gathered
that she wanted to show me how the electric fire worked (nice lady!) - and she was surprised to find that I had
already found out for myself and had already got it ON! She too, obviously, liked the Romantic French Singer
that I had on TV in the background!
I noticed a tourist landing-boat in my garden, had a nice warm room, nice music and a nice view of LAKE
TITICACA - who's a happy bunny then?? I went to bed at about 6.30pm..
22nd June 2001 (Friday)
I cat-napped all night, with about a 2hour gap between awakenings ( and toilet-visits as precautionary measures!) from
8.30pm yesterday until 5.15am this morning - when I got up and prepared myself SLOWLY! Intending to have an approximate
7am breakfast, I was TOO hungry to leave it until after 6.15am, so I went THEN and got several DIFFERENT courses. I ate
quite a while there (there being no sight of the girls to ask whether they'd received the mysterious phone-call from
EMILIO) - and I left at about 6.55am..
Still NO girls, so I returned for searches several times, entirely without success. Between each visit, I returned to my
own room and its TV for DISCOVERY CHANNEL viewing. That's generally always VERY interesting! Eventually, I found them at
8.00am and they confirmed the same story - i.e. we meet EMILIO in the lobby at 9.00am
Thus I waited in the foyer from well-before 9am (for safety!) for the girls and Emilio to turn up. When we had all gathered
together - and found our driver - we headed NORTH from PUNO towards JULIACA, then turned off to LAGUNA UMUYU
and the SILLISTANI burial-tower sites.
At Sillistani, the four of us climbed in stages to above 4000metres in altitude ( at about 13,300ft - that is my record, I guess!)
.
After chats with Emilio, the girls and I took photos at the altitude (to be included later!). Back to our transport (remember,
its a medium/small van?!) we made our way back to PUNO - a VERY BUMPY journey! - to prepare for our afternoon trip!
The morning's journey was about 64 miles (there & back!)
.
I got my small bag with items for taking on the boat on LAKE TITICACA to the UROS ISLANDS. These Islands are a
set of lived-on floating islands made almost totally from reeds - of which there are plenty about! Just at the start of the
journey there, we were caught in a snow-storm (high up in the ANDES here!). It was good fun, and some of us got
photos too!!.
This little craft with the four of us plus a driver (poor devil - he was seated outside - where he had the controls!) in his
water-proof (and snow-proof?) garments. I only had a woolen jumper over my WWF tee-shirt, so I got 'a bit wet' as we
walked on these 'water-beds' (that's what these islands felt like!!). We were giving gifts and buying produce at each
island at which we stopped. I remember buying paintings from each of two lads - and a small girl. She wanted to
cling to me - so surprised was she!
I told them (but who knows whether these primitive islanders, or even their parents, understood) that their pictures
would be on the internet within the year!!.
All too soon, our wet journey was due for its return leg to PUNO. I had travelled about 10 miles on these
boats around the 'floating islands'.
When back in the hotel, I bought another bottle of mineral water, heard about the 'restaurant times' - and, afterwards,
came down for a meal with plenty of proteins. I chose the INCA CHICKEN BREAST, with 'trimmings', and felt
fuller on that meal than I had done for many a long year - even though I failed to finish it completely.
Back in my own room later, after recovering, I wrote some more travel-notes and then OBSERVED the beautiful
light on the opposite shore (at an angle). It gave the same as last night's enchantment - and turns out that this 'enchantment'
is purely due to my BADLY FOCUSSED EYES. Through my binoculars, it is clearer and focussed - and NOT as
magic, and each point is discretely seen and resolved. For the 'magic', I preferred my unaided vision with my
'out of focus' eyes! That's progress!!!
23rd June 2001 (Saturday)
.
Breakfast in the hotel, again on my own (from 6.10 - 6.45 hrs) - the girls entering just towards the finish.I'd already
had several fruits, some strawberry yoghurt, oraange and pineapple juices. Then it was back to my room for quiet
checks, some TV and to get my cases out to the foyer to meet EMILIO and his van.
.
The van-driver took us
the three miles to PUNO station, which didn't look like a station, where our cases were taken and we were guided
by a different route to the appropriate carriage and the appropriate seats for the THREE of us (Roy, Sally-Anne and Rhoda).
.
The train left exactly ON-TIME (8.00am) towards JULIACA.
The guy next to me decided to change his seat (temporarily?) - so I went to the 'window seat' then! Before
JULIACA, the waitress came round to find out our 'choices' for starter, main & sweet courses (which would
eventually arrive hours later!) When further passengers got on at Juliaca, my male seat-companion returned.
It is a VERY FULL train!! This train made good uneventful progress over the flat (like Nullabor Plain) scenery.
.
Waiters and waitresses came round with drinks (some for sale!) - so I bought an orange juice with its built-in-straw
standard container.
I needed this after my mineral water had run out this morning! It'll help me take my BHF tablet too!! Later during
the journey, I was to buy a tube of VITA-C (vitamin C) sweets. The only alternatives on this 'tray' were bars of
chocolate - not really appropriate for a mildly diabetic person like me!
We were STILL on the FLAT of the mountain scenery when the train stopped - and an engineer got out with his
toolkit for a '5-minute job' which dragged ON and ON and ON - so we passengers were coming up with all sorts
os stories and theories - many of which proliferated!! Some spoke of the 'engine having broken down' - some about
there being no REAL engineer on board! A bit later, there came another 'explanation' (or was it someone else's guess?)
about OUR stop being due to another breakdown several miles further ahead on the same line!!
Why were we stopped on this very rare bit of 'double line' on this essentially 'single track' high-altitude crossing of
the high ANDES?? Perhaps we were waiting for another train to pass us going in the opposite direction!!!
Some people went out in this blisteringly hot sun to WAIT - whilst others, like me, waited INSIDE in the cooler air
of the coaches. An EARLIER lunch was being served for those of us requiring them - but MY request had been
incorrectly interpreted,- as a FISH course turned up instead of my required CHICKEN!! Once that had been sorted
out, some really LARGE and wonderful CHUNKS of chicken arrived - but, you've guessed, most of the other
passengers had finished their meals by then!!
As my unfinished beautiful meal (but TOO large!) drifted into the time of the 'alledged breakdown' - I found that
I could eat NO MORE. I commented to another passenger, called RHODA, that "it's beautiful but too much!!"
continued in the next chapter
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