The little one saw me editing this and said "Seriously, we went to Peru between Christmas and New Years! and you are still not done with this?"
The short answer is yes. It takes time to go through a 1000 photos, select a few, edit them, post them etc. The good thing is I am disciplined enough to do it. The bad thing is that things like work, dentist appointments three days in a row, jet lag etc. come in the way.
Day 5 post is here..
If Machupicchu was the first highlight of the Peru trip, Lake Titicaca was the second highlight. At 7000 feet above sea level, a navigable lake, with floating islands of reed and villages built with reed and a tribe that has been living like this for thousands of years!
We left early in the morning to reach the dock and went on a boat ride to the Uro villages. There were went on a reed boat ride, followed by demonstrations of how the islands are built, how the people live etc. They did not welcome visitors till recently and now they have solar power and their kids are going to school. Soon this way of life as we see it might be over. Technology is leveling everything!
The reed villagers were very nice and hospitable. Their kids were adorable!
There are lots of pictures that capture this experience. Here they are in a slideshow.
Then we had a long ride on the boat to Isla de Tequile, which is one of the larger islands in the middle of the lake. We started on one side of the island, went on a steep and long hike to the top to have a lunch to remember facing the lake.
This island was relatively empty except for our group. The locals were not around trying to sell us stuff like we were used to over the last 5 days. It was quiet, just us and the scenery.
Then it was another long hike to the other side of the island through the church and square. It was a hot day with perfect views. We got a few family portraits on the island..
Another slide show with views from Isla de Tequile and lake Titicaca
Finally we walked back to the boat. They have built a beautiful dock on one side with amazing views of the lake. We got to goof around there for a good 30 minutes before the return journey to Puno.
Puno has a nice plaza with lots of restaurants. We found one where the owner was nice and we got custom vegetarian food.
A slideshow with only the HDR shots. If you go to Peru, do not miss this! Something you don't see everyday!
Our day 6 in video!
At this point our trip was pretty much done and we were packing our bags that night. We had to make our way from Puno to Juliaca airport the next morning, fly to Lima, spend 10 hours in the Lima airport and board shortly after the ball dropped in Times Square..
Little did we know that our plans were subject to change for day 7!
As promised to the little one, I will post day7 later tonight..