Now that I’d adjusted to altitudes of 11,000 feet in Cusco, it was time to go even higher. How would my body meet the challenge, I wondered groggily when my alarm went off in Cusco at 4:30am. I’d find out shortly, after our early morning flight to Lima and then a connecting flight to Juliaca, the biggest city in Peru’s Altiplano (high plateau). The altitude at the Juliaca airport is a little over 12,500 feet above sea level, the same elevation as Puno, our base for the next four days, which is located on the shores of Lake Titicaca.
Just to be safe, I started sucking on a coca candy as soon as our plane landed. Driving through the city of Juliaca, we noticed many Indian women with bowler hats balanced somewhat precariously on their heads. They were also wearing multiple layers of skirts that gave them an enormous silhouette. That’s the typical attire for indigenous women.
There’s a large indigenous population in the Altiplano. Most of the Indians are native speakers of Aymara. About half a million members of the Aymara community live in Peru while another 3.5 million live in neighboring Bolivia. In this region, you’re closer to the Bolivian capital of La Paz than to Lima, Peru’s capital. Peru’s Altiplano is also home to a smaller number are native Quechua speakers. Nowadays, the younger people all learn Spanish in school.
Our local guide Broz, who is fluent in Aymara, taught us a few useful words. For example, when someone greets you, the proper reply is “waliki.” We’d have a chance to use that phrase many times during the next few days.
A modern highway links Juliaca to Puno. On the one-hour drive, I got my first good look at the landscape of the Altiplano, which is so different from the Sacred Valley. First of all, it’s flat, a real change after Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Secondly, it’s dry. Our local guide, Broz, assured us that the land would turn green in September when the rains come. It looked like ranch country, with cattle grazing. For beef? No, Broz told us, they’re dairy cows. This area produces much of the country’s cheese and butter.
We also saw llamas, alpacas, cows, and sheep munching grass alongside the road. Occasionally, we’d see some animals enclosed in small cage-like structures. That’s so the farmers can collect the manure to use as fertilizer, Broz explained. It was plowing season, since planting would be done in about a month, at the beginning of the rainy season.
Farmers in the Altiplano can’t grow fruits and vegetables due to the high elevation. Instead, they grow quinoa and kaniwa (similar to quinoa, but a smaller seed), beans, and tubers, such as potatoes.
We pulled off the highway onto a rutted dirt road to reach our lunch destination in the small town of Atuncolla. It was a very basic restaurant, and just as chilly inside as outside, but the food was fresh and well-prepared. We started with tequeños and guacamole, one of my new favorite appetizers. Next came the familiar vegetable soup, which we’d been served everywhere in Peru. Chicken, potatoes and vegetables rounded out the meal. No surprises there.
Before we reached our hotel in Puno, we drove towards Lake Umayo to visit the archaeological park at Sillustani, which overlooks the lake.
Sillustani is 500 to 1000 years old, meaning that it was founded before the arrival of the Incas. Archaeologists believe it was used as a cemetery for the mummies of nobles. Dozens of round funerary towers, known as chullpas, sit on top of the mesa. Some were built by the Aymara-speaking Colla people who predated the Incas. Later, the Incas built towers at the site. You’ll notice that all the towers are narrower at the base than at the top.
At 12,900 feet, it was very cold and very windy at Sillustani. I was glad I’d worn my puffy winter jacket. I was also pleasantly surprised when I realized I wasn’t experiencing any altitude sickness.
Our next stop in the countryside was at a typical family compound. It’s common for extended families to build dwellings together in the rural area. A couple of alpacas were calmly grazing outside the entrance to the compound. I noticed the pair of oxen, a good luck symbol, placed over two arches.
The family had set out samples of some of the crops they grew along with a plate of quinoa cookies, baked in their open-air kitchen.
We took a quick look at the bedroom of a dwelling. We all remarked how dark it must be once the door was closed since there were no windows.
Before we departed, I had to check out the handcrafted items the family made. Of course, they were for sale. Everyone, everywhere, seems to have a table of craft items for sale. I really wanted to support the local economy and I regretted not having brought a larger suitcase.
After an early start and a long day, I was eager to get to our hotel in Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. That’s where you’ll find me in the next post.
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