Exploring Puno

Finally, after a very busy first day in the Altiplano, we made our way to our hotel, which was perched on the rocky shore of Lake Titicaca. Actually, it overlooked a bay of the much larger lake. By the time we arrived, it was nearly dark and I was totally exhausted. A fireside dinner in the rather elegant hotel restaurant (salad with balsamic vinaigrette, beef Stroganoff) was comforting after an early start and a full day of activities. 

The next morning, I got a better look at the calm blue waters of the bay. Broz reminded us, however, that the main part of the landlocked lake is more like an ocean, and can be rough at times. 

Situated on the border between Peru and Bolivia, Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. It’s also South America’s largest freshwater lake, comparable in size to Lake Ontario. Near the shore, it’s shallow (only 2-3 feet) but in other places, it reaches a depth of 1000 feet. Since Lake Titicaca has a high rate of evaporation, the water level depends on the season. During the rainy season (winter), it’s three feet higher than during the dry season (summer). Another interesting thing I learned is that the lake never freezes, despite the low air temperatures in winter. And even in the summer, the lake never gets warm enough for swimming. Too bad, as the water looked invitingly clear. 

 

After a good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, I was ready to start exploring the area in earnest. I was hoping to go out for an early walk to look for viscachas, small squirrel-sized rodents in the chinchilla family, who are native to the Andes Mountains. However, according to my weather app, the temperature at 7am was below freezing so I opted for a second cup of coca tea instead of a walk. 

 

It was still chilly but above freezing by the time we headed out to visit a typical family living near the shore. The family earns its living by making mattresses from totora, the tall reeds that grow in the shallow waters of the lake. They also sell totora for other uses, such as insulation and roofing. 

The process of making a mattress looked complicated but we were told that two people working together could make a small mattress in just an hour. The family sells the mattresses for 25 soles (about $6 or $7). 

In addition, they make a variety of other reed items – hats, mobiles, dolls, etc. – that they sell to tourists like us. I was surprised to discover how heavy and strong the totora is. 

Broz pointed out a cloth on the ground where the family was preparing chuños. I thought I was looking at a pile of small dirty rocks but actually these were potatoes going through the freeze-drying process. Chuñoshave been part of the diet of the people in the Andes for centuries. They have kept people from starving during times of poor harvests since they can last for 20 years. 

The traditional method for making chuños takes several days. It starts with spreading the potatoes on the ground and leaving them to freeze at night and then dehydrate in the sun during the day for about three days. Next, they are trampled by foot (a fun family activity!) to eliminate any remaining water. The trampling also removes most of the skins. Afterwards, the potatoes are set out to re-freeze and dry in the sun again for about a week. While I’m interested in sampling traditional foods, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to try chuños, but given the choice, I’d prefer them to guinea pig. 

 

At last, we drove into downtown Puno. The city, which is a provincial and regional capital, was founded by the Spanish in 1668. The current population is 200,000 people, including about 17,000 students who attend its large public university. This youthful population gives the city a noticeable energy and vitality. 

 

Indigenous Andean culture is alive and well in Puno. In fact, Puno is known as Peru’s folkloric capital for its role in preserving many of the traditional Indian arts, especially dance. According to some sources, the people of Puno have preserved 300-400 native dances, which ordinary people perform throughout the year at religious and secular festivals. Elaborate, colorful costumes for the dancers are a crucial part of the performance. Since these costumes are so costly, dancers rent them for the occasion. 

 

We started our walking tour on a main street that seemed to be lined with small costume shops. Groups of young people crowded the entrances. Others were hauling away overstuffed striped sacks. 

They’re here to rent costumes for tomorrow’s parade, Broz explained. It’s for an annual day-long celebration that all of the students and their teachers at the university are required to participate in. 

Each area of study (engineering, agronomy, medicine, etc.) chooses one traditional dance to perform and spends several weeks learning the steps. They hire musicians to accompany them and rent costumes. Broz assured us that the parade would be going on from 9am until well after dark so we would definitely have a chance to witness it. When I saw the glittering costumes displayed in the shop windows, I wished I could rent one, too. 

Although parts of Puno are very hilly and streets can be quite steep, the downtown area is relatively flat and easy to explore on foot and by tuk-tuk. 

After warning us to be discreet about taking photos, Broz led us to the so-called mercado de brujas (witches’ market). This is where shamans and curanderos come to purchase the items needed for rituals and cures. Walking past the stalls, we noticed bunches of herbs, llama fetuses, small figures of animals, bottles and vials of medicines, etc. People can even buy pre-packaged baskets containing all the necessary items required for an offering. There were also a few stalls where you could get your bowler hat restored. 

If you zoom in, you'll see the llama fetuses on the right.

 

Tuk-tuks then brought us to a large covered market in the downtown area. This is where the usual assortment of produce, cheeses, meats, live chickens, and more were sold. Like nearly every market I saw in Peru, this market was clean, well-lit, and well-organized. 

Andean cheese

The final market we visited was casually referred to as the black market. This is where goods smuggled into Peru from Bolivia (where prices are cheaper) are sold quite openly. All types of products, from large and small electronics to toys and liquor, were for sale – just don’t ask for a receipt. Since the border with Bolivia is only a 2-hour drive from Puno and no passports are required to cross the border, smuggling is a big business in this part of Peru. 

 

We took a few moments to relax, like the locals, in downtown Pino Park.

 

In Puno’s Plaza Mayor, we stopped to study the façade of the city’s 354-year old Cathedral. The carving of exotic flora and fauna is characteristic of the Mestizo Baroque style. Later in the day, I popped into the church to take a brief look at the interior. 

As elsewhere in Peru, the indigenous religion coexists with the official Catholic religion. For example, when someone gets a “new” car, he or she usually decorates it and then has it blessed first by priest and then by shaman.

 

In our van, we drove through the hillier parts of the city above the downtown area. Broz pointed out the water tanks on the roofs of many of the houses. That’s because the city only provides water between the hours of 5 and 9 in the morning. At other times, you have to rely on your own supply of water. 

 

Alto Puno, as the higher sections of the city are known, is 300 feet above lake level. Temperatures are noticeably lower than in the downtown area. At the summit, there’s a popular park (practically deserted in the winter) where you can get a great view of the city and the bay below. An enormous statue of a puma dominates the site. But be sure to keep a lookout for the wild pumas that still roam the hills.

Higher and Higher

 

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 weren't surprised to see the guinea pig enclosure. It actually looked quite spacious.

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.