​Conquering The World
​​​by Tomas Cironis
Lago Titicaca - 2015
We came from Cusco on Thursday at 4am. I got to bed around 5:30 and had to get up for breakfest at 7:30, of course. Then I could go sleep again but I had a lot of things to do and, just by the way, we decided to go the same day to Puno and Bolivia. Why not ?
Big advantage was that I didn't have to pack my things, I just put out the dirtiest ones and took some new and felt ready to go again. Before we split up from Cusco I had a bet with Rike. Our meeting for Puno was at 3:30 at BusTerminal. I was sure they're gonna be late and she told me that "no way". Yea, guess who was right... They came 15 mins late (eventhough they claim only 10 mins) and I was so generous and didn't say anything. Or atleast didn't talk a lot about it. But I will.
The bus ride took almost 6 hours. We watched The Braveheart in spanish which was new experince for me. We got in Puno around 11pm so we just took a taxi to our Hostel and went sleep. Our room was 10 bed shared bedroom so no surprise, around 5 am came someone inside and started to make noises and opened the window etc.
Just to explain, during the day it's super warm, you can be in T-shirt outside but when the sun sets it's like in Finland. "Mucho mucho frio" as would peruvians said. The temperatures in Puno goes near to zero during the nights, so imagine that you're sleeping after 5 days of traveling around Cusco and next 6 hours from Arequipa and they don't let you sleep. And open a window on you!
So we got up around 6:30. The other reason was our buddy Edmundo who came directly from Cusco. He didn't come back to Arequipa with us, he stayed one more day near Machu Picchu. He came to Hostel and found a breakfest right away so there was no reason to sleep more when there is food prepared for you.
Lago Titicaca 2015
The good thing about that was that we made a trip to Floating Islands at 9 am. And it was totally worth it. It took around half an hour to get to the Islands by boat from harbor in Puno. We were welcomed by local president who explanied us how are the islands made and showed us the most important things of their culture. It was really cool experince to see how simple is their life and how much they enjoy it. There are around 84 islands with native inhabitants.
We explored their whole island, we got inside their houses which are made from bamboo, like everything here including their houses. That means if you don't like your neighbour you just take your house and move it to another island.
Their best skill is fishing, there are lots of fishes in Lake Titicaca. By the way, they say that "Titi" is peruvian part and "Kaka" is the bolivian one. And the correct pronounciation in their native kechua should be something like "Titikhakha".
The name has been translated as "Rock Puma", as local communities have been said to interpret the shape of the lake to be that of a puma hunting a rabbit.
Titicaca is the largest lake in South America and it's the highest navigable lake in the world, with a surface elevation of 3,812 metres above sea level. Actually we were higher than in Machu Picchu, Cusco or most of the Europe.
Rike and Fernanda even took their typical clothes, me and Edmundo could take a vessel during our way to the capital island by their bamboo ship. You have to be really strong to move these types of boats.
It was really unforgotable experince.
After ariving back to Puno, we had a lunch for only 6 soles but it was one the biggest lunch I had in South America. Aperitiv, soup, main meal, dessert and drink. All that for 48 czech krones or circa 2 euros. Not bad!
Then we had to split up because ladies HAD TO go shopping and we all remember how I almost didn't make it last time from market. Me and Edmundo we went to the harbor and we found really interesting museum of Lago Titicaca. Eventhough it was for free we enjoyed it so much. There was info about everything, from the basic geological development through antropologic point of view to scientific facts and myths including the UFO reports.
Then we headed to the "Puma viewpoint" which is located cca 20 mins by combi from downtown of Puno. We had a really nice view, took some pics and left back to Hostel. We bought our favorite spaghetti and cook them. Remember, that peruvian pasta boils double time than usual Earth's pasta.
Our bus to Bolivia was leaving at 6 am, so we had to around 5:30 levae the Hostel. We were promised by the staff that there will be Taxi prepared and we will have our breakfest at 5:20 prepared. Of course there was no breakfest and no Taxi in the morning. Everybody was sleeping and nobody took care. We had to woke up one of the volounteers atleast to pay for 2 nights.
Then Edmundo cought another Taxi and we finally left to Bus Terminal. Typical relaxed morning...
Bolivia, country of Butch and Sundance
It took 4 hours to get to Copacabana in Bolivia. We had to cross the borders. Our Bus driver told us that we have only 20 mins. How suprised I was when he decided to drive away eventhough we were missing three or four peruvians. They didn't rush so bus driver waited for 25 mins and then left. Quite shocking if you imagine that your Bus left you in the Bolivian borders without anything (we left all our bags and staff in the Bus).
We bought Bus tickets back to Puno when we arrived to Copacabana. You know, just to be sure that we have a spot in Bus back home. Then we bought boat tickets to Isla de Sol and after quick lunch headed to the port. Edmundo found our boat and we got ready to leave at 1:30pm.
At 1:55 we started to got little bit bored. 25mins delay is quite a lot even for latinoamericanos.
Few mins before that the ship next to us was leaving the harbor but was still conected to our boat with ropes. And nobody noticed so I went to "save the day" again but nobody cared actually. Never mind maybe next time...
After arriving to the Isla de Sol we were picked up by Freddy, who is the most awesome guy I've met in South America. He was waiting for us with a table with my name and from very first moment he filled us with so much positive energy. He took us to the Hostel which was one of the best situated hostels in the whole world. We were just 20 meters from the lake on a sand beach with really remarkable view. We spent maybe an hour just sitting on the beach and enjoying the afternoon. It was relaxing reward for our really long day.
Then we decided to explore the rest of north part of the island. We left our things in hostel and agreed with Freddy that we can cook our dinner (surprise! spaghetti again...) in his own kitchen. He was so
helpful.
We decided to go the the dark part of the island far away from village lights to se Sunset and sky full of stars. The first mission was accomplished quite easily because the sunset was really awesome. Eventhough it was quite windy we stayed there for atleast an hour and took lot of pictures and enjoyed the view without any other distractions. It could be compared to the night sky in Colca but here we were disturbed by full moon. It had so much light that we even didn't needed to flash our light on the way back but on the other hand there were only few (strongest) stars in the sky.
When we got back there was Freddy waiting for us so we cooked our dinner and left 1 spaghetti plate for him. His answer was: "Thanks but I have coca".
He promised us that he's gonna eat it later on but who knows. After dinner we had a little "healthy" walk around and then we sit in the balkoo in front of our rooms. We took few beers and we were talking about everything.
We could be awake for long while beacuse we wanna leave Isla de Sol by boat at 10:30 which meant we could sleep atlest to 9:30am.
What a surprise when Frredy ran into the Hostel at 8:15am that there is no boat at 10:30, only now (8:30) or 12:30. We wouldn't catch our Bus if we chose the 12:30 so we had
to pack our things in few minutes and leave. Edmundo was in a shower in this time for example. But miracles happenes, we made it to the boat eventhough we felt really sorry for leaving this unforgatable place. We promised that we're gonna come back here one day.
It was peacefull place where time doesn't matter, you just relax and enjoy simple way of living. Freddy was 40 years old and as he said, he never left Isla de Sol but he was happy person. Everything he needed was in the island. It makes you think about the european way od life.
Hope to see you again Freddy!
Back in Copacabana we found a restaurant where we were promised by staff that we can pay by credit card. We were running out of the money (especially the bolivian ones) so I welcomed this possibility with credit card. But big surprise, after finishing our meal and drinks I went to pay and waiter found out that his machine is broken and I won't be able to pay. If this would happened in Crete where I was working, the Customer shouldn't have to pay because I've told him he could pay by credit card but if the machine is broken, it is the restaurant issue and customer is free of paying. But not in South America.
Thanks to Rike we somehow managed to pay by bolivianos and soles together. And we were able to got a little discount atleast. As Edmundo said: "big Hamburgers, big Problems".
Our next steps led to the highest point of Copacabana. Edmundo and me went to the top of the mountain, Fernanda stayed in the middle point. And I think it was really good effort from her to get atleast here. Don't forget that we were in almost 4 000 meters above the sea level and it's difficult to breathe etc. Even I had a troubles to get to the top. But not Edmundo, he's like a Spiderman. He climbed to the top in really short time and on the way back he was able to help Fernanda got down.
And as a last nice memory of Copacabana, do you remember how we bought our bus Tickets back to Puno to be sure that we get a free spots in the Bus ? Surprise, bus driver couldn't find our seats because he had no info about our ticket. So we had to wait till everybody gets into the Bus and then we could get on the board. We were lucky, there were few spots left.
In Puno Fernanda found Bus to Arequipa leaving in 30 minutes which was the best news of whole day. We bought our bus tickets and seated on the way back home. I slept (finally) most of the travel so there was nothing important happening.
I just have to mention the Taxi driver who took us from bus Temrinal in Arequipa to our homes. We got safely to Rike and Fernanda's home but when he was driving me home he ran out of the gas. Luckily my host home is down from the hill from Rike's home so we went down without engine. There is a Gas station in Avenida Este Unidos so he took his car directly there.
When he went for gas I just left the Taxi and walked the rest of the way by feet. That was one of the longest, exhausting but also remarkable, breathtaking
weeks (or 8 days) of my life. We made and saw so many things that it could make movie trilogy. And of course I wouldn't be the bad guy. I should be Butch. Or Sundance...
But everything have an explanations, as Edmundo said: "That's not only Peru, that happens in Bolivia too... And if we would go to Chile, it would happen there too."
I guess he's right.