Flyin' Shoes

Almost three hours after leaving the Uros islands, the boat pulled in to our destination for the night of Amantani island. The groups lined up and waited for a few minutes to meet the women of the house each of us is staying in. Shortly after, we were led up the winding paths by our translator, before waiting for our host to catch up.

The language of choice it Quetchua which I have zero words of in my volcabulary. Thankfully that’s what the translator was there for, although the family does speak Spanish as a second language, so we could manage some greetings and graces. The housing and room is very simple yet pretty clean and the sheets look soft on the bed. After resting for several minutes, we were ushered down to the cocina, where the lady of the house proceeded to feed us with local vegetable and quinoa soup (incredibly tasty), followed by a selection of potatoes (Peru being known for thousands of types) and some cheese fried in egg. Just before the meal ended, out came the coca leaves and some Muña, which smells and tastes like lavender. A cup of hot water is supplied to place the leaves in and requires soaking for a couple of minutes. The extremely refreshing tea, is used for the altitude, headaches, and to aid digestion. It’s certainly working its magic. The family is always laughing but very quietly and the kitchen very simple. The sound of guinea pigs can be heard from the rear of the house and our guid confirms that these will indeed be used for food later (but not for us).

With luch working its way down, we were invited to visit the local community center for the kids, which was literally five minutes walk away. Our guide explained that there are just a few of these buildings on the island, but the island actually has ten communities on it (so not everyone has access). It’s certainly a work in progress and if we’d known more beforehand, we would have brought some Spanish school books along as gifts. Our guide asked if we’d like to play with the kids for a bit but we didn’t know what to do, as nobody spoke English and there were only two kids who were busy colouring. After watching them colour for a little while longer, it was time to head back tot he house and take a couple of hours out the Sun to rest.

After another tasty meal for dinner, there was a hike to the highest part of the island and the sacred place to worship Pachamama (Earth Mother). The hike was fairly strenuous, not being used to the altitude and a tremendous headache hit me about half way. Got to the top, in time to view a wonderful Sunset and escape shortly after from the crowds of most French, who kept rudely walking in front of shots, or trying to push people out the way. My headache is still going strong after getting back to the bedroom and instead of attending the zoo parade (my translation for the evening dance that was mostly for you spending money with the locals), I’ve popped a couple of Aleve and intend on enjoying a blinding sky of stars, before heading to bed.

This section of the trip to Peru, was probably the easiest overall to book.  Right off the bat, I decided to go for the highly recommended All Ways Travel.  Every reference I looked at for trips on Lake Titicaca, with exception of one or two self-recommended tour operators, all referenced AWT as the superior option.  AWT take very little for themselves and the main goal of the tourism, is to support the community of the islanders; something that was at the forefront of my mind, when looking for this trip.

The website is very clearly laid out, and it was so easy to choose the tour I had wanted (Cultural Exchange Tour).  At first, I was a little despondent over the minimum requirement of four people for the tour, but, after a brief E-Mail and quick response from Willy, I was assured that due to the request being so far in advance (six months), I could book anyway and they would have plenty of time to find another couple of people, to make up the minimum group size.

The tour itself includes Amantani and an overnight stay with a host family.  If you’re looking for something close to a day in the life of the islanders, this is perfect.  The lodgings have very basic toilet facilities and no running water or electricity, so don’t expect the usual tour treatment; I need to remember to take water and also some snacks, in case the local cuisine doesn’t agree with my stomach or nostrils.

Something that really attracted me to this particular tour, is that we are required to pay the overnight and meal costs, directly to the host family.  This is a guarantee that no money is going through the operator and, the islanders themselves are directly benefiting. Incidentally, the cost is amazingly cheap for the experience you’re getting – at the time of booking, it’s just shy of $10 per person.

The remainder of the islands tour includes the floating Uros Islands and Taquile, as well as some meals and hiking to the lesser travelled parts of the islands.  I’m more interested in getting away from the crowds so again, this was extremely appealing.  The full tour excluding the overnight costs, is only $45 per person, which is an absolute bargain for what you’re getting.  All hotel transfers are included (with a $3 transfer fee, for hotels out of the free pick-up range).

As a wonderful bonus, AWT also has on-line booking for a tour bus to Cusco.  The Pullman Tourism Bus is an all day affair, departing at 7:30am and arriving in Cusco at 5:30pm.  While it seems a long journey to take, cramped inside a bus, it does cover five sight-seeing stops along the way and also includes lunch.  At $40 per person, it’s a little more expensive that the standard bus but the richness of experience, makes it so much more appealing.  For those interested in visiting Puno after Cusco, the tour bus also operates in the opposite direction, leaving and departing at the same times; an additional $5 cost, to the Puno to Cusco direction.

When everything was finalised via quick E-Mails and it came time to book, the procedure was as simple as sending passport numbers and names, along with confirmed itinerary – hotel details are also needed, if you’re requiring a pick-up and/or drop-off.  No money, not even a deposit, is required for any of this and everything is paid for in cash, when arriving for the tour.  Be aware to take enough currency, to cover the costs of everything as it goes without saying really, that the islanders will likely not be looking to hand out change, for large denominations.