Foto: A reed Uros island in Lake Titicaca (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Peru - In just over half an hour, we sail to the Uros Islands. Along the way, the guide tells us the history of Lake Titicaca and explains that the name is derived from the puma. He even shows how the lake supposedly has the shape of a puma (though that takes quite a bit of imagination…). At the reed island, our guide explains the construction of the island and shows that the reeds are edible. They turn out to be completely tasteless. A walk around the island feels like a mix between an open-air museum and a tourist market. It's funny to walk on the reed surface—when you jump, you feel the ground tremble (not everyone finds this amusing). We take a reed dragon boat to a second island. With some squeezing, we all fit onto one boat (it feels like a Toyota minibus). The gondolier rows the boat to the other side. Just before docking, he passes around a bag for tips. The island is similar to the previous one. It’s also very touristy here. I take a few more photos and board our original boat again. We sail back to Puno.
Library of the San Francisco Monastery in Lima
Peru - The city tour takes us to the center of Lima. At Plaza San Martin, we visit the Gran Hotel Bolívar, an 80-year-old luxury hotel that now shows some signs of faded glory. The city tour continues toward the main square, Plaza de Armas. There, we take a ...
The center of Cusco
Peru - At nine o'clock I’ve arranged to have breakfast at the hotel. Unfortunately, it's raining again today. We walk through the streets of Cusco to Plaza Cusipata. From there, we head toward the main square, Plaza de Armas. At the Cathedral, we buy a combination ...
The Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
Peru - Four o’clock in the morning. The luggage is wet. Although it is still dark outside, it is dry. No one has really slept well. During breakfast—pancakes—it starts drizzling again. Not a good outlook for Machu Picchu. Wearing raincoats, ponchos on ...