Forgot to mention this yesterday - Miguel, our guide, who is just 21 years old, wishes to give up his ´city´culture, and marry a girl from Taquile, because he loves what their culture stands for. Imagine... living on an island, leading a very simple life with the one you love. Sounds wonderful, does it not!
Bruce is still feeling poorly, so we are taking it easy today. Accomplished our necessities - laundry, etc. Met an English couple on our walk, father (64 years old) and a very hippy-type daughter (48 years old), who had just completed the Inca Trail and loved it. The father was hoping he was older than Bruce, because he wanted the title of being the oldest man to complete the walk. He was a little shocked to find out that Bruce was 70! We talked for awhile, sharing stories, getting advice from them, and simply enjoying one another´s company.
Walked around a bit, enjoying the warm sunshine, discovering more of this smallish town of Puno. It has quite the folkloric history, dances, songs, etc., but all these celebrations are held in February. Today, another parade - this time to honour Flag Day, and the last battle the Peruvians were involved in. All students, dressed in school uniforms, were in tow in the square, doing the famous military goose step. We felt a little sympathetic towards them, as they waited for more than an hour for their ´turn´ to show their ´stuff´in front of the cathedral. Church and state work hand in hand in Peru, it seems. (This parade is still chaotic, we took photos and found the situation rather humourous - again.)
This afternoon we toured Sillustani Burial Site, famous for its burial tower tombs where the Royals were buried. The Callas (pre-Inca peoples) displayed their dexterity with stone to deter the tomb raiders. The insides of the tombs are shaped like a woman´s womb and the corpses are mummified in fetal positions. The funerary towers are presently being restored by archeologists, who have a lot of work on their hands!
Visited a local family homestead, and were royally treated. This homestead resembled the early Irish homesteads I had visited years ago in Ireland. Thatched roofs, small round and square buildings, all enclosed within a wall. Families keep their own llamas, have a guinea pig enclosure, a dog, and do some farming. The soil surrounding Puno is considered very rich farm land, due to its proximity to the Lake. Such a nice change from our previous arid, desert landscapes. Discovered that guinea pigs have healing powers, so that when one is ill, one is to sleep with a guinea pig on one´s chest. (Must do this for Bruce!)
The family gave us another potato and quinoa demonstrations, serving us warm potatoes, with a sauce made from the clay soil. The clay provides healing powers and adds to the taste of the boiled potato. Potatoes are all very small in size, just like the baby potatoes we purchase at home. The family also served us muni tea and fresh cheese, made that day. Not bad tasting! We thanked our hosts, leaving them with a ´tip´for their effort. The homesteads share the tourist stops, as buses and tourists were seen at other homesteads along the route. We found our host family to be generous, friendly, and extremely welcoming. They were so willing to share their ´home´and customs with us.
Returned to Puno for a quiet evening, eating pasta for dinner, and resting. We counted ourselves very fortunate to be on this adventure.
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