PUNO - The Peruvian Side of Lake Titicaca: Uros, Llachon, and Amantaní

Accommodation

Our accommodation was quite cold, but everyone at the reception was super nice. Additionally, the "Hostal Aquarius Puno" also offers tours. Very convenient! We paid 86 Soles for the first two nights and only 80 Soles for the last two. The internet was incredibly fast and the breakfast was also good. We got fresh juice every morning. The shared bathroom was also quite clean and we had great hot water. Within 5 minutes, you could reach the main square.

Sights

In Puno, I visited the following sights:

Plaza Mayor de Puno (there was a parade of various school clubs)
Catedral de San Carlos Borromeo - Diocesis de Puno (a quite nice church)
Parque Pino (a relaxing spot with pigeons)
Mercado Central de Puno (fruit, vegetables, cheese, ...) The city itself is quite nice, but not overwhelming. Just right for a day to organize the boat tour. At "Puerto Lacustre", the harbor, we saw:
Faro (a fancy lighthouse)
Muelle (the dock with the various boat agencies)
Centro de Interpretación e Información Ambiental
PEBLT - Proyecto Especial Binacional Lago Titicaca
Cute information center about Lake Titicaca
It provides information about plants, animals, human impacts, and the islands The next day, we went on a full-day boat tour. Our guide was named Ruben (he spoke wonderful English) and our captain was named Roger. First, we passed the well-known Uros Islands near the harbor and went to the farther island "Uros Titino". There, we had a brief tour of the handmade island and even had a look inside the little huts. 15 people or 4 families live on the island. They also have a solar panel. Then, we had a short ride with the typical reed boats (I like to call them reed kittens – I think you know why 😉). The ride cost about 15 Soles per person, and we wouldn't have done it if our guide hadn't persuaded us. We didn't want to buy souvenirs, so at least we supported the island residents a bit. We also saw some fish and birds and even tried a kind of edible reed. And this cute dog! There was a little puppy playing with its 7-year-old owner on the island. Then, we went on to have lunch. You wouldn't think that you would be so hungry (you haven't done much), but the boat rides take a long time and apparently there was a change of plans or something. We went to Llachon and to the "Nibardo Restaurante". Actually, we had our own food with us, but Pascal was still hungry, so we treated ourselves to a wheat soup and a freshly fried trout with rice and fries (I think it was 20 or 25 Soles). Then, we continued to the island Amantaní. On Amantaní, we saw:
Arco de Incatiana
Plaza Pueblo de Amantaní - Patrimonio Cultural
Iglesia San Antonio Abad
Muelle Central We took a walk up the hill to the small town Ocosuyo. Because we were one of the first ones there, we had some time to relax. There was also the opportunity to have a cool beer at the market square "Plaza Pueblo", but I'm not sure how fast that should happen (we didn't have that much time). Then, we walked through sweet little streets to the harbor. In the little alleys, some grandmothers were knitting – in hindsight, I wish I had bought something from them. Then, we went back to Puno – a really long trip! In Puno, we had a delicious dinner. Our guide also mentioned the following terms:
Cachong
Camisahaki I don't remember exactly what that means (●'◡'●). But I think it's about plants, and one of the terms is the name of the edible reed we tried. In Aymara, "Hualiki" definitely means "I am well" :)

Transportation

We took a taxi to the hotel and walked around the city. There were also cyclists who would take you around with their special bike construction for about 8 Soles per person.

Food and Drink

On the street, I bought fresh ceviche from Lake Titicaca at a stand for about 8 Soles. Pascal then got a portion of "Papa a la Huancaína" and "Cau-Cau" at the "Tentación Snack Bar". I, on the other hand, bought the best chocolate bonbon pralines in the world for 2 Soles each and a solid Dulce-de-Leche donut, which Pascal fortunately ate up at the "Dulce de Leche Pastelería". On the first day, we treated ourselves to an evening folklore dance show at "Balcones de Puno". Various groups performed dances from Peru and we barely got a spot, it was so full. While this was happening, food was served. Our meals cost about 8 and 10 Euros and the entrance to the dance show was another 10 Soles per person (2.40 Euros). A great experience! But it pays to be there early to get a good spot. There are also some tour groups that have booked this event and have reserved seats. At "Restaurante Nayjama Uta", there was the best "Lomo Saltado" ever for 8 Soles. Pascal also ate a typical regional "Queso frito", which was also delicious (also 8 Soles). Each of these dishes also came with a noodle soup. On the last day, I went out alone in the evening and bought:

Arroz con Leche (very sweet rice pudding, 3 Soles)
Agua de Cebada (sweetened barley water, 1 Sol)
Mini-apple pie (from the street, 4 Soles)
Bisteck Montado (without soup, 6 Soles)

Cafés and Restaurants

Tentación Snack Bar
Dulce de Leche Pastelería
Balcones de Puno
Restaurante Nayjama Uta
Cremo Latino Mix

Plants and Animals

On the Uros Island, there was the sweet duck "Pato pana" and a Eurasian watermilfoil. On Amantaní, we discovered the following plants:

Blue eucalyptus
Broad bean
Qantuta / Cantuta buxifolia
Bengal rose
Barley Here are a few facts about the "Qantuta":
"The Sacred Flower of the Incas" or "Holy Flower of the Incas"
National flower of Peru
One of two national flowers of Bolivia (the other is Patujú / Heliconia rostrata)
Can be propagated by seeds and cuttings

Number of Germans

In Puno, I saw a few German-speaking people; on our boat tour, there was another German alone traveler with whom we had a good chat. He is a hobby photographer and particularly interested in sunrises and sunsets.

Interaction with Locals

Only during the tour with our guide and the inhabitants of the island "Uros Titino".

People Met

The other German on our boat tour.

Expenses

Boat tour per person:

40 Soles for the tour
8 Soles for the entrance to Uros
10 Soles for the entrance to Amantaní And then another 10 Soles each for the dance show.

Standard Stand Offer

Small boats made of straw
Mobiles made of straw
Chains, flutes, mate cups
Embroidered pillowcases and tapestries
Hats

Laundry

We had our laundry done one block away from our hostel at "Lavandería Mi Perú". The kilo cost 7 Soles. Unfortunately, the laundry wasn't folded and was still slightly damp.

Unsolvable Mysteries

How can you live on a handmade island with a chemical toilet and need two hours to get to the nearest mainland? And the island is so tiny that no one has space for themselves or any form of luxury...

Minibus to Copacabana (Bolivia)

We took a taxi to the "Terminal Zonal Sur". It was difficult to get a taxi that day because in Peru, Father's Day is on the 16th of June, and some parades blocked the streets in Puno. We paid about 20 Soles per person to get to the border "Kasani" or "Yunguyo". As Pascal stayed one day too long in Peru, we had to pay a fine of 5.15 Soles (1.25 Euros). Unfortunately, it was Sunday, and the bank wasn't open. No one really wanted to help us, and we couldn't give the money to the border official. So we had to pay online with a credit card on a very confusing website and were free like two little birds for about 40 minutes. We spent our last cash on cookies and chips, and then walked across the border to Bolivia. There we filled out the form number 250 quite easily, and the border official explained something about the remaining days for Bolivia. Huh, way too few?! Apparently, the number of officially remaining days decreases with each border crossing. What nonsense. When we were done with immigration, we took a shared taxi for about 7 Bolivianos per person to Copacabana. There we walked from the main square to our accommodation and were really glad that we finally arrived after about 5 hours of travel.

Post Scriptum

More photographic impressions can be found at https://hoenisch.eu/photo/mo/sharing/lOsVnumuI