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Written by Keith Rhoades
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Thursday, 28 October 2004 |
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hello....i am now at lake titicaca...the highest lake in the world at 12,500 feet. So far..only a few problems with the altitude...my feet are swollen and could hardly get my shoes on and climbing three stories with my bags really got me winded...and it is not due to smoking! it´s unbelievable that i am up in the Andes mountains of South America. After lunch i had some good introspect and spiritual time....i sat in the main plaza and the kids begs to shine your shoes. i kept saying know but then one little boy named juan asked if i had a pen for him to use at school. i brought three with and gladly gave him one. it truly touched me. I then had a nice lunch on a side alley where there were some locals playing Andean music..the pipes and drums and i felt transcended....i love that music...i feel in touch with the universe. Also around the plaza were old men with type writers and people who are illeterate would have them type a letter...just like in my favorite movie..Central Station. i boarded the bus for the andes which was a bit nerve wracking as i was concerned about the elevation. The trip was 5 huors but awesome..we just kept going up, around canyons, volcanoes, glaciers and the sun was setting and at the same time a near full moon was rising. i felt one with the universe. And as the gods continue to bless me...tomorrow is a full moon and will be a full lunar eclipse in south america...so i hope to view it from the lake. Arequipa was very warm and i did not bring on the bus with me warm clothes...i was freezing near the end. i went from about 90 degrees and right now it is about 45 degrees! Tomorrow i´m buying one of those inca ear flap hats! i just arrived and got my hostel...very nice. i am alway a bit skeptical about not seeing it first for fear of cockroaches...but it very clean and $10 a night including breakfast and a hot shower and bath. i spoke with the manager there and he got me all set up for the activities the next few days. i have to get up at 6 am tomorrow...at 7 am i will leave for the day to lake titicaca to visit the isla floatanes...or floating islands. AFter that the boat will take me to ancient ruins on isla taquille. Friday i have reservations to cross to Bolivia to Copacaban and then on to la paz, bolivia. Returning back tot he lake on halloween. Then i am off to crown jewel of peru...cuzco and machu pichu. Well, i better get to bed early tonight...long busy day tomorrow. Take care. love you all.love keith October 28th, 2004----Well....the lesson i learned today is that "the best day of your life always lies ahead". After i got back to my room last night...i opened my toiletry bag and some items exloded because of the altitutude. i really have not had much problem with it at all. Today was the most incredible day!!!! i woke up at 5:30 am and had the complimentary breakfast. AFter at 7 am....the van picked up me and two girls from Great Britain to the port at lake titicaca. We boarded a boat with a tour guide and went out to the floating islands made of reed. It was amazing and words cannot describe it!! The Aymara people still live there...they have been indeginous since 10,000 BC and refused to be captured by the incas...so built reed isalnds that float...and they use reed for everythign....utensils, homes, boats, tools, etc. It was very cold there this morning on the lake so i bought my peruvian ear flap hat! i looked so peruano! One of the Aymara men asked if we would like to go on the reed canoe to visit other islands and we did. it just amazed me! After that, another boat picked us up and took us out to the isle of taquille...which took 2 hours to get there but the scenery was beautiful...lake titicaca lies in the ande plain between the chilean-peruano andes and the bolivian andes. After arrive at lake taquill which is home to another tribe of natives..the Quechua people....it was like the amish of peru to see how they live to this day. the problem was....once docked you had to climb to the top of the island...550 feet up steep steps. i started off and after a few minutes i literally felt like i couldn´t breath and started to panic...but i forged on and it was the hardest thing i have ever done in my entire life. I realized there is no way i could do the hiking trail to machu pichu. the air is so thin here it is actually hard to keep a cigerette lit!! And dont go blaming smoking...i faired well...others fainted, others couldnt make it and others got noses that were bleeding! At the top The Quechua people allow you to eat and sleep at there homes...i only ate and they made me fish, and get this Spider soup...yes there were spiders in the soup. which i did eat but i couldnt finish it. i have seen guinea pig ...but i am saving that for machu pichu!! After looking around and observing the Quechua people a boat picked us up and took us back to the mainland. I got home and changed and went shopping, had a huge chicken dinner for 2 dollars, and then came across a festival as it the patron saint of this cities fesitival....it ws kind of moving to watch and hear the procession. now for those that know me... i usually wear no sun screen and if i do...it is SPF 8. WEll, i will have you know....even though it was cold this morning I had a feeling the sun was going to be harsh and i wore an SPF25 and applied it twice and still got burnt....the sun was so strong!! and those that didn´t use any...i dont know what they will be like tonight. obvisously..it was the gods that guided me to use SPF 25...because i have never used anything like that before! So i am a bit burnt and very tired....i´m going home soon and then going to bed cuz i have to get up at 5 am again to leave at 7 am for Bolivia!!
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