Days 49 - 51: Homestay at Lake Titicaca

Hola amigos!

Before we tell you about our homestay, let us tell you about the guinea pig we had for dinner in Puno before we left! We had finally drummed up the courage, so we ordered - one between two of course. We were the only people game enough from our group. It was in a nice restaurant, not quite like the roadside stall in Intrepid Journeys! When our guinea pig or 'cuy' roasted with andean herbs arrived, it looked pretty vulgar and we didn't know where to start. We started by covering its eyes with a lettuce leaf, so we didn't feel so bad. But apart from the very high work-to-meat ratio, it was pretty good, tastes like duck! So that might be our last guinea pig experience for this trip!

So to Lake Titicaca! We caught a middle-sized boat on a beautiful day to the floating islands, Uros. The islands are made out of reeds, and it felt like walking on a giant sponge! The women were really friendly, and invited us into their tiny houses for a look around, but then tried to sell us their wares, and got pretty grumpy when we wouldn't buy them. We felt bad, but we have seen the same market goods everywhere!

We jumped back on the boat, and after lunch on Taquile Island, we landed on Laquina peninsula. Here we played a game of soccer against the locals (we lost :() then our host families dressed us up in traditional dress for a dancing ceremony! We were then led up the hill in the dark to our home for the night! The houses were made from mud bricks, and were very simple, only one room, with a mud brick house for us, one for the kitchen, etc. Our dinner was cooked in a corner of the room on a fire, but was very tasty! The family was very quiet at dinner, until Sam asked 'do you talk at dinner time?' in his best Spanish! We then had a great conversation comparing life on the lake to life in NZ, using the NZ tea towel we took for them as a present for inspiration! We then went straight to bed, around 7:45 pm, and slept like logs until our wake up call at 7 am! We were then employed for the morning, helping muster their 15 sheep (no fences, all tied around their feet), carry new topsoil for the garden from down the road, and then went for a scenic walk. It was then time to jump back on the boat to Puno! A very cool experience, we learnt so much more than staying in a hotel! So our last day in Peru today, we have a bus ride over the border to La Paz in Bolivia tomorrow!

Photos to come!

Also a wee update in general info, Sarah's nails are long and beautiful now after 50 days stress-free, Sam's beard is getting hideously long (and we are only halfway!), and Sam's Spanish is coming along too!

Hope all good back home!! Hasta luego!! Xoxoxoxo