Friday 18 May, 2018 in Puno, Peru.

Having not been able to buy a piece of cord for a washing line last night I hung my damp clothing on the coat hangers on the open "wardrobe" in my room and they were dry this morning - so I can put on a fresh shirt after 3 days. I tried the shower last night and was relieved to find it provided the best shower I've had for days - the gas califont heated the water to very hot and with a bit of adjusting of the cold tap got an excellent shower. I hope the gas bottle doesn't run empty before I leave.
I woke up early this morning after a good night's sleep on the rock-hard mattress and went to explore the kitchen for coffee - no joy, although there's a dripolator in there. No problem, I'd bought a small can of instant coffee in Arica for just such an occasion. I removed the plastic lid and got hold of the ring to remove the foil seal (I hadn't opened it previously) and began to pull - suddenly there was a puff of air and instant coffee powder all over the kitchen! I'd never even considered the prospect of the reduced air pressure at this altitude having an effect on the contents of a sealed container packed and purchased at sea level! It really surprised me. I got my coffee and ate the remnants of the bread roll I'd snacked on as I traveled to Puno yesterday. I'll go out for breakfast shortly. I've decided to only drink bottled water for the rest of my trip as the tap water here is suspect. I bought a 625ml bottle last night for 1 sol (.50 cents). Good value.
Well, it's 8pm now and I'm back in my Airbnb after a wonderful day of tours, first a half day tour to the floating islands on Lake Titicaca (30 soles) where the tour guide introduced the group to the ancient culture of the inhabitants and explained how the Inkas had left them alone and not interfered with their way of life and thankfully the Spanish did the same, so their unique way of life has been preserved (so far). The guide explained that the children go to school on the islands (by boat) until they reach high school age and then come to Puno to complete their education. The problem is, once they get to Puno they discover a whole new way of life (social media, fast food, sport, etc) and don't want to return to the islands as adults and so the population of the islands is shrinking and unless some of them return to have families this unique lifestyle and culture will disappear. It would be tragic if that happened but at the moment tourism is largely supporting the population of the islands closest to Puno. Lake Titicaca is huge and to my surprise was once part of the Pacific ocean and therefore salt water. This is why there are huge salt flats in Bolivia and Chile - the salt water being heavier sunk to the bottom and deepest parts in Chile and Bolivia and as the lake has slowly shrunk it left large areas to dry up and form those huge flats. It still has a salt content of about 1% but is considered to be fresh water. The deepest part of the lake is around 180 metres. The more remote islands don't want to be part of the tourism bonanza and prefer to continue life as they have for thousands of years, supporting themselves with fishing, hunting (birds) and gathering (eggs). The tour was fascinating and the non-English speaking inhabitants explained through the guide how they build the islands and how much work is involved in keeping them able to be lived on. The homes, for instance, are built on platforms of the reeds which are about a metre higher than the rest of the island to keep them dry. The water is only about a foot below the surface they walk on and a new layer of the reeds has to be laid on the island every two weeks to keep it built up and dry (ish). The afternoon tour (40 soles) was to a pre-Inka period site of ruins an hour from Puno where the burial process and lots more was explained by the guide. After getting back to Puno I stopped for a beer in a bar in the tourist sector - 12 soles - usually I'd pay about 6 soles for the same 620ml bottle. I  made up for it with a meal of 1/4 roast chicken served on a bed of (hot this time) chips and free salad bar. The main course was preceded by a large bowl of chicken soup with lots of rice and a few chickens feet in it. All for 11 soles. Lunch, in between tours, was more expensive at an upmarket restaurant in the tourist sector - roast guinea pig! 35 soles.
Tomorrow is the weekly market day in Puno when hundreds of vendors from the region descend on Puno to trade their wares - it covers several blocks of the town. I'm looking forward to  that. Catch up again tomorrow night.

Guinea Pig for lunch, anyone? Head and all!

My lunch about to come out of the wood fired oven.