Problem

I'm having some difficulty with posting.  Don't know how long it will be before the issue is resolved.

The Wise Old Owl

Before we take a closer look at one of the reed houses, I thought I'd end the month with a look into my journal.  This page includes a "tip in," the flap that allows a little more space for the page.  I didn't have a pre-conceived notion when I started this page but wanted to use that big whimsical bird.  He seemed to be looking at something so I decided to actually provide something for him to see and the page evolved.  I hope you have a good day.

A Closer Look

We spent at least an hour on this island which was composed of five or six homes.  They had tables set up to sell hand-crafted items.  Because the island is made of reeds, walking on it was like walking on a mattress.  It was a unique experience to say the least.

Life In The Reeds

This is a typical island with reed homes and a reed boat.  The teepee-like structure is for drying the reeds.  The tour companies select different islands to visit so more families have the income and there is less impact on one island.  Many of the men go to Puno for work, largely construction, but the women are largely confined to the islands.  Each island houses an extended family.

Uros Islands

One of the highlights of our visit to Puno was a trip to the Uros Islands which are on Lake Titicaca.  It's the reeds that make the islands possible and they not only make the islands, they are also used to build houses and boats and are a source of fuel for cooking.

Meals To Go

Here's a little item for the animal lovers.  This young woman provided meals to go for her little furry friends, grass in a bag.  I'm not sure how they managed to drink the water but  it was available also.  This struck me as clever and compassionate.

Pedal Power

This photo was taken near the Sunday market and shows carts that required physical labor.  Looked like it would be fun to ride about in one - if you weren't the driver.  There must have been some limit as to high up the mountain they would take you.  There would be if I was the driver.

Three Wheelin'

And we saw a lot more of the little three-wheelers.  This one was quite colorful.  Can't say it was roomy, however.  But practical.  Very practical.

No Steps

This area of town didn't have steps but they still had a good climb.  At least the somewhat irregular rocks would prevent slippage.  With homes built on the side of the mountain, nearly everyone had a view so that's a plus.

Puno, Peru

Late afternoon we arrived in Puno which has an elevation of 12,556', felt by many in our tour group who were physically ill.  Though the oldest in our group, we had no problem and were thankful we were already acclimated to 6,000' with frequent trips to 10,000' but we also headed the advice of our tour guide in staying hydrated, eating light and comsuming little alcohol.  Puno is located on the shore of Lake Titcaca with only two miles of flat land before a rise to high mountains.  So it is a city of steps, lots of steps.  All kinds of steps.  I've mentioned that Peruvians think nothing of walking and apparently they think nothing of climbing steps.  Puno was founded in 1668 and now has a population of almost 150,000.

Juliana

These buildings were located on a university campus in the modern city of Juliana.  The thriving mining area is nearby and there is quite a lot of manufacturing in the area so it's quite prosperous.  With money sometimes comes crime and our guide reports that's the case in Juliana.  He advised that we never spend time in the city.  We went through it on our way to Puno and returned to it for the regional airport.  But I'll take Pavel's advice and not plan a return trip to Juliana.  We found his advice to be very helpful and sound.

Traffic Jam

I truthfully don't recall if this is the same town as I showed yesterday or a second town but I believe it was the latter.  It was getting to be late afternoon and traffic was sufficient to fill the street.  Notice on the far right of the photo that there is a countdown clock for the street light.  I know some US towns have those for the pedestrian crosswalk but in Peru they are there for the drivers at almost every light.  And have I mentioned that in Peru pedestrians do not have the right of way?  The drivers really do not stop for a pedestrian so one must be very vigilant when walking.  Our guide indicated that there are a large number of pedestrian deaths every year.  Thankfully we did not add to the number.

Newer Towns

We, of course, traveled through a number of small towns on our bus ride to Puno.  These are newer towns with larger buildings which are built in a more substantial manner.  But we still saw al lot of the little three-wheelers amongst the trucks and cars.  This road is sand or dirt but most of the highway was paved.  Wouldn't want you to have the wrong impression.

Local Transportation

This was a popular means of getting from Cusco to Puno (or vice versa).  It seemed to have no difficulty traveling at the high altitude.  I asked our guide if, as a young boy, he traveled to Puno for a vacation and he replied that he often did.  Train travel is fun anywhere - in my experience.

Continental Divide Peru Style

The bus continued to climb and about noon we reached 14,200' and the Continental Divide.  We had a short stop here where the scenery was awesome - and there were locals with merchandise that could be purchased.  We each were given a bag lunch to eat while the bus continued on its way to maximize our time.  Lunch included an empanada, crackers, fruit, juice, cookies and a peach tart.  It was more than enough to fill my tummy.

Double Duty

This isn't the best photo in the world because I took it from a moving bus and the woman was a distance away.  We were leaving Paqchi when I saw a woman using a drop spindle to spin fiber as she was watching the herd of cows.  In all cultures it seems the women (in particular) are multi-taskers.  And they seemed to especially like a full skirt in a bright color.

Raqchi Interior

Inside the walls of Raqchi we found a number of these round buildings which were for storage.  There were other, more traditional buildings as well.  And it was perfect weather to be outside.

Raqchi

Our first stop of the day was about 10:00 am at Raqchi.  There was the traditional town square with a church and an outdoor market and the sizable ruin.  To reach the ruins we had to walk a short distance  on the ancient Inca Trail which I thought was pretty fantastic.  Rachi was built in the 1400's and was completely walled.  Because it was on the Inca Trail it was partly used for lodging travelers but it's main feature was the Temple of Wiracocha, shown here, which is 302' x 84' with a central wall 65' high.  The roof angled down 82' on each side and I swear I have no idea how they managed to build such structures.  It's unique in its dual purpose of adminstration and worship.  And judging from the number of storage buildings, the travelers must have been able to eat pretty well here.

Moving On In Peru

We boarded a larger bus which had air-conditioning today because we had a full day of travel to go from Cusco to Puno.  This time we had three drivers who traded off the driving duty because they brought the bus back empty after they left us in Puno.

It was a nice day for travel and there were ample stops for stretching, restrooms and even another tour of ancient ruins.  And we crossed the Continental Divide.

One of the things that surprised me was that we didn't actually travel "in" the mountains as we do in Colorado.  This trip was more through a valley between the mountains.  And the mountains also didn't appear to be highly treed as I am accustomed to.  But why travel to a foreign country if you're going to see what you see at home?!  I'm up for a different experience.

Carried Away

And it could be said that I got a little carried away with this Kumihimo project.  I did a fairly typical necklace in pearl and dark green seed beads which picked up the color in the pendant quite nicely.  Then I made a separate, traditional string of the pearl seed beads and twisted it around the round braid.  It makes it a little heavy but not too much that it looks bad or is difficult to wear.  You should be getting the idea that there's a lot of variation in what can be done with Kumihimo.  I'm keeping this one for myself.

And More Turquoise and Black

Guess I was in the mood for turquoise and black as I also completed this necklace.  If I remember correctly, I found that pendant in Portland some months back.  I suspended a bead in its hole and added beads to jump rings above the pendant.  The second photo shows the pattern in the seed beads - something a little different.

Kumihimo In Turquoise, Black and Silver

Before we move on with our journey in Peru, I thought I'd show you some of my completed Kumihimo projects.  Although progress has been almost nil in recent weeks, I currently have two projects underway and hope to soon be back to some regular braiding time.  I thought this one was rather striking with the turquoise and black with the silver beads, pendant and end caps.  It was just given to an 89-year-old for her birthday.  Hope she enjoys wearing it as much as I enjoyed making it.

What a Hat!

Two male dancers appeared on stage with these extremely tall hats.  Their significance wasn't explained but they didn't look at all comfortable.  I assumed they would take them off after a short period of time but, no, they had to hang onto those high pillars throughout the number.  It made me tired just to watch.  Oh my aching arms!

Dinner With Entertainment

Our last evening in Cusco we went to a local restaurant which served a buffet.  I tried a small piece of llama and found it to be much like beef.  There was also some musical entertainment, bot instrumental and dancing.  These two female dancers did a variety of dances for us, so colorful and energetic.

Temple of The Sun

One of the prettiest areas of the Temple of the Sun in Cusco, Peru, is the open courtyard.  It's huge and quite pretty with plants overhanging from the second floor.

And Speaking of Gold . . .

Happy Easter!  Seems appropriate that I'm showing a cathedral on this religious holiday.

This is the Temple of the Sun in Cusco.  It wasn't completely destroyed by the Spaniards as some of the others were but they demolished some sections of it and covered the walls with some type of plaster.  The plaster was shaken off during an earthquake and was never replaced so the original walls are now visible.  At the hight of Inca reign this cathedral was very rich in gold but they gave it to one of the conquistadors as ransom to save the Inca Emperor and the Emperor was killed anyway.  You just can't trust those who invade.

Pachacute (again)

This statue of the beloved Pachacute is in one of the town squares in Cusco.  The choice of gold is very appropriate as there was an abundance of gold discovered in the area when the Incas ruled.

Church of Society of Jesus

In downtown Cusco there are three beautiful cathedrals in close proximity to one of the town squares and we were able to go inside two of them.  We did not, however, tour this one which is the Church of the Society of Jesus.  You may notice a statue in the center of the square.  I'll show a better photo of that tomorrow.

Reed House

Houses on the Uros Islands are made of the same type of reed as the island itself.  The reeds are simply tied together in a mat and placed over a simple wooden frame.  During the rainy season they add another layer to the top and before building the house they add an extra layer of reeds underneath the house.  It doesn't get any simpler than this - unless you live in a cave.

Reed House

Reed House

Reed House

The houses on Uros Islands are build from the same material as the island itself.  Reeds are cut and dried and then tied together in big mats which are attached to a simple wooden frame.  Before building the house they add an extra layer of reeds where the house will be placed.  And during the rainy season they add another layer of mats to the roof which works well to keep the rain out.  It doesn't get any simpler - unless you live in a cave.

Reed House

Reed House

Reed House

A Reed House

The houses have a simple wooden frame which is covered with sheets of reeds that are tied together.  You could say the panels look like big placemats.  It's very simple but seems to work well.  During the rainy season they add another layer to the roof and that keeps them quite dry.  And before placing the houses they add an extra layer of reeds.  Eventually the island wears down so they add another layer of reeds all over the top.  It doesn't get any simpler than this - unless you live in a cave.

Colonial Cathedral

 We toured the Colonial Cathedral (Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin).  It was completed in 1654, and was rich in carvings covered with gold leaf.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen so much gold in one building.  The cathedral houses over 400 paintings and within them there are signs of the blending of the Catholic and Inca.  The Last Supper, for instance, includes guinea pig on the table and the bread looks like Inca bread.  In other paintings, instead of camels, the artists painted llama.  And since the local artists were not allowed to sign their painting, they put a self-portrait somewhere in the painting.  There are a number of sculptures (this being the major repository of Cusco’s colonial art) within the walls of the cathedral and they are sometimes removed and paraded around the square during significant celebrations.  The building also holds archeological artifacts and relics.  The sad thing about this cathedral is that the Spanish tore apart Saksaywaman to build it and used Inca laborers to do so.  Interesting to note that even today we see signs of one culture attempting to destroy another.  The world can obviously use more tolerance and compassion.

Photos were not allowed inside any of the cathedrals but I found this photo online so borrowed it to show you the amount of gold detail that was in many of the altars.  It was quite amazing.

Things To Be Happy About

a brand new house

a new area to explore

new TV to fit the alcove

help with moving chores

shiny new kitchen counters

finally, a gas cooking range

overnight visitors to share our home

finding a place for all my art supplies

new rug for living room that’s perfect

husband’s ability to install window blinds