Machu Picchu continued

As alluded to in my previous posting, here are some more views of Machu Picchu.

One of the more impressive things about the site is how steep it is down the sides.
Machu Picchu may be an abandoned city, but it does have some permanent residents.
The flora and fauna here were very impressive. It is located just on the edge of the mountainous region and where the land starts dropping off into the rainforest, so it is very humid in spite of its altitude and supports lots of flowers and birds.

After Puno it was on to Cuzco, the ancient seat of the Inca empire and the city with one of the strangest nicknames in the world. Its nickname translates as "The Bellybutton of the World". I actually couldn't travel between Puno and Cuzco directly; there was a massive demonstration going on completely blocking the main roads. I was going to wait it out, but as my train tickets to Machu Picchu were reserved in advance, and the guy staffing the desk at the hostel I was staying at made a pass at me and things were getting awkward, I instead backtracked through Arequipa. Finally, though, I arrived in Cuzco. Cuzco is a very popular tourist destination, primarily as a base from which to access the famous Machu Picchu. Definitely one of the most popular souvenirs, though is the city's rainbow flag.
I, like many others, set out to visit Machu Picchu. I didn't do the 4 day walking trail though :( I didn't want to cut my time in the country too short. The train was still a very pleasant experience. It winds through a region called the sacred valley until it reaches the small town of Aguas Calientes. The scenery is spectacular and awe-inspiring.
Below is the obligatory photo of the entire Machu Picchu site. I've saved a few photos from some more atypical perspectives for my next post. It would not be just to squeeze the entire experience into one photo.
No matter how many times you see this same picture, it is still an amazing view.

Las Islas Flotantes

After visiting Arequipa, I took the bus to Puno, a fairly small city in the altiplano of Peru. Its elevation is nearly 12,500 feet! Puno is a destination due to the fact that it is a main port on Lake Titicaca, which is the highest navigable waterway in the world. Here are the flags of Peru (in red) and the city of Puno (blue).
A trip to Puno isn't complete without a trip out to the islas flotantes, floating islands constructed by the indigenous people constructed entirely out of the totoro reeds and a few eucalyptus sticks.
The women of the islands all come out to greet you as the boat comes in. Most islands have only a few family groups, but there are larger ones that have a school and public use buildings.
The reeds are one of the only resources available to these people. In addition to using it for construction purposes, they also eat it! It doesn't have much taste, just sort of spongy. Luckily they also have fish and birds.
I got to ride on one of these cool boats too!