Our Visit To The Floating Islands On Lake Titicaca

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photograph of a Uros men building a new reed boat on a Uros floating island on Lake Titicaca in Peru, South America.

Uros village on a totora reed floating island on Lake Titicaca in Peru, South America

On our first morning in Puno, we found that the clouds were hanging low and grey; it was a cold world.  We had come prepared for this sort of weather, so our spirits were high as we walked towards Puno’s harbour on Lake Titicaca.   Cold weather is quite the norm in the Lake Titicaca area because  the cold winds that blow over the lake result in an average temperature, in the warm months of the year, of 10-14C, (50-57F).   Having warm clothing is a must. Read more

Arequipa, the White Stone City

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Catedral de la ciudad de Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru

Cathedral, Plaza de Armas, Arequipa, Peru

Bright sunshine greeted us when Bob and I awoke in Arequipa, Peru at 6:30 a.m.  It is amazing how a little sunlight can change the face of a place.  When we emerged from our hotel with a city map in hand, the cobbled streets and high walls seemed less daunting than when we arrived in the dark the night before. Read more

Our Drive On The Pan American Highway to Arequipa

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desert alongside the pan american highway - peru

desert along pan american highway near nazca peru - frame to frame

Our destination heading south from Nazca on the Pan American Highway in Peru was the city of Arequipa.  At 556 kilometers from Nazca, we figured the drive should take us about 6 hours and put us in Arequipa well before dark.  The day’s drive, however, sure proved that calculation to be wrong.

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Wild Vicuna At The National Reserve Of Pampas Galeras, Peru

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icuna in a meadow at the National Reserve of Pampas Galeras in Peru, South America.

Vicuna in the National Reserve of Pampas Galeras in Peru, South America.

In the harsh climate high in the mountain meadows of the National Reserve of Pampas Galeras in Peru live the rarely-seen Vicuna.  In 1974, the Vicuna were declared an endangered species; at that time, only 6,000 of these animals were left alive in Peru.   Today, with the aid of organizations like World Wildlife Fund, the population of Vicuna has recovered to about 350,000.  Even with that supposed high number of these animals, it is still very difficult to actually catch a glimpse of one in the wilds of Peru. Read more

The Mummies of Chauchilla Cemetery near Nazca, Peru

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Human Mummified body and skulls and bones at the Chauchilla Cemetery in Peru, South America

Chauchilla Cemetery south of the city of Nazca in Peru, South America.

The Mummies of Chauchilla Cemetery in Peru, are the mummified bodies of ancient pre-hispanic Nazca people.   As we soon learned on our tour, their bodies have been preserved because of the dry climate of the Nazca valley.  Archaeologists have dated these grave sites to somewhere around 1000 AD, and it is believed the burials occurred here over the course of 600 years. Read more

Our Drive Through Paracas National Reserve In Peru

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Jean beside rental car at Paracas National Reserve on the Paracas Peninsula, Ica, Peru.

Pacific coast at Paracas National Reserve on the Paracas Peninsula, Ica, Peru.

After Bob made some hasty notes from a map on display at the main pavilion where neither staff or a handout was available, we then drove off into the dust of Paracas National Reserve located on the Paracas Peninsula in Peru.  As we soon learned on our excursion, this reserve is a world of sandy wastelands, isolated beaches, and high ocean cliffs.

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