We all know that Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable commercial lake in the world. It sits at an altitude of 3,830 meters (12,532 ft.). However, it wasn’t just because of its spectacle that I was eager to get there. It was also because of the legend I was told when I was a kid.

Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, son and daughter of the Sun, were sent to earth to civilize the world. They rose from Lake Titicaca. He became the first Inca ruler and she became the Queen. In a nutshell that is, according to legend, how the Inca Empire was born.

The morning we left for Titicaca, we started on a bus to Puno Bay to board the launch for a cruise on the lake and to Amantani Island for overnight. The bus was full of young and serious backpackers, plus Emily with her duffle bag containing her bare essentials and I with my red carry-on luggage with all my belongings. When we arrived, I saw the launch.

Except it wasn’t “the” launch. Ours was docked four launches away and to board it we had to walk over the first three! Emily tiptoed with her duffle bag while I stood with my red luggage feeling like the Queen of Sheba without an entourage! Fortunately, one of the guys noticed my dilemma. He grabbed my suitcase with one hand, and jumped from launch to launch. Once all aboard, the excursion began.

Several days before our trip, the Peruvian newspaper, El Comercio, had published an article about contamination in the lake that was turning parts of it green and made it look like a golf course. I wondered whether it was worth going. I was afraid of being disappointed, but I went anyway and took these pictures right after we were pulling off the dock.

Sewage water is one of the contributors to the pollution of the lake and what we saw were tiny water lentils that feed off the waste. They are in itself a double edged-sword, as they not only constitute a health hazard but their removal, at a rate of 800,000 tons a year, is a costly expense. I think these lentils mainly concentrate in Puno Bay. I didn’t notice them as we went further out. Let’s hope a solution is found soon because as Mr. Alberto Giesecke, of Peru’s Environment Ministry, said in an interview with El Comercio, “Without sewage treatment facilities, this lake is doomed.”
 
Uros Islands

Have you ever thought of buying an island but couldn’t afford it? Build one then! The floating Islands of Uros are built using one component, the totora that grows abundantly in the lake. The bottom layer consists of a pack of totora roots that is the floating device that supports the island. A layer of totora reeds are placed next and the houses are built on top. The reeds are so manageable that they are used to build homes, to manufacture furniture, construct different artifacts and vehicles of transportation, such as this particular raft, that took a month to build, and took us for a ride.

We also learned that as the totora reeds deteriorate, they form an organic matter used as fertilizer and cultivation. The base of the totora reed can also be peeled and eaten.

These floating islands are anchored to the bottom of the lake to keep them in place. I noticed that the lake wasn’t that deep where we were at, as our Captain was actually reaching the bottom with a long pole and pushing the raft.

Amantani Island
I don’t know why I thought that Amantani was flat. Wrong again!
The arch in this picture points the entrance to the village. Halfway up, I took this picture of the lake below to show how far up we had gone, but were still not near the entrance.

As there are no hotels on the island, accommodations are provided in private homes. We had been assigned bedrooms at different homes. In our case, we were four, and the house had two guest rooms. On arrival, our hosts and hostesses were waiting for us to guide us to their homes. Our host and the four of us proceeded up the hill. The men climbed at ready pace while we stopped along the way. We finally arrived at the house.

Once inside, we walked upstairs to our bedrooms. Ours was the one on the left and the guys’ room on the right (we never knew what was behind the door in the middle). It was a spotless room that looked to us like a 5-star hotel room.

Amantani has a population of about 800 families. Ours was a family of five: a husband, wife, their daughter, son and grandson. It’s not surprising that being a relatively small community; they all know each other and help each other. Our host told us that his neighbors helped him build his house. The community is dedicated to livestock and agriculture. They eat what they grow, one of them being quinoa (a grain highly regarded for its nutritional value), and that was what we were served for lunch.

The dining and kitchen areas are in a one-story structure adjacent to the building where our bedrooms were. PHOTO The dining area was furnished with a rectangular table that can comfortably accommodate six. To the right of it was the cooking area. I am almost positive that they cooked over coals and if I am correct, they did have a very good exhaust system, as there was no evidence of smoke.

They had reserved the table for us, while they ate in the cooking area. The building to the left of him, is their living quarters. The corridor between the two buildings, leads to the restroom facility which brings me to the next subject. It is a well designed home, but lacks two features: There is no running water or electricity.

Two activities were planned for the remaining of the day. It was Sunday, May 31, and the village was celebrating Pentecost that afternoon atop the mountain. In the evening, there was a “fiesta” at the meeting hall.

After lunch, we started up the mountain to Pentecost. Maybe we had completed about one fourth of the journey when we came across the stadium and Emily said that she was not going any further. She was going to wait right there. Across from it, I saw an arch. I suggested that rather than staying there maybe we should walk up to the arch and take a look. Reluctantly, she agreed. There we found a French couple and a Dutch family.

It was 4:15 p.m. and we took bets on the time the sun would set. It started at 5:30 p.m. (Nobody won.) We all stuck around until the sun disappeared behind the horizon. As soon as it did, we all said good bye and each of us started on our way back home.

Emily and I made it safely to the stadium and continued part of the way until we weren’t sure of where to go. You see, the paths are inconspicuous and not well defined, especially when it is getting dark. There were no landmarks to go by. I mean, there was no way that we could tell the difference between one stone and the other! No panic, though. It wasn’t THAT dark yet. We continued on until, all of a sudden, a young man appeared. Calmly, I asked him if he could help us. At that point I realized that I didn’t know the name of the family and couldn’t tell him anymore than we wanted to go to an adobe house located sort of like “over there”. I explained that we were staying with a man and his wife, daughter, son and grandson. He said, “Oh yes I know them. I’ll take you”. On the way we found our host who was looking for us and the four of us walked down to the house.

Taquile Island
We left Amantani right after breakfast.

As the launch was approaching Taquille, our guide enthusiastically announced that we should get ready for an exciting hike. There were 550 steps waiting for us to climb, at the end of which, we were going to be rewarded with lunch. After lunch we would descend another 550 steps to the other side where our launch would pick us up. Emily said that she wasn’t going. She was staying with the launch. I think pejerrey-fish was on the menu and as I don’t care much for it, I decided to do the same.
Another couple, a Korean father and son that were suffering from soroche, joined us. While waiting for the group, we delighted ourselves with the view, the tranquility of the lake and the realization that we were standing in the middle of one of the natural wonders of the world.

The group returned from lunch and we boarded the launch for the 3-hour cruise to Puno, but not until some guys jumped into the lake and went for a swim. We spent the night in Puno and returned to Lima the next day.

I’ve often wondered what kind of person would set about navigating the River Amazon on a raft. There was that nut back in the fifties who crossed the Atlantic on a raft. Then there was “Ben Hur” on that raft with the Roman Consul, “Row-well and Live.” But the Amazon? With all those crazy piranhas swimming about! Aren’t rafts held together with rope or something? Gnaw-gnaw!

My good friend Mick invited me to join the “Great Amazon Raft Race.” It was his creation. Now I know why they call him “Mad Mick.” Having organized raft races in England many years ago, he promotes the annual “Great Amazon Raft Race” here in Iquitos, Peru. This year fifteen foreign teams will be competing with twenty-four Peruvian Teams.

As I watched the teams constructing their rafts I wondered what qualifications are required to man them. Do they have to pass a test in a swimming pool or a bathtub? Would they need a “Rafting License” or a “Diploma and Smog Certificate” from the Admiralty? Could contestants cheat? What about gigantic paddles and hollow logs! Could they lash-out at each other with horsewhips whilst shredding their opponent’s logs with revolving can-openers? Or maybe there just aren’t any rules at all!

What’s that? Coils of metal wire, a Black and Decker Chainsaw! Hammer and nails made in China! I thought contestants were supposed to construct their rafts using only local materials. Neanderthals used a stone on a stick. Maybe Neanderthals had primitive brains, but at least they were smart enough not to race rafts on the Amazon.

Life jackets were to be worn at all times and no alcohol or drugs were permitted “on the rafts.” Teams were allowed to hire local labor to aid in the construction of their rafts. A minimum of eight logs were required, but according to Mick, any configuration was permitted. The most common combination (commanding the best odds) was four logs in front linked to four behind. Linkage was everything. Some teams employed large screws, while others used overlapping timbers bound together with metal wire. Three cross-beams were bound with rope to the main logs and plastic chairs with foam seating were common.

Teams had numbers (for easy betting), and names. This would be “Gringa Linda’s” third Great Amazon Raft Race. Her team called themselves “Vamos Ya” (Let’s Go Right Now). The favorites (5 to 1), were “Los Invencibles de Padre Cocha.” An all Peruvian team, they had won several races before. There were teams named “Coca Loco,” “Amazon Quest,” “Los Titanes,” “Los Increibles” (the Incredibles), “Amazonia” and “Las 4 Virgenes de Ivalu” (Four Virgins of Ivalu). As a non-swimmer my favorite was “Don’t Drown!” There were all-male teams, all-female teams and mixed teams. Some team members volunteered to join only days before the start. Drinking a few beers in a London Pub, Tim overheard three crewmen crying in their beer. They were one member short. “Count me in!” he exclaimed. After a few more beers they carried him to the plane!

It’s number 18 at the gate, and they’re off. 23’s in the lead and it’s “Vamos Ya” followed by “Coca Loco” and “Timbercreek.” As they round the turn it’s the “Four Virgins” followed by “Amazonia.” The “Amazonians” are standing up! Californian surfers, no doubt. 

Coming into the final stretch; it’s “Coca Loco” followed by “Vamos Ya” and “Kindred Spirits,” and now it’s “The Titans” and the “Four Virgins” followed closely by the “Four Flashers.” The “Four Flashers” are gaining. The “Flashers” are Down! Now they’re up – way-way up!!! Neck and neck! They’re coming “up from behind“, now they’re “up on the inside!” As they approach the finish line it’s the “Two Virgins” followed by the “Four Flashers” and “Vamos Ya” (Let’s go Right Now!).

At the top of the muddy hill a welcoming band playing Amazonian Drums greeted the arriving rafters. First one in was number 33 “Keepin’ off Rio.” Losing my foothold, trying to get closer to Mick and the VIPs, I slipped and rolled down the embankment into the mud-bath below. As I peered through the mud I could see “Los Increibles,” Gringa Linda with “Vamos Ya,” and “Lobo Marino de Nanay.” Rafters arriving in high spirits spent the night dancing in the small discotheque and sleeping in the encampment above the cliffs.

This would be the longest and most difficult stretch. Rafters could be seen desperately searching for the current. Without the current they would suffer unbearable pain and exhaustion with the sun beating down on them. From the VIP boat we could see rafters, adrenalin pumping through their veins, as they tried to maintain speed. “Los Invencibles” were in the lead for the second day in a row, but who was that flying the Jolly Roger? “Piratas del Amazonas” (Pirates of the Amazon). On an adrenaline rush, the rafts-men paddled at lightning speed as the “Coca Leaf Tea” and “Bark Nectar” kicked-in!

We reached the junction in the river. Rafts were to proceed through the short-cut, but no one had told them. Mick and the other VIPs left the boat to establish a traffic control spot further along the beachhead. “We’ve got a red flag Barry, someone’s in trouble.” We have to leave now.” “No time to pick-up Mick.” “But they are without water in all this heat,” I exclaimed. “We’ve got to leave now” Ed screamed, as the captain started the engine.

But where was the Peruvian Coast Guard? They were to patrol the river to aid distressed rafts. They had left for their lunch break! Doubling-back some twenty minutes, a raft could be seen bobbing up and down while the rafts-men tried desperately to outmaneuver the strong current and bring-it alongside. The crew was exhausted. Suffering from dehydration, finally, they realized they needed a tow.

Later that evening, in a Tamshiyacu bar, one of the female team members shared her diary with me. Desperately trying to take their minds off the pain and exhaustion they sang and paddled to Christmas Carols and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” A song about a poor boy about to die. “Too late, my time has come.” “Sometimes I wish I’d never been born at all!” What about, We are the Champions!  “No Time for Losers”?

The race is characterized by the desperate need to propel the raft with long deep strokes, and the struggle to maintain speed in the wake of passing vessels, the routine of constantly changing sides to relieve the pressure on one arm, and bathroom breaks that involved standing or squatting at the rear of the raft. There were unforgettable moments such as when a young boy rolled a water-melon down the embankment to help quench the thirst of the rafters. The kids sitting on a riverside bank shouting down to them “They make motors now!”

The race has nothing to do with coming in first, or even last, but everything to do with not being towed! Towing is the ultimate humiliation.

The last lap was grueling. Facing a fierce current along the Nanay River, rafts inched toward the finish line. Crewmen who failed to paddle in unison found their raft going backwards as the current dragged them back toward the Amazon. “Didn’t someone say The Current is Your Friend?” As the local saying goes, “The Amazon has the river but the Nanay has the current.”

Three crews fainted and others found themselves towed-in. Is that the “Pirates of the Amazon” being towed? Looks like they ran out of Coca leaves and bark nectar. Rafting teams were totally exhausted as they crossed the finish line. Team members posing for photo-shoots collapsed on their decks or suffered humiliation as they fell from their rafts into the water, only to be dragged onshore by young boys. The revenge of the Incas, I thought as Los Invencibles de Padre Cocha, the “Peruvian Victors,” crossed the finish line.

At least I now know what kind of person races a raft on the Amazon looking for the ultimate “Adrenalin Rush.” The same kind of person who climbs Mount Everest, explores Antarctica or walks on the surface of the Moon (or lives in the Rainforest!). A crazy one!.

This traditional and welcoming city is a launching point for various excursions to fertile valleys, picturesque towns and deep caves.

Tarma is a city that is visited more and more often by Limeños, due to the city’s close location to the capital (only four hours away), the lovely climate, the beautiful flowered valleys, and also because it is a strategic point of communication between the sierra and the central jungle.

Very close to the city there are various excursions that combine culture, nature and history. The classic day trip in Tarma begins with a visit to San Pedro de Cajas, a picturesque town full of traditional textiles, which are recognized for their colorful use of alpaca and sheep’s wool. This town is located just 40 kilometers from Tarma. Once you are in San Pedro, you should ask about the famous artisan workshop called Teodolo Ulloa.

During the journey you will pass through beautiful landscapes such as the Valley of the Flowers (Valle de las Flores), one of the principal attractions in Tarma. A few minutes later you will arrive at Andean plains at more than 4,000 meters above sea level, which are covered by ichu, an Andean grass that is a food source for camelids, among them, the elegant wild vicuñas which pass comfortably through the plains

In this area there is also a great quantity of rocky shelters, which were once a refuge to the ancient nomadic peoples who inhabited this region some seven thousand years ago. Telarmachay is located close by, close to the lake Junín. Telarmachay, is the seat of a long tradition where the French archeologist Danielle Lavallée found the first signs of the domestication of camelids in the Andes, as well as the ovens which were used to heat rocks in the style of “pachamanca.”

The trip is a beautiful spectacle; carpets of infinite yellow and golden grain seedlings are juxtaposed with flowering landscapes. Make sure you are ready to leave by 9am, as that is when the sky is finally clear. Just moments before you arrive at San Pedro, you will find Cachipozo, a structure with two pools of water inside which represent masculine and feminine elements. Newlyweds often visit Cachipozo to seal their commitment to each other. Every year, at the beginning of July, there is a traditional cleaning ceremony at the site.

The next point is the cave of Huagapo, 25 minutes away, which is considered the most extensive cave in South America with a length of 2,800 meters. Visitors can generally visit the first 300 meters, where one can appreciate the thousand year old sculptured forms created by the stalactites and stalagmites as well as cave paintings on the rocky walls.

Regressing to the road, you’ll pass by the lookout tower Palcamayo as well as Picoy, where the picturesque tiled roofs depict a prosperous community that lives off the harvest of its lands. The valley of Palcamayo is actually known as the vegetable capital. In its plaza one can find large sculptures that represent flowers and cabbages.

The journey through the extensive valleys in the area is gratifying. Women with wide brimmed hats pass through their land harvesting their crops, while the tall mountains that surround the villages tell us that here, it’s different than other towns in the country; for here, one can live off the earth and live well.

The old haciendas or farms abandoned since the 1940s have become part of the landscape. Each one has a singular history and interesting characters as well. These farms, in their majority, have not been reconstructed and they stand as mute witnesses to the passing of time. Within their crumbling walls, surrounded by fertile land waiting to be harvested, these farms create a sort of panoramic nostalgia.

Only two hacienda houses have been converted into welcoming hotels, La Florida y Santa María, and they are characterized by offering a stay based upon learning and taking part in the customs of the area.

The hotel options in Tarma now include comfortable grounds, such as the hotel Los Portales, which has recently opened the discoteca Kimera, with capacity for 500 people. The hotel has also opened the elegant restaurant Odría, which has a novoandino menu and is located in the elegant rooms of what once was the Hotel de Turistas. The investment in the reconstruction of the building and the discoteca has been one worth 1.5 million dollars.

If you have time, don’t miss visiting the archeological complex of Tarmatambo, located just six kilometers south of the city. It was an important administrative settlement that formed part of the Inca Trail which united Cusco with Jauja.

Hotel Los Portales: They offer promotional packets for groups in which you can spend three days and two nights in Tarma and the central jungle for $95 a person (includes lodging, transportation, excursions and the entrance to the discoteca).