Day 14 & 15: More “Day in the Life” Exploring Puno, Flight to Lima, and home, 5.14.19- 5.15.19

We left our hotel at 9:00 by bus. Our first stop was along the shores of Lake Titicaca. An elderly mestizo couple were hard at work.

The woman was tying bunches of reeds together to make a mattress. Her husband was making rope from the reeds for her project. They had been married for over 70 years and had 6 children who now live in Arequipa. Since there isn’t much help for poor seniors, this couple farms, fishes and makes mattresses in order to eat and live.

During out visit the man’s cell phone rang. It was one of his children calling. Cell phones are relatively inexpensive. A phone with a card for a month costs about 10 soles or $3.33.

Here Dan is learning how to trim the reeds to finish the mattress. It takes the mestizo about a half hour to finish one mattress. After she has four completed, they will go to the market and sell the mattress to a vendor. They will get about 10 soles per mattress. The vendor then will sell the mattress for 18 soles. The middle man makes the profit without the work.

Our next stop was a walking tour in the town of Puno. Walking past this costume shop, our local guide Fausto wanted us to stop and take a closer look. Costumes are a big part of the culture. For festival parades and dances, the people will rent costumes. New costumes are quite hefty in price, maybe $500 or more per renting with older ones cheaper.
Even dresses for quinceanera, a catholic girl’s celebration for her 15th birthday, are rented. It seems hard to imagine in a country where so many are poor to put money out for celebrations.

Our guide Fausto is holding up a costume for Tricia. Looks like it will fit perfectly!

Two men from our group trying out these costumes. They did not rent them.

The public cemetery was our next stop. It costs about $500 to buy a vault for 5 years. In order to keep the coffin, you would have to repay the fee every five years. There were a lot of fresh flowers since it had been Mother’s Day just a few days ago.

These vaults were in disrepair. They were sold with a one-time fee. Obviously it pays to have money in Puno!

The witches’ market was our next destination. Here is where you can buy things to offer for sacrifices. In the box to the left of the blue lid were alpaca fetuses. Shamans use them in their offerings to Father Sun and Pacha Momma, Mother Earth.

Another alpaca fetus to use as a sacrifice. Gross, isn’t it?

Of course there were lots of guinea pigs or cuy and chickens. A live guinea pig costs 11 soles where a freshly dressed one sells for 15 soles.

Mattresses for sale at a stall at the market. 18 soles, please.

Everyone in our tour group got to take a ride in a bike-taxi. I don’t think you need a drivers license for these vehicles. Sharon and I enjoyed our “wild ride”. . .navigating busy intersections was a nightmare. Fortunately we finished our ride without a mishap!

After our time in the market we walked to a restaurant nearby for lunch. After lunch we had time to shop or go to a museum before meeting up again for our bus back to our hotel. Right before we boarded our bus, Short Beth bargained with a street vendor for a sweater and got one for 30 soles, about $10. Before we boarded our bus, 4 more of us bought sweaters, too. Thanks, Short Beth for the initial bargaining!

We had a great meal at our hotel, the Jose Antonio, on our last evening in Puno.

On Wednesday morning, we left at 7:15 to get to the Puno airport for our flight to Lima. Our flight went well. We found it interesting to learn that you could take water bottles on the internal flights in Peru. Once we arrived at the Jose Antonia Hotel in the MIraflores District of Lima, we had lunch and immediately went on a tour of the Barranco District. This district is the home of many of Lima’s musicians, artists, photographers, and designers.

Bibliotheca or library at Barranco’s main square.

Posing with a retired trolley car in Barranco District in Lima.

After our walking tour of the Barranco District, we went back to the hotel. 12 of us had a late flight that night at 1:00 am. We did not need to leave our hotel until 8:30 pm. I choose to rest in my day room at the hotel. I went with Short Beth and Jana for a hamburger at a nearby fast food restaurant. It really was “slow” food because it took a long time. Biting in and expecting the familiar taste of a burger, I was sorely disappointed. It looked like beef, but it sure didn’t taste like a hamburger. Hope it wasn’t made from cuy!

My almost 9 hour flight to Atanta, then 2 hour flight to Philadelphia went as scheduled. Frank picked me up from the airport and we were home by 4:15 pm. What a trip! With my Real Affordable Peru trip now completed, two “must sees” are checked off my bucket list – Machu Picchu and the Floating Islands. Surprisingly the most striking memories of the trip were the “Day in the Life” experiences interacting with the Peruvians.

While so many of the mestizos we spoke to were poor monetarily, they seemed upbeat and content. Working for a living is what they do to survive. It has been a fascinating journey exploring Peru. I am thankful I had the opportunity to do so.

Wonder where my next trip will take me? Australia, an African safari, or maybe Tuscany… Stayed tuned for more adventures, I am sure!