‘ Puno ’ category archive
Nights on Lake´s Shore
October 02, 09 by Sergio Reyna
While sitting on a boulder, I admired the dramatic scenery at night. The moonlight spread a beam on the surface of Lake Titicaca from the shore where I was to the west. Down there, Puno´s city lights embellished the deep darkness of the silhouette of the mountain range that covered all my sight of the horizon. Parallel to the cordillera ran a fringe of clouds white at the top yet black at the bottom. Above it, millions of stars sparkled in the sky. That was going to be my first night out of two at Felix Turpo´s family house.
Kayakmania
October 01, 09 by Sergio Reyna
While I was rafting the Lunahuaná River (1) with other fellows, there was a young man on a kayak very near to us. He was struggling against the currents with the help of his paddle. In a blink of an eye, he just disappeared. I only saw the hull of the boat for seconds which seemed a lifetime for me. Suddenly, he emerged from the waters.
That is really extreme! I said to myself.
I do not dare doing that yet even though it would only be a rapids I. However, I do dare kayaking in the world´s highest lake. And not just one day, but actually three.
And that is also cool!
Unique Capachica´s People (Part III)
February 05, 09 by Sergio ReynaUpon arrival on Capachica you notice how the colors of the lake are reflected in the nut-brown faces of the people of the highlands. These quechua spoken people still live in adobe brick cottages with totora reed roofs. You can choose to overnight at one of these huts or at the camp site in Santa Maria or Llachón. Then another different experience is about to begin: getting in touch with Capachica´s peoples.
As you walk by the village, you surely encounter local people and the first thing you can’t help realizing is how men and women usually dress themselves. Their attires are typical and special. Single men wear red and white tightly woven woolen caps whereas married men use red hats. In addition to this, men always wear roughly spun white shirts, thick calf-length black pants and elegant-looking waistcoats woven by their women. On the other side, women are embellished by colorful headdresses, delicately embroidered blouses and many-layered skirts.
Enchanting Capachica Peninsula (Part II)
January 25, 09 by Sergio ReynaSo close and yet so far, Capachica boasts the privilege to be just about two hours and a half from Puno, 
Peru´s major port on Lake Titicaca, and two hours from Juliaca, the bustling commercial city in the department of Puno. Nonetheless, it also remains as isolated as ancient times. It is simply a heaven for off-the-beaten-path enthusiasts. The peninsula of Capachica is surrounded sideways by the freezing and dark waters of the Lake Titicaca at an altitude over 3800 meters above sea level.
The road leads you from Juliaca to the Andean plateau or altiplano where your skin feels the cold wind, and your eyes stare at the herd of llamas or Karwas (lama glama), and alpacas or pakuchas (lama pacos) as well as the barren soil filled with the resistant, spiky tussock grass, locally known as ichu (stipa pungens).
As you go by small and picturesque towns and villages such as Huata, Coata with her quiet river of same name, and Capachica you perceive the clear air, the extremely dry climate, and the unbelievable luminescent quality of the sunlight on Puno´s high plain. The sun hits the environment and the grassland puna strongly as you get near Titicaca just in the middle of the Andes, and you see little by little the deep blue of the lake.
New Experience on Lake Titicaca (Part I)
January 15, 09 by Sergio Reyna
There is nowadays a new approach to discover or rediscover the Lake Titicaca. Travel peru, an approach by which your adrenalin, stamina and strength will combine with the striking beauty of the scenery and nature as well as with the lake´s inhabitants and their unique culture and traditions. It is time to explore the lake by kayaking.
Kayaking on Top of the World
As you head for the shore, you will notice the contrast between the white beach and the blue horizon across the lake with an astonishing backdrop of mountain range with clear sky and clouds. This is the realm of color at the Capachica Peninsula (more about Capachica on part II), where Llachon and Santa Maria are the starting points or “put-in” of all the excursions.
