Taquile Island
Trip Start
Aug 17, 2007
1
8
19
Trip End
Sep 06, 2007
Taquile Island, Peru
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
It is a lovely hike and a bright sunny day. The weather here is warmer then I had expected, probably about 28 degrees C. We quickly discover that hiking at altitude is not like hiking at home. After only a few minutes we are all taking a break to catch our breath and to admonish ourselves to walk slower and enjoy the views. The views of Lake Titicaca are breathtaking and the island itself is a very rural setting. We pass sheep herders and see terraced farmland. We hike for about an hour to the major village . The men on this island do all the knitting, the women all the weaving. Men pretty much have no status on this island until they marry, which has lead to most villagers marrying at a very young age. We visit the cooperatives to view the handicrafts and then onto lunch at a lovely hilltop house. Lunch is grilled trout and it is excellent. After lunch we continue our walk, which ends in 550 steep steps going down. I think this country is all about steep steps! Taquile Island is a very popular tourist destination and the steps are packed with tourists which makes getting down those stairs without hurting yourself very tricky. The steps are pretty deep as well so my knees are aching by the time I finally get down. I long for my hiking poles!
Comments
Hi you guys!
You and Al truly look like you are enjoying your trip as you should, the pix are unbelievable, I am ejoying every one of them. Tschüss Monika