Julian and Rosa are the parents of eight children. The youngest daughter is still home. They live very simply, and so did we. They prepared us three meals on the only full day we were with them. The kitchen is a separate room and the stove is wood-fed. We were not served meat. It's too expensive, but there were cheese and other protein sources at each meal. We sat on a bench made with a wooden plank covered with fabric and resting on two big tree stumps. Julian and Rosa sat on tree stumps and conversed with each other and at times with us as we ate.
Our rooms were spartan. We didn't really need anything other than a bed, and a bed and a table were what we got. There was one light but no outlets. The toilet was a modern one, but it was outside like an old outhouse. You flushed it by dumping a bucket of water into it. There was no shower, and there was no real private place to sponge bathe unless you could somehow manage to do so in the little shed where the toilet was. Not exactly the Ritz! I washed my hair and brushed my teeth with cold water in the cold morning air. I wanted to shave, but I decided to forgo it to go back up the stairs to my room and use the one towel provided to dry my hair.
Julian and Rosa were very gracious and went out of their way to make us feel at home. It was certainly a back-to-basics experience. It is the only way to spend time on the island. There are no rich people on the island, and there is no Holiday Inn. Of course, I don't travel to live life exactly like I do at home. That would be silly.
Julian demonstrated his graciousness as soon as we arrived. I had a backpack that was pretty heavy and a medium size suitcase. I had no idea what to expect when our boat docked on this island, no idea that we would have to hike up several hundred feet to our lodging. Julian immediately took my suitcase and threw it over his back. I think he is about my age. early sixties. Suitcase on back, he led the way up to his house. We were all huffing and puffing in that high altitude. There is absolutely no way I could have managed my backpack and my suitcase, too. I couldn't have rolled it up that path. It was way too steep, dusty and rocky. I don't know what I would have done. I guess I would have had to rest and then go back for it.
Julian spoke as he led us up the path. I couldn't say more than a sentence or two without completely getting out of breath. It really is amazing. Of course, the locals like Julian have been getting about in these hills at this altitude all their lives. Amazing that they can still do so into their sixties and beyond while lugging all kinds of stuff, from babies to tourists' suitcases, in beautiful pouches that the women weave.
These pictures chronicle our day. First we took a boat out onto Lake Titicaca to reach the famous floating islands. Then we took a hike up the mountain on the Amantani Island to the ruins of a pre-Inca temple dedicated to Mother Earth, Pachamama.
On the way up to the temple, I had a very hard time. When I finally reached the temple ruins, an Israeli soldier made my day. He immediately noticed that I had made it to the top of the mountain with the pre-Inca ruins of a temple for a prize. Indeed, unbeknownst to me, he had been observing me during my travail of a hike. He came up to me with a big smile on his face and congratulated me. He had observed how, about every 20 minutes, I would take a rest and then start back up the path to the temple complex some 4,000 ft on top of the mountain overlooking Lake Titicaca. He said he was rooting for me the entire way. He was inspired that somebody my age could do it. He told me that his Father was about my age, and all he did was watch TV. I told him that I had been inspired when I was around his age by people around my age who were hiking in the Alps. It's wonderful to think that you can continue to do something you love for at least forty more years. He wanted his picture taken with me, and I had mine taken with him. Unfortunately, he's in the army and isn't allowed a Facebook account, but we will both always have this nice memory and nice photo of our encounter. Here is the photo,
I wasn't able to stay away from these Swiss guys during my time in Peru! The guy in the picture below to my left sat next to me on the bus ride to Lima when I visited the Nazca lines. We spent most of the eight hour ride talking English and German. We were in different hotels. I was surprised the next day to see him at Nazca, and, as things turned out, he and his friends were on the same little Cessna plane that I was to see the famous lines. We parted never thinking we would see each other again. Then, lo and behold, we bump into each other a week later on the top of the mountain at this temple! We decided it was fate and that we should all friend each other on Facebook. Two years later, we are indeed Facebook friends.
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