Puno, Peru

A week ago, the FSD team – Mauricio, Rebecca, Ashley and I – took a spontaneous trip to Puno, Peru. Before working as a coordinator in Cocha, Rebecca did an FSD internship in Puno, so the trip was in part a vacation for her to visit past connections, and also a chance for us to see a different FSD base and how things work there. The trip involved an overnight bus to La Paz, and two more legs in tiny vans, about 12-13 hours in all. The traveling wasn’t so tedious, since the scenery was completely new to me. First, the dramatic arrival in La Paz, half of the city settled deep in a canyon, spreading steeply up its walls, and half of the city up top. We arrived in the morning with sun and fog and the mountain peaks which frame the city creating quite a spectacle. The next leg was the altiplano (pictured above), lots of landscape, cows and lone figures in the distance. And finally, traveling along the edge of Lake Titicaca.

Once in Puno, we did a bit of work, eating and laziness (which we attributed to the high altitude, 12,500 feet). A highlight was the opportunity to spend time with Marco Antonio, the very kind and generous FSD director in Puno, who was able to offer insight on the program there and the political situation in Peru after the recent elections. Not to mention a zampoña performance (the instrument made of different-sized pipes that is characteristic of Andean folk music) and a visit to the impressive house that he’s building on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

We also had a chance to visit the floating Uros islands on Lake Titicaca – floating because they consist completely of floating reeds, producing an interesting terrain. The islands are quite touristy since they are the most easily accessible from Puno, but might not still exist as practical places of residence for the indigenous communities who live on them without the income from tourism.


On the boat to the islands, Lake Titicaca with Puno in the distance. The motor kept randomly stopping on the trip back – for awhile it looked like we might float around the lake all evening, which we concluded would be just fine.


Rebecca napping in the reeds, which are amazingly comfortable. She left yesterday, and Ashley and I have been deprived of an invaluable resource…