Going out with a BANG

Our trip to Puno was possibly the best way to end our six weeks in Perú. On the way there we made a few stops in small towns to see a site or two, but the REAL site to see was Lake Titicaca once we got there. We took a boat for 3.5 hours on the crystal clear lake to the island of Amantani, a place that cannot be described in words. To start, the island is made up of 10 communities, all of which function on a system of reciprocity (called ayllu or ayni in Quechua). In other words, the people on this island go about their daily lives WITHOUT the use of money and everything is done by the exchanging of favors. Electricity is minimal, however the home we stayed in was rather nice and the four of us had a BLAST sharing a room together for the night.

 That night we (meaning all the gringos on the island) dressed up in our host parents' clothing and had a festive celebration with dancing and lots of pictures. This was one of the most fun things I think I've done since my arrival in Perú. You'd be surprised at how warm their clothes are - and how the skirt made me have a DONK like JLO. Jaja.

Aside from that, we went on a strenuous hike with a view that was more than rewarding at the top. We could even see the snowcapped mountains of Bolivia from the island. Cool, right?

On our way back to Puno from Amantani, we stopped at Uros, a group of islands that are made of NOTHING more than reeds. The fact that people live on these islands and have to reconstruct them every 25 years is inconceivable to me, but pretty neat, too.

We spent the majority of our last day in Cusco doing some shopping and soaking up what we could of the city. Though I'm extremely ready to come home, I can still say that I'll miss Perú, my host family in particular. Our goodbye was a little sad, and I can only hope that I'll somehow see them again someday or at least stay in touch. It's weird to think I may never come back here...

Anyway, this summer has been absolutely incredible and one that I will never forget. The word "travel" has taken on a whole other meaning now that my perspective on the world has changed drastically. That alone makes this kind of experience rewarding.

Learn a lot. Live a lot. See a lot. That pretty much sums it up.