Peru and Bolivia are captivating countries famous for its natural wonders and cultural heritage. People never miss visiting the famous Machu Picchu. But our guests, Susan Brickey and Richard Pope, chose to travel off the beaten path and experience what outdoor adventures Peru has to offer, and they were not disappointed! Susan and Richard recall their exhilarating experience in Lake Titicaca to the daily celebration in Cusco’s main square. Their visit to the different fortresses, ruins, and terraces was a great opportunity to experience the local life. Catch their tips on how to handle the altitude in this region and the best time to travel to Peru and Bolivia.

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Listen to the podcast here:

Explore Titicaca, Peru and Bolivia Adventure

Machu Picchu may get most of the visitors, but there is so many other exciting and fascinating adventures in Peru and Bolivia.  On today’s podcast, we visit both countries and explore these South American jewels by hiking, biking and paddling as we meet the ancestors of some of the world’s most powerful civilizations.

Highlights of our adventure include:
• Hike Sacsayhuamán fortress and see the Teeth of the Jaquar
• Explore the Pisac Market
• Cycle Andean highlands
• Hike Taquile Island and enjoy a local homestay
• Sea kayak Lake Titicaca
• Experience the unusual Uros Reed Islands
• Explore Copacabana
* Visit Isla de la Luna
• Visit the Uyuni train cemetery and Salt Flats
• Take a La Paz city tour and enjoy a cable car ride

Bolivia and Peru Adventure Travel

Certainly if time and money allow, trek up to Machu Picchu (learn more on Machu Picchu on Episode 014, but if you are looking for a fascinating exploration of the Andes mountains and Inca people, consider doing a combo Peru and Bolivian adventure.

Is it safe to travel to Peru and Bolivia?

At the time of this writing, both are considered safe, especially if you are traveling with a quality, experienced guide who will make sure you don’t venture into untoward areas.  Not only will your guide have on the ground knowledge, he or she will also best be able to steer you to the smartest places to eat (we don’t need Montezuma’s revenge, right?).

As always, you want to be careful with your belongings and not flash money or fancy jewelry or electronics.
Here are the current US State Department Travel recommendations for Peru and Bolivia.

Where is Bolivia?  Where is Peru?

Both Bolivia and Peru are located in South America.

Landlocked Bolivia is situated with Brazil to the northeast, Paraguay to the southeast, Argentina to its south, Chile to the southwest and  Peru to the northwest.

Peru has Columbia and Ecuador to its north, Brazil to its east, Bolivia to its southeast, Chile in the south and enjoys the beautiful Pacific Ocean along its western border.

Why visit Bolivia — Why visit Peru

The Inca civilization is one of the most interesting and grandest civilizations known to man.  The Incan Empire was the largest pre-Columbian empire.

In the words of noted scholar, Gordon McEwan in The Incas: New Perspectives:

“The Incas lacked the use of wheeled vehicles. They lacked animals to ride and draft animals that could pull wagons and plows… [They] lacked the knowledge of iron and steel… Above all, they lacked a system of writing… Despite these supposed handicaps, the Incas were still able to construct one of the greatest imperial states in human history.â€

Incans worshipped the sun and were master stoneworkers.  Without the use of mortar, they constructed massive terraces along the mountainous hillsides which enabled them to farm the hills and feed their people, as well as help prevent mudslides and run off.  In this volcanic area, the masons were so skilled that the stones were set so that they could move with the tremors and then slide back into place.

This area is also known for its incredible finely woven textiles.  Locals can tell where someone is from by the colorful patterns.  Traditional dress is still common to see.

Without a system for writing, they developed a knotted string method to pass along information.

On our visit to Bolivia and Peru, we get to see Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at a surface elevation of 3,812 m (12,507 ft).  There are 42 islands on the lake, including the fascinating Floating Reed Islands of the Uru people.

The stunning Andes mountains offer another great reason to visit: breathtaking views!  Also, due to the elevation, the oxygen is thin so it takes a bit of getting used to the high altitude.  Try to arrive a day or two before your adventure to acclimate.

By exploring the less touristy areas of  Bolivia and Peru, you’ll have the opportunity to check out communities that embrace their heritage, and while they may not have much in regards to material wealth, they seem more happy and content than those who do.

What language do they speak in Bolivia and Peru?

The dominant language is Spanish, remains from the colonial period, but the indigenous people still often speak their native tongue.  In Bolivia there are 42 ethnic languages spoken, some with a mix of Spanish and the indigenous language.  With pantomime and a smile, you’ll be fine.  If you go on a guided tour, your guide can help translate for even more local interaction.

When to visit Bolivia and Peru

Because Peru and Boliva are in the Southern Hemisphere, their summer runs December through March.  However, you can go just about any time but February.  Much of the land is subtropical highland and fairly dry with cooler (due to elevation) and rather pleasant hiking temperatures.  It rains the most December through February, their summer.  Deciding when to travel is more of a matter of what you plan to do when you get there.  If you take a tour, your tour company will tell you what to pack.

Active Adventures

Our guests today adventure traveled Peru and Bolivia on the Active Adventures ‘Chinchilla’ ten day tour (you can tie in a trek to Machu Picchu with Active as well).

I know our names sound the same, but we are two different companies.  Active Adventures is New Zealand based and each of their amazing tours are guided with both a local guide AND a Kiwi guide, so you’re in great hands.  As the name indicates, all tours with Active keep you moving:  on any given day you are hiking, biking or paddling,my favorite way to explore new cultures and landscapes!

While we may be separate companies, I do have an affiliate relationship with them, which means, at no additional cost to you, you can help support the show by using my links.

The Other Worldly Uyuyni Salt Flats of Bolivia

Considered one of the most beautiful places on earth, the Salar, or massive salt flats pictured are thought to be dried up prehistoric lakes that left the crusty salt behind.  The 10,500 sq km salt plain, particularly in the post rainy summer season (March and April) allow for reflections that trick the eye and make it difficult to see.  This is why Salar is called the place where the earth meets the sky, or where Heaven meets Earth.

Below is the Active Adventures 10 Day ‘Chinchilla’ Peru and Bolivia Itinerary

(Please check the Active Adventures website for any modifications to this itinerary)
Day 1 — Arrive in Cuzco, hike Sacsayhuamán fortress
Our trip starts in Cuzco, the heart of the Inca empire. Your trip leader will greet you with a cup of hot coca tea – a local speciality. After lunch, we’ll set off for a walk around this amazing ancient city and up to Sacsayhuamán fortress overlooking the main Plaza and Cuzco Valley. The fortress, meaning ‘House of the Sun’, is a magnificent archaeological site representing a set of jaguar’s teeth with massive, perfectly fitted stones weighing up to 130 tonnes (143 tons) each and was the place where the Incas made their final stand against the Spanish conquistadores. No one really knows what the Incas used Sacsayhuamán for – some say it was a sanctuary and temple of the sun, others say it was a granary. No matter who is right, you’ll have a lot of fun hearing all the stories this amazing area inspires. Later, we’ll take a walk through the colourful Cuzco street markets. If you prefer, you can take some time to soak in the vibrant atmosphere of Cuzco’s lively town square and meet up again later for an evening meal.
Hotel Royal Inca I or Hotel San Agustin, Cuzco (Lunch, Dinner)
Day 2 — Explore Pisac Market and Pisac Ruins
This morning we’ll journey to Pisac, where we’ll have a chance to check out a colourful mercado artesanal, one of the most vibrant markets in South America. For those who are keen, we’ll then begin a spectacular hike up to the Pisac ruins. These Inca terraces rise 600 metres (2000 feet) from the river below. It’s a heart-pumping hike up the ancient agricultural terraces, and you’ll never forget the views of Pisac and the Urubamba Valley! After exploring this ancient complex, we’ll head back down to the valley below and meet up with those who chose to take it a little easier.
Hotel Royal Inca I or Hotel San Agustin, Cuzco (All meals)
Day 3 — Cycle towards Puno, visit Huacarpay Lagoon
We’ll begin riding today just south of Cuzco. Along our journey we’ll visit a number of Andean towns, each with its own unique attraction. The town of Saylla is known for its pork chicharron, a favourite of Andean gastronomy, whilst further along, the town of Huasao is famous as the land of the paqos (priests of the Andean religion). Further up the valley we’ll take a walk through Oropesa, the town of delicious ‘chuta bread’. The ride finishes at the Huacarpay Lagoon, a wetland of international importance due to the vast number of migratory birds that stop here. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant before stopping at the spectacular La Raya Pass, the capital of the Altiplano area and the gateway to Lake Titicaca. This is one of Peru’s great highland areas where herds of alpaca and llama graze and snow-capped mountains rise steeply from the valley. Tonight we’ll stay in Puno, which is regarded as the folklore capital of Peru. Its narrow streets are filled with the sounds of traditional Andean music, the hustle and bustle of local markets, and the bell-ring of the triciclos, which are the local bicycle taxis!
Hotel Hacienda, Puno (All meals)
Day 4 — Hike Taquile Island, stay with local Quechua people
At 3,800 metres (12,500 feet), Lake Titicaca is the world’s highest commercially navigable body of water. The Incas believed it was the cradle of civilisation – the place where all life began. It’s a very special place, dotted with islands that have unique living cultures and traditions, two of which we’ll visit today. The first is Taquile Island, where we’ll hike to the highest point of the island for breath-taking 360º views of Lake Titicaca, the Capachica Peninsula, Amantani Island and the Bolivian Andes. On the way, we’ll visit an isolated village and have the chance to meet the local people and learn about their famous textiles and culture. Then it’s a short boat ride to Amantani Island, where we’ll spend the night. Our hosts, members of the indigenous Quechua community, will meet us at the lake’s edge and are always up for a game of high-altitude soccer, if you’re keen! Aside from being a great workout, it’s good fun and a unique way to get to know your hosts. When the game is over, we’ll hike to the Pachamama (Mother Earth) temple at the summit of Amantani Island for unforgettable views of the sun setting over Lake Titicaca. Later we’ll return to the homes of our hosts for a home-cooked meal. The Quechua people have maintained their traditional way of life for centuries, weaving wool, keeping cuy (guinea pigs), and farming their smallholdings. After dinner, we head down to the community hall to learn a few traditional dances with the locals. It’s very quiet here – no streetlights, no cars, no dogs even! So we’re sure you’ll love the tranquillity.
Family home, Amantani Island (All meals)
Day 5 — Sea kayak Lake Titicaca, Uros Reed Islands
Our hosts will wave us off from Amantani’s port this morning as we leave under our own steam in sea kayaks! This is one of the most unforgettable activities of the whole trip. The lake is so big it feels like – and even smells like – the sea, and it has its own unique dark blue colour. We’ll spend the morning making our way across it to Capachica Peninsula, then we’ll hug the shore line, grazed by sheep and shadowed by ancient remnant agricultural terraces. We’ll get in our motorboat for the final section of the trip back to Puno, stopping along the way to visit the man-made Uros Reed Islands – you’ll be amazed at the unique lifestyle of the people who make these islands their home. When we get back to Puno we’ll check in to our hotel, and enjoy dinner together.
Hotel Hacienda, Puno (All meals)
Day 6 — Journey to Copacabana, visit Isla de la Luna
This morning we’ll travel south east alongside Lake Titicaca towards the Peruvian-Bolivian border. Once in Bolivia we’ll have time to explore Copacabana, a town steeped in cultural heritage and known for its colourful, traditional festivals. After lunch we’ll take a boat back across Lake Titicaca to visit Isla de la Luna (‘Island of the Moon’), a chance for you to compare the Bolivian Titicaca islands to the Peruvian ones! On this island you’ll find some fascinating ruins including Inak Uyu on the northeast shore, believed to be the convent of the Virgins of the Sun. Keep an eye out for the ruins of an Inca nunnery on the eastern shores too. Tonight we’ll spend our first evening in Bolivia, back in Copacabana.
Hotel la Perla del Lago, Copacabana (All meals)
Day 7 — Fly from La Paz to Uyuni, visit train cemetery
After breakfast we’ll leave Lake Titicaca and the town of Copacabana, and make the journey to El Alto Airport, just outside Bolivia’s capital La Paz. Saving precious hours, we’ll fly to southern Bolivia, to Uyuni, our base for the next couple of nights. The Salar de Uyuni is the world’s largest salt flat covering over 10,000 square kilometres (4,000 square miles) and definitely a bucket list destination. On the outskirts of the desert here is the slightly bizarre and intriguing train graveyard. In the early 19th century there were ambitious plans to transform Uyuni into a prosperous transportation hub, connecting it with the port of Antofagasta on the Pacific Coast. Trains were imported from Britain and railway building began. However, after the Pacific War with Chile in 1879, Bolivia lost access to the Pacific Ocean and the export industry collapsed. The trains and other equipment were abandoned to rust and fade from memory, and Mother Nature is doing a pretty good job of that task, corroding the huge steel skeletons with her ruthless salt-laden winds.
Luna Salada Salt Hotel, Uyuni (All meals)
Day 8 — Explore the Uyuni Salt Flats
Today will be unforgettable. Walking on Lago Minchín, a prehistoric lake that dried up over 30,000 years ago is not something you get to do every day! This dazzling landscape that seemingly stretches on forever is a photographer’s dream, offering mirage-like contrasts and ample opportunity for creativity. We’ll start today’s explorations by visiting the indigenous community of Colchani, where we’ll observe iodized salt processing in its rustic form. What many people don’t realise is that there are fascinating cacti-studded islands and interesting rock formations dotted across this barren landscape. So after visiting the unique ‘eyes of salt’ – the outlets of subterranean rivers flowing under the Uyuni Salt Flat, we’ll take a hike on Incahuasi Island, a volcanic rock scattered with giant cacti. Tonight, you’ll rest comfortably again in the wonderfully appointed Luna Salada Hotel.
Luna Salada Salt Hotel, Uyuni (All meals)
Day 9 — Fly back to La Paz, city tour and cable car
It’s a short flight back to La Paz this morning, one of the seven ‘Wonder Cities of the World’ and also the highest. La Paz oozes culture and diversity, so today we’ll make the most of it, by exploring the alleyways and lively markets – including the ‘Witches’ Market’ – run by local witch doctors. These markets sell anything from traditional garments to potions, dried frogs, and armadillos! In many cases the witch doctors have made long journeys to the city to sell their wares, and pedal their goods even as business people, living a cosmopolitan way of life, walk the same streets. There aren’t many places where this juxtaposition exists in harmony, but La Paz seems to be one of them. After lunch we’ll cap off this trip from a unique vantage point, gazing across the city whilst riding La Paz’s famous cable car. Tonight we’ll share our final celebratory dinner together and reflect on the wonderful experiences of Peruvian and Bolivian culture in which we’ve shared.
La Casona Hotel, La Paz (All meals)
Day 10 — Depart for home
This is the last day of your ‘Chinchilla’ trip, if you have more time to spare, we’re happy to give you suggestions on how to make the most of it. On the other hand, if you’re on your way home today, we’ll send you back refreshed and invigorated from the great food, exercise, rest and adventures you’ll have had with us in Peru and Bolivia!
(Breakfast)

Peru And Bolivia Adventure: Hike, Bike & Paddle

Explore Lake Titicaca, Reed Islands, The Bolivian Salt Flats And More

We’re going to be doing a cool two-parter episode. This will be part one. We’re down in South America visiting Peru and Bolivia and sure they did lots of hiking, biking and paddling. They also had a true cultural immersion, which makes this trip especially special. We’re talking about Peru. We’re not talking about Machu Picchu, which we covered in episode fourteen. It’s a super interesting and complex trip, but we’ll be focusing on the Peru section of their adventure. Next time we’ll be talking about their Bolivia section when we go to the salt flats and much more. After that, we’ll also speak a little bit about the history of the fascinating Inca people at the second part of this episode. Let’s get started.

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Could you please start by introducing yourselves and perhaps telling us your age?

I’m Susan Brickey. I am 72 years old. I turned 72 on this trip.

We also have with us Richard. Richard, how about you?

I’m Richard Pope and I’m 66, born and raised in Portland, Oregon. I’ve done a fair amount of traveling. I met Susan through a social media site. I got to know her through that and saw how much she was traveling and so we clicked.

How did you get interested in adventure travel?

Both of us have always been outdoor people. We like to hike, bike, canoe, kayak and we love the outdoors. Before we saw each other on social media, we’d been part of an outdoor club in Portland called the Mazamas, which is both a climbing and hiking club. We love being in the outdoors.

Looking at our backgrounds, we have a different approach to the outdoors in our earlier years. We both worked full-time, but Sue was workaholic. She was very busy in her job and I was like, “It’s 4:00. It’s time to get out of here and do some things.†I had a very generous vacation policy within my working year. I traveled a lot, domestically at least, when I was pretty young and I had been traveling a long time. Sue jumped in when she retired and traveled everywhere and was always on the go. I got impressed with her travel wild diversity.

Were you doing adventure travel or general travel? I didn’t even discover this adventure travel thing until late. I assumed that you went and did this, you go there, you see the cities, the cultural and historical sites, you turn around and come home. I totally forgot that there are beautiful landscapes and national parks all over the world. Did you always do the adventures part, the outdoor stuff or was that something new later on?

For me, it started at an early age. I grew up in a very small family, but my father worked for the forest service and took us out in the woods all the time. Our vacations were camping. One time, I went to Disneyland like everyone else but generally, we went camping in North Cascades all over Oregon, down into California. I got that at an early age, then I started on my own. I started backpacking, bike touring, bicycle to San Francisco, bicycle all around Oregon. I did some of those kinds of trips. All of my trips are centered around some outdoor activity. There’s nothing wrong with seeing a museum. It’s nice to get some cultural education as well but to me, the core was being outdoors.

How about you, Susan?

Using our bodies out of doors, there’s a piece of wanting to be strong or to feel the strength as you’re out there in nature. I’ve always chosen adventures where you can see a new part of the world, but while you’re exploring that part of the world, you’re using your body to bicycle, to kayak, to move yourself through it. I’ve always had an interest in that to some of my travel when I was younger. With work, it was a little harder to get out, but I always managed to do at least one outside activity and adventure on any business travel too.

We’re talking about your Chinchilla trip, where you went to Peru and Bolivia. Most people when they think of Peru, they think of Machu Picchu but you took a different route. What made you choose this particular adventure?

It was the intrigue of Bolivia sounds like a little more off the beaten path. We did travel to Peru immediately prior to Bolivia. This was a natural extension of that trip for us. We wanted to add that on and see the intrigue. Bolivia had a lot more political upheaval. Some people were maybe afraid to go in there, but it turns out it’s quite safe. As long as you take the standard precautions anywhere when you travel.

When we were traveling in Peru, we ran into a group of Canadians who were there working in some of the schools. One of the professors from Canada told us that he had spent a lot of time in Bolivia and he considered it the safest country in South America. I found that interesting. I was also interested in going to Bolivia because of Lake Titicaca. You can go to that lake from either Peru or Bolivia. Since a child, I have been interested in Lake Titicaca. The name of that was intriguing when you’re five or six years old. It is the highest navigable lake in the world.

I believe it is navigable and big container ships because it’s huge and deep.

That’s the unique thing about Lake Titicaca, the altitude combined with the fact that you can see some fairly large boats on it. You have to remind yourself of how high it is. You realized, when you’re on Lake Titicaca looking around, everything is higher than you, which is mind-blowing. You’re already at 12,500 feet. You’ll look up and see the mountains at 23,000 feet and even at hills around you are higher than you. The altitude takes a little getting used to, but it’s quite exhilarating to be there.

I wanted to talk to you about that. You fly into Cusco, which is also very high. Did you sense the altitude when you got out? Talk a little bit about that.

Our experience is similar to some of our friends who talked about this. When you got off the plane at Cusco, the airport is flat and then you take a taxi. When you get to your hotel, you have to go up two flights of stairs and that’s pretty much what gets everybody. When you walk up the hill, you suddenly realize that you’re out of breath instantly. Sitting at a coffee shop, walking along the sidewalk, you don’t notice it. We didn’t notice it too much, but uphills, stairs, hill climbs immediately bring to note that you’re in some place different.

We arrived at Cusco two days early to give ourselves a little bit more time to acclimate before we started being active. I think that’s a good idea.

I was going to ask you if you would recommend that. I know for me, I’m altitude challenged. Once I start feeling it around 8,000, the highest I’ve been was 12,500. I had a little mild headache, a little bit of queasiness but that was when I took all day to get up to that high. I can imagine you get off the plane and you’re there.

One thing that’s hard to predict for the most part if you live in the States, you cannot train at altitude in Oregon in April unless you do winter mountaineering. Unless you’ve got experience with altitude, it’s a bit of a risk. We both went to travel clinics and had Diamox prescribed for us, which can help you acclimate. We took a little bit of that and it’s probably a good idea for a lot of people to give that a try or consult your physicians. I’m not sure it did that much good, but either one of us had altitude sickness symptoms at all, just a little shortness of breath, which you have to expect. You’re not going to perform as you do at sea level.

There’s an AltoLab that I used when I trained for Bhutan. I believe the pill you took is the same thing that I took when I went to Bhutan as well. Tell us a little bit about Cusco itself. It sounds like a cool town or city.

We were in the old town. Our hotel was a block away from the main city square. One thing I found delightful was there were always activities on that square. I was trying to remember if they were only on the weekend, but there was a big military march and presentation with all different kinds of military there. At the same time, there were all the regional people from different parts of the mountains surrounding it in their costumes. That was very fun. There were lots of activity there, lots of museums. There were many people trying to sell their wares, but they mostly took no for an answer or, “No, thank you.†They were always very polite.

There are definitely a lot of street vendors in Cusco and you’ll see one on every corner. The main squares, there are activities on weekends, but we found any excuse for a celebration. It seems like evenings people are out. The date of dances going on, especially during the tourist season which is starting into the part of the higher travel season in May when we were there.

We were also delighted to find that there were excellent restaurants. Neither of us is a foodie. We don’t particularly care. We’re getting by on oatmeal and peanut butter sandwiches, but it was included in our trip. Our guide took us to some excellent restaurants with quite a few different foods and in different neighborhoods of the city. We walked everywhere. It is easy to walk. From the city square, you are often walking uphill, but we didn’t find it a difficult challenge.

I know in Bolivia, when I see the photos, you see them in their beautiful native dress or whatever their traditional dress. Do you see that in Peru as well? They make stunning weavings and fabrics.

Definitely, especially the women wearing traditional garb when they’re downtown. A lot of them have clung to those traditions. There are a lot of modern Peruvians. You’ll see Nike and all kinds of name brands walking down the street. A lot of the older women and even the younger women that want to get into the trades of weaving and handicrafts will wear very colorful shawls and the bowler hats. The hats are regional too. You can tell where someone’s from by the color they’re wearing, the style, the type of hat they have. It’s very regional-specific.

Interestingly enough, before we went on the Chinchilla trip, we were in Peru and hiking. We were way out Lares Valley or the Sacred Valley. It was just our guide and another guy with a mule in case we needed a ride along the way. We were hiking and we saw no other people except occasionally a Peruvian woman. She would be dressed in that traditional garb. We were quite a long way out in the country. I don’t know whether she was going into a market where she wanted to be in her traditional clothes or if that’s what she wore on a daily basis.

I remember in Bhutan too, a lot of people still wore their national dress. In a lot of places, you couldn’t go into unless you were in national dress. It makes you feel like you’re truly an exotic place. You also did a hike up to the Saqsaywaman fortress, the “House of the Sun.†Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Saqsaywaman is a fortress that was built by the Incans and started in the mid-1400s. I believe it took something like 40 years to complete. You look at the stonework and it’s probably one of the finest examples we saw of Incan stonework in all our visits to this region. It’s still a mystery how it was built, but we know of why it was built. It was certainly a place of worship. The high priest would live up there and they use it as an astronomical observatory. It’s a large area that can be flooded. The canals are still there, the stonework is still in place. When they flood this, it acts as a reflecting pond and you can see the stars at night. They could predict from their astronomical observations the movement of the stars and certain kinds of seasons.

That gave them a bit of power and a bit of awe over the lower class. That was one of the prime reasons. It was an observatory for the high priesthood. It’s also on a high and mighty place. It’s probably 700 to 800 feet above the downtown Cusco. You get great views and that feeling of looking down on the others. It’s quite impressive. The name Saqsaywaman is local Quechuan, but because of English speaking people, it sounds like “sexy woman,†which was always a local joke. It’s one way to remember it at least.

I must say that I enjoyed that one. In some ways, it’s not nearly as complex as much as Machu Picchu, but in terms of the feeling of magnificence and simplicity and the detail of huge rocks, there were more large rocks there perfectly put together than there are in Machu Picchu. I would encourage people to go there and see it. It’s so close to Cusco. We walked there. Traveling with Active Adventures, you’re always doing something active every day. I enjoyed our visit there.

From what I’ve read, those large stones were supposed to represent jaguar’s teeth. They said that some of them can weigh 143 tons each. Is the surrounding like the jaw of the jaguar? Did they tell you anything about that? That sounded cool when I was researching it.

You have to use your imagination. It’s a bit symbolic, but it’s a very flat grassy field with these big jagged rocks sticking out of it. You could certainly envision that as being the jaw where there are multiple high rocks like a jagged bunch of teeth. It didn’t jump at me and say, “This is a jaguar,†but if you’re told that, you could try to visualize it.

There’s a place where you stand parallel to those lines of rocks that are called the teeth and you can see them.

To give you an idea of how sophisticated these people were. They were able to do this. They had no wheeled vehicles, no draft animals. They had llamas and alpacas, but they didn’t have ox or horses or anything. They had no iron or steel and at the time, they still had no method of writing. They used little knots and stuff like that. They were able to figure out how to do all that with nothing. It’s an amazing civilization. From Cusco, you went to Pisac that’s in the Sacred Valley. Tell us a little bit about that.

Pisac is another Inca ruin and what sets it a bit apart from some of the other ones is it was primarily a place where people went to be buried or to die. It was a high place and very sacred. There are a number of tombs right across the viewing spot where the people were set up for their passes into the next world. Across the valley at a very short distance, you can see a wall with dozens and dozens of holes in them. Those are little burial sites. That was the primary purpose of Pisac. It was a place to go to the next world.

We also hiked up to it on an Inca trail. We were told that those Inca trails were used to drive their alpaca or llamas to the market. It was very wide, maybe eight feet and very even stonework for walking. Unlike the Inca trail that people think of hiking into Machu Picchu, it was wider and the steps were a little smoother. We did hike around inside of Pisac and could see there are multiple small dwelling ruins that you could look out of. I thought that was another fascinating ruin to see and to visit.

You’re looking down over the whole valley from up there too, right?

Yeah, it’s easily 2,000 feet above the valley here. The views in all directions are spectacular.

It was one of the first times that I noticed the terraces. You see terraces everywhere. They talked about the purpose of terraces and we think of it primarily as agricultural, but we saw many of them on islands and every place and I think there was a huge population of Incans. Did they need the terrace the land that deeply to be able to feed this large group of people? Our guide said that they also terraced to avoid huge mudslides because the slopes are so steep. I thought you could understand if a village got totally wiped out by a mudslide, they might start terracing.

From Pisac, now you did a little bit of cycling down to Puno.

We cycled through three smalls villages. After we cycled through these three small villages, we cycled in what I would have called a wetland or wilderness area. That was also a very special moment for me on the trip. We got off of our bicycles and climbed up onto a viewing platform. You could see the wetlands, the water and the birds. It was beautiful. It was not very strenuous by cry, but it was gorgeous. While we were at the end of the bike ride or near the end of the bike ride, we came upon a pre-Inca ruin and it was fascinating to watch. The guide said to us, “There are still pottery shards around here and you can find them across the street. They’re all over the place and you can take them home.†We’re so trained you don’t take anything home. We did go across the street and immediately found some shards and we’re very thrilled with that. How old was that site, Ric?

People think of Peru and Bolivia and they think of the Incas and nothing else. There was a fairly short civilization when you think about it, this was a village built by the Wari people. They date back to about the year 800, which predates the Incan civilization by a good 400 to 500 years or something like that. There was stonework that was in the ruins and it wasn’t the level that you saw that the Incas did later on, but it was sturdy enough to certainly get the job done.

The towns that you went through, it sounded like they each had a different personality or a different thing they were famous for. One was the Saylla, the pork chicharron, one of the food favorites. The other one is the land of the priest. Can you tell us a little bit about the personality traits of the different towns that you went to?

We didn’t notice a huge difference. You can’t look in a town and tell exactly what it’s famous for, but you realize that they get reputations based on the food they provide. The Chuta bread at Oropesa was a specialty. You could smell the bread baking when you went into town. They were all typical little Peruvian towns with very narrow cobbled streets wide enough for a car to get by because they were built before automobiles. You’re lucky to get a delivery truck down some of the streets or if they can even do it.

In one of the streets, a woman was sweeping ahead of us with a handmade broom. I was quite delighted by the fact that we were bicycling through. She tried to talk to me and unfortunately we had no common language, but it was still a magical moment. The streets are uneven enough that the other traveling companion with us was very uncomfortable with the bicycle they were on then, even though we were on bigger tires, but we felt very safe and comfortable. We did get to try the bread warm out of the oven and it was delightful.

Were most of the people very welcoming and glad to see you as tourists?

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I think so. I wouldn’t say that the people were necessarily outgoing, but they were friendly and it may depend a little bit on what they’re trying to sell you something. A lot of people made a huge living off of tourism. It’s a big thing down there. A lot of people make handicrafts. People on the streets that are selling things are naturally more eager to approach you than people who may be going about their daily business. We certainly felt no ill notes towards us anywhere. The level of friendliness depended a bit on their angle.

An interesting observation, I was thinking about the town where the bread is made. We stopped and took pictures of ourselves bicycling in front of an old church. When we looked around, we saw more dogs than we did see people. There are many wild dogs or maybe I’d call them feral. We also understand because we ask about this, that people have pet dogs and they will have collars and some love to dress up their dogs in coats. You saw a lot of dogs and little pet coats, but none of them was aggressive. We never felt threatened by them. There were just many numbers of them.

You’re being active. You’re biking or you’re hiking and all that. Once you got away from the main tourist areas, did you see many other tourists or were you like the oddball out? Did you see many Westerners?

We did see Westerners. We did visit places like the reed islands on Lake Titicaca. Probably the most popular thing there to do on Lake Titicaca is to visit the reed islands. We were not alone there. They took us to some of the smaller islands where we only saw maybe two small boatloads of people. The most off the beaten path we were was probably earlier in Peru. On the Chinchilla trip, it was a fair number of other tourists around but never crowded.

The day after you went on all the cycling through the little villages, you’re hiking up Taquile Island. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

It’s not that high. You’re probably at about 13,000 feet on Taquile. It’s a beautiful little island. It looks like a volcanic island pop straight up out of the lake. There is the main square to walk way up to it. It was built with some funds received from tourist dollars. It was a nice beautiful stone walkway through an arch and it leads up to the town square. We were able to have a hot lunch like fresh fried fish right out of the lake, which was great. One of the first places where we could see the Andean Mountain chain was from Taquile Island. You look across the waters and you see snow-capped peaks in the distance that are incredibly beautiful.

Was that where you did that homestay?

That was the next island after Taquile, which was our lunch stop. We went back on the boat and went across to Amantani Island, walked up a short distance to our homestay family. They were very close to their town square as well and then spent the night with them.

Tell us a little bit about the homestay. That sounds cool. Did you have language barriers or how does all that work?

We had our guide who could speak both Quechuan and Spanish.

A little Aymara possibly too. That’s a fairly common language in this area, which is another ancient language.

One of the things I found interesting was we were greeted at the dock by the woman whose home we were going to stay in. She was dressed in her traditional costume. She brought a very big colorful wrap and she carries our day packs. She just wrapped them in the blanket around her shoulder. I’m 5’6†and she came to my shoulder in height. She wrapped our bags in that and started up the hill. That was probably my second most challenging hill. I’m not quite sure, but I was walking very slowly with my weight and she was carrying all these bags and climbing up the hill. It was beautiful, she was able to point out her home to us from the boat dock.

I expected our lodgings to be quite uncomfortable and very basic, but we got into her home and right in our area, there were three little like motel rooms. They were individually decorated. They each had some view of the waterfront and they were quite comfortable. There were two western-style toilets with some running water. We arrived at our rooms and got comfortable. Her husband led us up to the community where there was an intramural volleyball championship going on with what we would consider to be the high school level and the whole community was there. We managed to squeeze into a corner and watch some of the girls’ volleyball, which was quite fun. We had a cup of hot chocolate out on the town square. It got quite cool there that night.

We went back to our homestay location for dinner and we ate in their little community cook room for that dinner. It was quite a small room, maybe 8×8. She had a stovetop and then an earthen oven and made us quite a lovely meal. I wasn’t sure it was the same lady because she was dressed in more work clothes. She wasn’t dressed in her kitchen cooking clothes. It took me a while to make sure this was the same face and the same woman and maybe not someone that she had helping her. We had quite a healthy wholesome meal and that felt very traditional to me. I felt like we were in a kitchen that was used daily by her family in this community. We had quite a restful night and the next morning they have built a bigger room that could be a banquet room.

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She served us breakfast up there. The breakfast was carried up to us by the husband. They also had a son. They were very warm and welcoming people and took a lot of care to make sure that their premises were clean and working. We could have used a little more food for breakfast, but they had asked us how many eggs to prepare and they had suggested a number like five or seven. We would have had an opportunity to say, “We think we need a little more than that.†There were three of us traveling together and our guide, so the breakfast was for all of us. The views out of that larger room of Lake Titicaca and the mountains were lovely. It was a very nice experience with a touch of rusticness, but quite comfortable.

Was there anything unusual in the house that you said, “That’s an interesting way to do something or to live,†that’s totally alien to how we would live?

Some of the fixtures are things we’re used to, but their cooking was a little more rustic. It’s like an earthen oven. She did a combination of cooking on propane burners and a wood stove fire in an earthen oven that she was baking things in. That was probably a little bit unusual. All the decorations were hand-woven or handmade. That gave an air of you’re not in Oregon anymore.

The area where the kitchen was built was small and I’m thinking they were mud walls.

That looks more like adobe to me.

Let’s talk about food in general. How was the food on your trip?

It was good. Both in Peru and Bolivia, they brag about how many rice and potatoes. It’s hard to believe, they claimed they have 4,000 varieties of potatoes. You could probably spend a couple of years down there and never repeat. That’s a staple part of the diet, a lot of potatoes. The meat comes from cattle. They do have cattle down there, but chicken is popular. It’s basic food with a little bit of South American spice and flavor to it and a little bit of a tilt towards exotic foods, but stuff that we pretty much recognized.

Ric, you ate more llama or alpaca, which was it?

I’m ashamed to admit that, they’re so cute and cuddly but we’re in Rome. It was llama on the meals in several places. If you eat beef in this country, you’re elite down there. It’s perfectly acceptable meat and it tastes a bit beef-like.

They raise it specifically for that as well as for the fabric. I would say every meal we had was quite good. Our guide was very skilled at finding nice restaurants.

The next day you had a fun day. You were a sea kayaking in the reed islands. Tell us about that. That sounds like a lot of fun.

We woke up on Amantani Island and you have to realize Lake Titicaca is big. It’s 105 miles north to south, tip to tip and any kind of a breeze can build up. We looked out and there’s a heavy chop. It’s the mighty white caps out there. The guy wisely suggested that rather than kayak directly from our homestay location that we get back in the motor lodge, which was going to accompany us anyhow and head back towards Puno and get into the shelter of a peninsula, which cut the wind chop down. We started the day motoring across the lake for an hour or two and then landed and got our kayak gear on. We were able to kayak along the shore of the lake and pretty much explore all the shoreline. We saw a number of grapes and a few shorebirds, which was cool. We were able to go out and see some netted fish farms where they’re raising fish right in the lake in nets. We got towards reed islands, but then we motored into the reed islands to visit those after we put the kayaks on and back on the boat.

Explain to us exactly what a reed island is.

It’s an interesting way to live. Supposedly people down there develop this years ago as a way to escape their enemies. There were these natural reeds growing along in the shallows of Lake Titicaca. These reeds have roots to go down. If you could take these root blocks and chop them up, the reeds float. You take big blocks of reeds several feet square and you start lashing them all together and anchor them. On these green reeds, you lay down old dead reeds in a crisscross pattern and you end up with a floating island. The islands are connected or separated by waterways, depending on how you want to live. Usually, several small families will live on each of these islands, depending on how big they are. They get along in reed boats. As this island is floating, it’s hard to feel it because there are no big waves at least where we were. There’s just this slight feeling of rocking when you’re on the island.

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Ric was observing how they were cooking because people would say, “Wouldn’t fires be an issue on reed island?†Maybe you could talk about that a bit.

I knew that these people cook a lot with wood fires. I thought it’s a bit dangerous starting a fire on an island made of dry reeds, that the whole thing would go up in a flash. They had these little ingenious, ceramic pots they build fires in. It’s like a ceramic cook stove so you can light a fire within the pot and it’s pretty safe if you keep an eye on it. They cook and smoke things on that.

The other thing they did was take us to homes. We were on a smaller island since there were only three of us and our guides. They took us to an island where six families live. The mayor was a young woman who explained to us and demonstrated how the reed islands were built and how they have to renew them periodically. They separated us and each of us got to go into one of their homes, which was pretty interesting. They tended to be one-room homes. Some of the islands have a community water bathhouse with a solar panel on it. We did see solar panels, which we didn’t hear people who’ve gone before us had seen. That may be a newer invention. It tended to have mostly women and children on the island.

I believe that men were off working in Puno, but we had a magical moment. I got dressed in native costume. We went for a ride on the reed boat, which has cat heads on each side. Both Ric and I tried to paddle so we could experience what it was like to move that big boat through the water. It was tough. It was very hard and challenging. When we came back from the ride, the women of the village sang to us. I videoed it and it was quite a special moment. I turned off my video right at the time where they finished their song and they saying, “Hasta la vista, baby.†It was quite funny.

How big are these reed boats?

Traditional reed boats were more like the size of kayaks. There were families that wanted to move larger goods, bigger families. It’s like a catamaran. You’ve got two reed boats that are shaped a bit like a kayak, but much bigger. It’s probably a twenty-foot long on each pontoon and a platform connecting the two, which can have a viewing platform on top of that. The whole boat is 20 to 25 feet long and about probably six feet wide. That’s on average.

It’s bigger than what I was thinking. I’m glad you described it.

When Sue talked about trying to paddle it being hard. They’re made of reeds, but they’re big and heavy. The reeds are in solid bundles. The oars, an ice kayak nowadays is made out of aluminum and carbon fiber, but these oars are carved out of big solid wood. The oar itself weighs so much that it’s hard to pick it up and move it and then you’re moving this several ton reed boat. You don’t make exactly quick time, but the community is not that large. You could get by at a fairly slow pace.

For perspective too, I read that the largest of these reed islands are about half the size of a football field. They’re not that large. How far off from the mainland were the ones that you visited?

Probably only a couple of miles, two to three miles. You can see Puno from the reed islands that we were on. They’re not terribly remote like they used to be. People nowadays when they want to go into town, they use aluminum boats without boat motors. They’re not totally traditional like they used to be. A fair amount of that tradition is based on tourism, which is fine. They could still do the old-world crafts and the old way of doing things, but they’re willing to conform with the modern world where it’s convenient.

You were referring too about how the reed islands are originally formed because the people that migrated there were not welcomed when they got there. They ended up making the islands out in the middle of the lake. Apparently, in 1986, there’s a big storm and that destroyed a lot of the islands. Now they’ve moved closer to the mainland because they don’t have that friction anymore. I thought that was interesting.

They did say that there are hundreds of these reed islands. I can’t remember what the population was in the area that we’ve visited.

Did you ask if anybody can build an island if they want to have some land?

I suspect so, but I imagined that there is a governing body for this community and each island has its own governance. You’d probably want to consult them and see if you could fit into the community and have a space to build an island. There’s certainly no shortage to reeds that we saw.

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We’re going to pick up the rest of this interview in part two of this adventure. I love how Susan and Richard got to get a feel for the whole country. Not just doing the adventures like we normally do, but they got to meet a lot of the local people, which I think is super special. They got to talk to the mayor on the reed island. They did a homestay and the little local restaurants instead of all the touristy places and had a whole lot of encounters with local. These have been a special trip plus even non-history bus have got to be impressed with the Inca civilization. I’ll be covering their history at the end of part two because not everybody is into history.

I want to go a little bit more in-depth for those that are interested because their culture and their civilization is remarkable. I look forward to sharing that with you. If you want to get more details on this Active Adventure with my affiliate partners Chinchilla Adventures, what Susan and Richard give us was their ten-day tour, which does parts of Peru and then goes over to Bolivia. It’s cool because not only is it multi-sport where you are hiking, biking and paddling, but also you have a cultural immersion and some cultural interaction experiences as well. It’s a cool trip.

While we’re on the topic of active adventures, I got a couple of emails from them that I want to share. They are growing quickly and are expanding into Bhutan, one of my favorite countries, which I’ll be going to as well. They’re also going into Africa. They’re working on a safari trekking adventure that is in South Africa, Tanzania, they’re going to Botswana. It looks super cool. Those adventures should be posted on their website at ActiveAdventures.com. Be sure to let them know that I sent you. I wanted to give you a heads up on these trips because I’m sure they’re going to go very quickly and I want to let you know that you learned it here first.

Also, if you have not already, please subscribe to the podcast. Please share it with your friends and come back where we will do part two and go to Bolivia, which is super cool. If nothing else, go see the photographs of the salt flats. There’s a stunning photo that I’ve got on the website that you could find at ActiveTravelAdventures.com/bolivia. Check those out. Next on our companion Adventure Travel Show Podcast, where I teach you the how-tos of adventure travel. We’re going to learn all the different ways to start a fire. Hopefully, you’re with a group and everybody’s got everything under control, but it’s a super important skill to learn in case you find yourself out in the wild, in the cold, you need to know the different things you can do to start a fire, to keep warm. Stay tuned for that. I thank you so much. It means a lot to me. Until next time, adventure on.

Important Links:

• Episode fourteen – Past episode
• ActiveAdventures.com
• Adventure Travel Show Podcast
• ActiveTravelAdventures.com/bolivia
• https://ActiveTravelAdventures.com/012-hike-patagonia-in-chile-and-argentina-i-adventure-travel/

• Here’s How »

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