For the record, I’m simultaneously amazed and not at all surprised that we’ve made it one whole year traveling around the world. I recently asked Andrew if he could imagine doing this trip with someone else. We agreed that maybe we could do part of this trip with someone else… like for a month… maybe. But not the entire year. It wasn’t as exciting as our six-month trip-aversary, but spending the day at a pre-Incan burial ground (ok, it sounds a little morbid when I put it like that, right?) with my Momma and coercing Andrew to take a few celebratory jumping pictures was great fun. As you can see by the pictures below (Thanks Momma!) he wasn’t as enthusiastic about the idea.
In retrospect, I wish we would have made our Lake Titicaca plans immediately when we arrived in Puno- so we could spend two full days on the lake and it’s different islands… but we were all pretty worn out traveling to Puno and sleeping in the next morning was necessary. To anyone visiting Puno, I would budget three days- two for the lake (more if you want to sneak into Bolivia on the other side of Lake Titicaca) and one for Sillustani- that is if you’re into ancient burial grounds. It was interesting, but in all honesty, not the most interesting thing we’ve done in Peru so far…
Sillustani seems like it’s on the shores of Lake Titicaca, but it’s actually on a different lake (Umayo) about twenty minutes outside of Puno. There’s not a lot of information on the grounds itself and we probably should have organized a guide ahead of time, but it was nice to wander around on our own and take our time enjoying the weather and the surprisingly not very creepy atmosphere, given that we were walking through an ancient burial ground.
The tombs are giant stone cylinders called chullpas, built by (I think) the Colla people, who were later conquered by the Inca. Their stonework is more complex than the Inca, and Sillustani is the most preserved example of their work.
Momma was a little bit curious how big the entrance was in one of the chullpas. Andrew always tries to get me to climb into scary or awkward holes in burial grounds, temples, to which I of course say no to. Mom wasn’t scared and she snuck in before we could convince her otherwise. I’m pretty sure Andrew and I were in shock because I couldn’t stop documenting it and neither of them could stop laughing at her courage? stupidity? both? Perhaps you can see where I get my own courage? stupidity? both? from…
Back in Puno, we ducked into the cathedral. It was HUGE. The Cathedral Basílica San Carlos Borromeo (also known as Puno Cathedral) seemed have the same layout as many of the other churches that we’ve been in. Long. Dark. Made of stone. And this one was super cold. So cold, I had to duck outside to warm up in the sun until everyone else was ready.
Directly across the square, facing the cathedral is the number one rated restaurant in Puno. Mojsa Restaurant has a laid back atmosphere (at least during the late afternoon when we went for an early, light dinner) and some really great tea. Ok, the ‘mojsa tea’ was great the first time- so great, I wanted to go back for more…
I’ve found that the coca tea has really helped me deal with the altitude. Remember, Puno is higher than Cusco (and Machu Picchu). I’d get out of breath climbing up to our fourth floor hotel room. I’d wake up feeling like I had one too many drinks the night before, even though I hadn’t had any alcohol… I just didn’t always feel like myself and it would creep up on me when I least expected it. So when I saw ‘mojsa tea’ on the menu- a blend of coca powder and lemon (my favorite!), I was excited. After one cup, it left me feeling like I had about four cups of coffee in a row instead, and not a trace of any altitude issues. If you find yourself in Puno, stop by for a spot of mojsa tea- but make sure it’s super strong (lots of coca powder on top) and super hot. Otherwise, it won’t give you the extra spring in your step that you’re looking for.