Puno, Peru and Lake Titicaca

Admittedly, we weren't at our best when we arrived at 4:15 am, but we got a whole lot worse when it was 8 am and we were still sitting at the bus station waiting for someone to greet us with our names on a sheet of paper ... as promised. We had called Arequipa several times, and kept being told "5 minutos mas". Finally, we left for our tour of Titicaca.
Our first stop was Los Uros, the floating islands. They were actually really cool- they are not like the ones in Vietnam which I was expecting (those were really cool too, but totally different). These were built on mud and straw, taking two years to build each island (and having to be replaced every 9 months as they start to errode. We went ashore (so to speak), got to talk to the locals and see their houses, went for a wicker boat ride, and carried on in VERY rough seas to Isla Amantani where we met our host family and they showed us to the house. It was quite a walk everywhere (no cars or transportation anywhere on the island), and no heat, running water, or electricity at the house. Our room was very nice, though- it was like a little apartment above their house ... lit with a candle! We went on a long hike to the top of the island to watch the sunset and it was spectacular- it was nice to see water after being inland for all but a few days of my trip. We ended the evening with a little "fiesta" where we went with the locals to dance (traditionally-- don't be picturing a club)!
The next day we set off to Isla Taquile and hiked up to the top of that as well (you have to to get to "town"). It was an incredible view, so we broke off from our group and found an amazing little restaurant perched way up high with great views and even better fresh fish! The boat ride back to Puno was much calmer and very enjoyable. Puno itself, however, leaves something to be desired. It's a pretty dingy and dirty place, with not much to put it on the map except for Lake Titicaca and being the highest city in Peru. We did have some great pizza though before boarding yet another (last one!) overnight bus to Cusco (and not NEARLY as cushy as Arequipa to Puno, I might add).