On one of the last days of our tour, the bus drove us from Cusco to Puno, on the banks of Lake Titicaca.
Here's what some of the scenery looked like along the way.
This was a field of quinoa growing in the Andes.
We stopped at a school that Gate 1 Travel has been helping out.
Different grades come to greet the tourists, and the 4th and 5th graders greeted us by singing a song and giving us flowers.
People on the bus had brought school supplies to distribute to the children, which we handed out after the singing.
Gate 1 Travel has built a pottery workshop and hired a potter to show the children how to make pottery. They're trying to give the children a trade they can use in the future.
A couple of the sweet little girls in their school uniforms.
I snapped a picture of what the classroom looked like.
This boy took a fancy to Kent and showed him around the school grounds.
Kent and his little buddy at the front gate of the school just before we got back onto the bus.
I took this picture because those snow covered mountains in the background were in the country of Bolivia. I didn't realize we'd be that close to Bolivia!
We spent two nights in Puno. It was here that I had the best meal of our trip. I didn't take a picture of it because I didn't know it would be my favorite!
It was something called king fish with a delicious sauce over the top of it. The picture above is of a mural that was on the wall of the restaurant.
We saw LDS churches in most of the cities we drove through, but this is the only one I got a picture of because we passed by it several times in Puno on our way to and from places outside of town.
This hotel is where we stayed, just outside of Puno but on the edge of Lake Titcaca.
First thing in the morning we boarded a boat that took us out to the floating islands of Uros.
These boats are made of reeds and are used to give rides to the tourists.
Some of the local women in their colorful clothing were waving to us as we rode to the islands.
The ground felt spongy but was sturdy enough to walk on.
The leader of the island we visited gave a demonstration of how they built the islands. You can see the thick layer of roots that is underneath the layers of reed mats. The islands are tied to each other with ropes and also secured to the bottom of the lake.
This woman invited us into her home to see how she lives. There are solar panels on the islands that provide enough electricity for lights and a small television. She had some costumes for us to wear.
These are the trinkets she was selling to earn money. I bought one of the reed mobiles. I planned to take it apart and use the pieces for Christmas ornaments.
Another view of the islands, the homes, and boats.
This was the boat that Kent and I took a ride on.
You can see that it was another lovely day in Peru!
The locals generously allowed the tourists to take a turn rowing the boat, so Kent gave it a try.
We didn't go too far, just to another island where we were picked up by the motorboat that took us back to the mainland. One thing I thought was interesting that our tour guide pointed out--there are three churches that are on the Uros Islands, and one of them is LDS!
Later that afternoon Kent and I took an optional tour to see the Sillustani tombs.
They were of interest because they pre-dated the Incas.
Kent taking a rest as we walked around to see the tombs.
There was a herd of llamas wandering around the site, too. The floating islands and Lake Titcaca was definitely one of the highlights of our fantastic trip to Peru!
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