We were woken early by the sunrise at our homestay. The sun rises around 5.30 here... Andy was quite suprised to find Andrea wrapped up in 6 blankets in the bed opposite.

After a quick wash outside with the warm water and soap provided for us, we were invited back into the kitchen for homemade pancakes with jam for breakfast. We bought the colourful hats that we´d been given to wear the previous night and said goodbye.

We left Armantani island on our boat (luckily the lake was a lot calmer than it had been the day before!) for our 3 hour trip to one of the floating reed islands of the Uros people.

When the Spanish came to conquer South America, the Uros people fled to live on Lake Titicaca to live on islands in the lake made completely out of reeds. There are 26 of these islands on the lake in total. They make them by waiting for the roots of the reeds to start breaking down. Once this happens the roots begin to float (this takes 15-20 years!). The roots form a sort of block which they can then join to other floating reed blocks. They can then drive a wooden stake through them to the bottom of the lake so they don´t float away. Then they pile fresh reeds on top so that the surface is above the water line. They then have to continually put fresh reeds on the surface as the ones lower down rot and start to disintigrate.

We got to ride on a boat made entirely out of reeds (they last 6-9 months before they rot) over to another island. After a pinic lunch on our ´real´boat, we headed back to Puno for a relaxing afternoon.

In the evening we ate at a local restaurant. One member of our group tried the local speciality - guinea pig. The guinea pig arrived whole (minus fur!). It tasted a bit like roast chicken.