It would be a long day of travel to get us to Puno, on the Peruvian side of Lake Titacaca. A couple of hours from La Paz, we jumped on a quick ferry to cross part of the lake and then continued onto the town of Copacabana. Copacabana on Lake Titacaca is where the famous Rio Beach gets its name. It is a quiet town with some nice churches and a stunning vista over the lake. It is also a pilgrimage for many Bolivian Catholics. After having some lunch, we boarded another bus to take us across the Bolivian border. This crossing was hassle free, and then we hopped on, you guessed it, another bus to take us another couple of hours or so to Puno. Lago Titacaca is the largest lake in South America and the 3rd largest in the world. It is also the highest Navigable lake in the world at an altitude of well over 10,000ft. Puno itself, is what it is. It's basically a gateway to the islands and interesting points of the lake. The town itself has little to offer, though it was a pleasant enough places to spend the afternoon. We would be spending the next evening partaking in a homestay with a family on one of the lakes many islands.And so that evening we went to the market to by them some gifts. Tuna, Pasta, Rice and other staple foods were recommended.The next morning we were picked up by local taxis. The best way to describe them is as almost identical to an Asian put put . It consisted of two back wheels and one front wheel, propelled and controlled by the cycling driver. It was a fun way to arrive at the port though I was thankful it was only a 5 minute journey. We boarded a boat and set sail for an island about three hours into the lake. Leaving the port, the barren brown hills around the lake rise quite spectacularly. The first 45minutes is spent sailing through small channels in between the vast amounts of floating reeds. We arrived at the island, slightly seasick, and set off on a small hike up a hill and into town for lunch. With the altitude this walk was extremely challenging and I was relieved to get to the town. The views from the plaza out across the azure blue lake, with snow capped peaks in the distance was stunning and possibly even worth the walk up. We had our lunch and then walked down a hill to another port. From here we had a short sail to the island we would be staying the night on.On arriving in port we were met by the families all in local dress. The women constantly weaving, we were paired off and started another arduous climb to the houses. Even with my small daypack this was absolutely exhausting, and it took about half an hour to walk a very short distance. Some people who somehow had energy, opted to play football with the locals. I slept! A few hours later we were woken for dinner. The house was obviously very basic and we ate in a makeshift kitchen which was the warmest place to do so. Dinner was simple, some Quinua soup, followed by vegetables and rice. Then some coca and herbal tea to help with the altitude. I am not sure what it was, but something didn`t agree with me, though it would be a while before it kicked in. After dinner we were dressed in local dress and taken to a traditional party. Local music played, and the sound of a pipe instrument echoed over the island and out into the lake. By the time the music started I was starting to feel quite ill and so returned to try and sleep. It transpired that I had something akin to food poisoning. The next morning I felt no better and all I wanted to do was to return to Puno and sleep. We stopped off at the famous floating islands on the way back. It is an amazing collection of reed islands that form a mini village in the middle of the lake. I felt too ill to leave the boat, but was still able to appreciate them as an onlooker. They really are a great spectacle.We returned to Puno and I went straight to bed, not looking forward to the 6 hour bus journey that would take us to Cusco the next day!