We drove to Puno today (a 7 hour bus ride) and enjoyed the scenic views. Puno is the capital and largest city of the Puno Region and Province in Southeastern Peru.

 Puno trivia:  

• It is located at the edge of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest commercially navigable lake, at 3,860 m (12,421 ft) above sea level, on the Perfuvian Altiplano. This is higher than Cusco. 
• Puno is an important agricultural and livestock region of Peru; particularly of South American camelids (llamas and alpacas) which graze on its immense plateaus and plains.
• Puno has been designated to become a Special Economic Zone or "Zona Ecomomica" by Peru's president, Alan Garcia.
• The area surrounding the city of Puno was where the Aymara civilization started.
• Puno has been named the "Capital folklórica del Perú" (folklore capital of Peru) from its wealth of artistic and cultural expressions, particularly dance.
• Knitting and textile arts have been practiced for thousands of years by both the men and women equally on the island of Taquile, (Isla Taquile) in the middle of Lake Titicaca.
• Inca tradition has it that Manco Capac, the first Inca, rose from the waters of Lake Titicaca, under the orders of the Sun God, to start the Inca Empire, which would be centered in the neighboring region and city of Cuzco.
• Most locals believe that your camera "sucks out their soul" when you capture their image. They are quite adamant about avoiding looking into your lens.

We could really see the difference in the landscape as we drove south towards Puno. The mountains became more barren with less and less trees and there were more flat plain areas. This region has very good "grass" for llamas and alpacas. Check out the picture of the American agave century plant which blooms after 100 years then dies. It looks like a regular agave plant but the flower looks like a huge asparagus. 

Luckily we stopped several times to stretch which made the ride a bit more bearable. One place we stopped was the city of Urco. The Peruvians seem to have festivals whenever they can. In Urco they were celebrating Tupac Amaru. There was a parade where they were carrying the Canaduian flag among others. Tupac Amaru started the largest rebellion in the history of Spain’s American empire—a conflict greater in territory and costlier in lives than the contemporaneous American Revolution—began as a local revolt against colonial authorities in 1780. As an official collector of tribute for the imperial crown, José Gabriel Condorcanqui had seen firsthand what oppressive Spanish rule meant for Peru’s Indian population. Adopting the Inca royal name Tupac Amaru, he set events in motion that would transform him into Latin America’s most iconic revolutionary figure.Tupac Amaru’s political aims were modest at first. He claimed to act on the Spanish king’s behalf, expelling corrupt Spaniards and abolishing onerous taxes. But the rebellion became increasingly bloody as it spread throughout Peru and into parts of modern-day Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. By late 1780, Tupac Amaru and his followers had defeated the Spanish in numerous battles and gained control over a vast territory. As the rebellion swept through Indian villages to gain recruits and overthrow the Spanish corregidors, rumors spread that the Incas had returned to reclaim their kingdom. You can see the large silver statue of Tupac Amaru and the Spanish in the picture of the main square. 

After a short restroom break we continued on our journey. We stopped on the outskirts of Puno to get a photo opportunity. We got our first look at Puno and Lake Titicaca. There were large statues of a puma and an anaconda which are sacred to the Incas along with the condor. The Incas believed in three levels of life experience and represented them through totems of the condor, the puma and the snake. The condor, the world's largest bird with a wingspan of six to 10 feet, connects us to our spirit, or eternal self above, and points the way to ultimate freedom or illumination. The Puma, a four-to six-foot-long, sleek, black nocturnal hunter, rarely seen in day light, represents the manifest self, or the guardian and embodiment of wisdom in daily life. The snake, or the great anaconda of the jungle, represents our inner self and the ability to transmute and transform through reflection and self-awareness. The Incas also believed that through the practice of love, self-knowledge and work, we align this trilogy of existence in our being to grow and model wisdom in this life. 

We, then, made our way to the hotel to freshen up for dinner and take a quick tour of the town. Again, the food was fantastic. Then, what a surprise, there was a festival celebrating the towns 347 year. There were street performers, several parades and people everywhere. 

We we are going on sun excursion on Lake Titicaca tomorrow, which is the highest lake of its size in the world. Stay tuned...