A lot has happened since my last travel blog, and I apologize for not being able to update you all as frequently. Anyway, my last blog left off with us staying with a family in Cuzco, which has ended up being one of the more valuable things that we have done since they have a very wide knowledge of Peru and how to get around. They helped us get an overnight bus from Cuzco to Puno (on Lake Titicaca) in the South of Peru.Arriving to Puno at 5:30 am glazy-eyed and tired after an 8 hour bus ride through the mountains with movies in Spanish blaring at the highest volume levels for most of the ride, we were ready to branch out and get our trip to the islands of Lake Titicaca settled but were not in the mood for the hassling of the various travel agencies that meet you at the bus station. So, we took a taxi to the center of town and noticed that nothing opened until 7am. We felt a little bit uneasy wandering the deserted streets so early in the morning, but we knew that we had to catch a boat to the islands that day since we were short on time. So, we took another taxi to the port in hopes of catching a boat with some extra spaces, and we were not disappointed because the various boat captains were hackling us for our business before we even got out of the cab. I actually liked this situation because I knew then that I could get a better deal than the agencies at the bus station. We ended up with a seasoned old captain who charged us 20 soles or $6 each for a two day one night trip to the famous floating islands of Uros and also the unique cultural islands of Taquile and Amantani, spending the night with a family on Amantani. The boat was an old enclosed wooden boat with a rudder like on a sailboat and a piece of rope for the throttle, but it looked much better than our other options. The first islands we visited were the floating islands of Uros. The people took a particular type of soil that floats and lashed chunks together with rope and then covered them with reeds. Th whole process was quite fascinating, and even though the islands are now more of a tourist trap than anything else the people still live and work there. They also made all of their boats and houses out of the reeds and structured the islands such that it creates a natural fishery. Afterwards, we continued for about 3 hours to the island of Amantani.At Amantani, we were met at the small port by a lot of local women who offered spaces in their homes for the tourists to stay. The lady we stayed with was named Irma and she had two small boys Wilma (7yrs) and Jose (4 years). We were an instant hit because instead of going to rest we decided to play cars and soccer with the two boys. We, actually I, caused a big stir in the town shortly after arriving because we were playing soccer and one of the boys kicked the ball into a sheep pin. So, since the island is built on terraces, I jumped down to the lower terrace to get the ball from the sheep pin, but it scarred the sheep and they broke down the loose stone wall and went running wildly through the streets. Afterwards, we decided that we probably ought to stick to ramming cars together!Irma wanted us to stay and play with the children, and we definitely wanted to as well but we had to leave the next day with the boat. The next island, Taquile, is visited more often than Amantani, but I did not enjoy it as much because my connection was so much stronger with Amantani after living such a short time and conversing with Irma and her children. The housing may have been meager (no electricity or running water and a bathroom with nothing but a hole in the ground), but connecting with those people and playing with the children was a much better experience than any museum or tour guide could have offered.