Lake Titicaca or Titiqaqa

Puno bus station five o'clock in the morning

Puno harbour 

Titiqaqa  
the highest navigable lake in the world

3810 meter above sea level 

8640 squarekilometers 

borders to Peru and Bolivia

a reed island 
about five families live on this artificial island 

on each island is a handful of solar collectors
to produce electricity for TV, radio, light 

the inhabitants on the small islands live from tourism 

take us on a trip in a reed boat 

it takes a lot of strength for the reed boatman  

45 kilometers from Puno the island Taquile is located
around 2500 people live there

since 1937 and until 20 years ago 

the island was independent 

money wasn't used in this period
the inhabitants traded with one another for what they needed  
when men greeted each other it was through trade of cocaleaves
the leaves were only used for prevention and cure of diseases

 we got muña to inhale to relieve the walk 
the steep way to the top 
also used for tee and spice
medical, against indigestion   

the town hall on the very top of Taquile

and the town hall square

the Taquileños grow the potatoes Lisa, Chuno and Moraya

on the terraces

three of 300 sorts there are grown in the area 
around Titiqaqa

Taquile harbour

copyright on all pictures

Michael Habel 

Machu Picchu, and on the way!

on the way, in the bus to Ollantaytambo 

 and arrived: The last town the Spaniard conquered before 

Machu Picchu

the train from Ollantaytambo to Aquas Calientes

along the river Urubamba

Aquas Calientes

de varme kilder

the view from our hostel in town

from the bus to the holy Inka Empire 

finally arrived

Machu Picchu

the Condor temple

the Sun temple

a south turned stone for navigation, before the iPhone could show us everything!?

the Sundial

It's meant that Machu Picchu was inhabited from women only

and Lamas

and Hummingbirds

the Inka bridge, a 579 meter drop. One of the two places to access Machu Picchu. It's closed for the Inka trail since a few years   

and back in Aquas Calientes, the day before Christmas.

A big Christmas-tree made of plastic bottles on the square.

Not less than one ton of garbage do the tourists leave per day in the aria

copyright on all pictures

Michael Habel