As soon as we stepped off the bus in Puno we were nabbed by people touting various hotels. Yet again we were suckers. We grabbed a flier for one place and before we knew it a lady was in the taxi with us taking us to our dump for the next two nights. She negotiated a better price for us with the hotelier (still way too much) who didn’t speak a word of English despite our brochure proclaiming fluent English staff. What a surprise. I think the lady thought that because she helped us (although I wouldn’t necessarily call parasitic behavior help) we would book the island tours with her company ~ she was wrong.
Because Jon felt ill, I went to the ruins of Sillustani by myself. Sillustani is a cemetery built on the hills in the Lake Umayo Peninsula. It was important to the ancient cultures that cemeteries were located near water. Therefore the view was very picturesque. The site contains numerous rock funery towers (chullpas) in various states of disrepair. The towers belong to a mixture of cultures including Incas. I believe they are predominantly from the Kolla culture (pre Inca).
All the towers face east so that twice a year the sun shines directly through the entrances. Some chullpas stand up to 12 metres but most have toppled over. On some of the towers are carvings of lizards and snakes. They represent the afterlife because they shed their skin. Apparently, the mummies of nobility were buried under the ground and then the towers were constructed on the top which helps explain why the towers have such tiny entrances. Servants were poisoned during the funeral celebrations and buried with their masters. Because they were celebrating at the time they were knocked off, their death poses can be quite comical.
On the way back Puno we stopped at one of the local houses. I didn’t realize this was part of the tour. I was rather excited as I had wanted to photograph the houses on the way there and was very frustrated that I couldn’t. On the entrance to the compound (a collection of small mud brick huts) the villagers place terracotta bulls for strength and protection. I want a bull! I found it amusing to see a cross in between the bulls ~ I guess they believe that gives them twice the protection or maybe more of a chance that one of them is going to work. The guinea pig enclosure (a multi level mansion) even had some bulls. After visiting this place I found myself once again very thankful for my situation in life ~ I don’t have to sleep in the kitchen with seven others to keep warm.
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