After visiting the Floating Villages, we hitched a ride to Luquina on a "high speed" boat to do some kayaking.
The small rural community of Luquina is located on the Peninsula of Chucuito and offers fertile farming land and stunning vistas of Puno. The community has recently turned its attention to tourism, offering cozy homestay opportunities, various water activities and some very welcoming relaxation benches that were being built along the shoreline as we arrived.
Although it has made many strides, the community feels virtually untouched by foreigners. It is not unusual for the infrequent tourists (we were seemingly the only ones to visit the community that day) to be approached by the local pigs, chickens and some very aggressive cows checking out these odd foreigners.
After receiving a briefing from our guide about kayaking technique (that would have certainly resulted in injuries, if followed) we headed out onto the open water. During our paddle, we were followed very closely by a rowboat being navigated by the middle-aged woman who housed the kayaking equipment in her storage shed. Whether she was following us to make sure we were safe or instead to make sure her equipment was safe is still unclear. Whatever the reason, we were blown away by her ability to manoeuvre this rickety old rowboat with such ease and speed. Perhaps she is the one who should have been giving the boating technique lessons...
After a few hours of paddling, we arrived back at the mainland and headed up the hill to a local home for lunch.
The panorama from the home was exquisite, with views of the local farmers harvesting potatoes and carrots and tending to their animals. The quinoa soup, tortas and potatoes we enjoyed for lunch were just a preview of the delicious food we would encounter throughout our trip. We also learned of the Peruvian appetite, as our 115 pound guide scarfed down twice as much food as us, and seemed disappointed that he we had to leave so soon, lest he manage another bowl.
Although it has made many strides, the community feels virtually untouched by foreigners. It is not unusual for the infrequent tourists (we were seemingly the only ones to visit the community that day) to be approached by the local pigs, chickens and some very aggressive cows checking out these odd foreigners.
After receiving a briefing from our guide about kayaking technique (that would have certainly resulted in injuries, if followed) we headed out onto the open water. During our paddle, we were followed very closely by a rowboat being navigated by the middle-aged woman who housed the kayaking equipment in her storage shed. Whether she was following us to make sure we were safe or instead to make sure her equipment was safe is still unclear. Whatever the reason, we were blown away by her ability to manoeuvre this rickety old rowboat with such ease and speed. Perhaps she is the one who should have been giving the boating technique lessons...
After a few hours of paddling, we arrived back at the mainland and headed up the hill to a local home for lunch. The panorama from the home was exquisite, with views of the local farmers harvesting potatoes and carrots and tending to their animals. The quinoa soup, tortas and potatoes we enjoyed for lunch were just a preview of the delicious food we would encounter throughout our trip. We also learned of the Peruvian appetite, as our 115 pound guide scarfed down twice as much food as us, and seemed disappointed that he we had to leave so soon, lest he manage another bowl.
And as we headed back down to the water to hitch a ride home we felt totally content.
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