Day 1 1/2...Lake Titicaca

Last Thursday we headed out of the country for a Sullivan Family Reunion. We met up with everyone in Atlanta, and boarded another flight to Lima, Peru. Once in Lima, we tried to make ourselves comfortable on the airport floor and get a couple hours rest before catching our next flight at 5am the next morning. After a few rerouting of our flights and an hour bus ride, we made it to Puno, Peru. We were able to grab a quick lunch, shower and head out for our first trip to Lake Titicaca, which literally means "grey puma".

At 13,000 feet, many of us started to get altitude headaches, but it was worth seeing the amazing reed villages that people had built in the middle of the lake. They started living there hundreds of years ago when they fled from the invading Spanish. They built the villages by starting off when a 3 foot root ball and then layering and tying off reeds on top of it. They stake down their villages so they don't float away, but if ever they want to move, they can just float the whole village to a different area.

Everything they make out of reeds, from their boats (as seen in this picture) to their houses and towers. It's really quite impressive.
The people were so warm and welcoming! They invited us into their houses, dressed me up in their traditional clothing, and showed us what they eat and how they barter. Jacob was brave enough to taste some of their food, which was...reeds (of course).