It was meant to be an early morning and I presumed someone would come delicately knocking, calling us for breakfast. Thanks be to God the morning sun came blazing through the thin cotton curtains and the South African contingent were early risers. Between them and the sun, it was enough to call us to our taps. Some bottled water dabbed on dehydrated cotton tabs that magically turn into facecloths, this is how we washed up before breakfast. Did I mention that there was no running water on Amantani? The locals, head to the lake to wash up each day but none of that for us! Bottled water and our magical facecloths have saved us from many a potential, stinky situation!With breakfast behind us and sincere goodbyes, we knew we would absolutely remember this as one of the highlights of our time in South America. Beatrice’s father escorted us to the jetty where we boarded our trusty vessel that set sail across Lake Titicaca; Puno-bound, save for a morning hike on Taquile Island. Paul joked as we boarded our boat that the ladies on the jetty selling their wares were the Duty Free equivalent to airport travel!! An hour or so after leaving Amantani, we arrived at Taquile Island. With instructions to disembark and follow our feet, our guide and boat left us wondering when and where we would meet up with our ride home! Like lambs being led to slaughter, we followed those brave souls who knew no more than us, onward and up another cursed hill. Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving Peru but for God sake, EVERYTHING is up hill and at altitudes that have left us full of snot, with bloody sinuses and stopping to measure our breaths every few feet. We aren’t athletes by any stretch of the imagination but even when sitting and hanging out in the evenings we stop to catch our breaths sometimes. Anyway, off we went, up yet another hill. I love it when there are a crew of men in flip-flops or homemade leather sandals flittering about with construction activities. Paul inevitably stops to admire their primitive handiwork and I get to enjoy a moment to settle my heart from beating clear out of my chest. Eventually we made it to the summit where the town square was starting to come to life. We enjoyed poking around the shops here where the island’s men are revered for their knitting. Despite the hiking, loss of appetite back in Arequipa and the consequent few pounds of weight loss, I still couldn’t find a hand-woven belt to reach around my girth... God love the Peruvians for keeping you humble. After a rich Peruvian coffee, perked old-school on a propane stove using the same perk we have at the cabin on the Buchans Highway (our “primitive” cabin back home), we found our guide and followed him along the footpaths that circled Taquile Island.  The Island of Taquile is located 36 km (22 miles) away from the city of Puno. It takes a 1.5 hours boat ride from Amantani Island to get to the island’s main jetty. The island highest elevation is 4100 m (13, 451 feet) ... insert eye roll here...and has a length of 5 Km (3.10 miles) and a width of 1.5 Km (0.93 miles).Taquile is home of a Quechua population of 2,000 people who are mainly farmers, fishermen and above all renowned weavers. Taquileños run their society based on community collectivism and on the Inca moral code: ama sua, ama llulla, ama qhilla, (Quechua for "do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy").... a mantra I am considering to adopt in my classroom next year! Lol!The island is divided into six sectors or suyus for crop rotation purposes. The economy is based on fishing, terraced farming horticulture based on potato cultivation and tourist-generated income from the approximately 40,000 tourists who visit each year.By noon, we had found our way to a resturant on the other side of Taquile Island, where we met up with the rest of our group. For an hour or so, we listened to our guide talk about the traditional methods of soap making, using plant roots. We also learned of the varieties of clothing and how each cummerbund, hat and scarf reflect the relationship status of men and women.Men and women signify there marriage with the exchange of special pieces of clothing, some with hair woven into their seams. Men who marry are considered “responsible” and there is no divorce on this island. When asked about situations that might lead to divorce we were simply told that there is no need for divorce because men here are “responsible.” I’m all about making a relationships work but I’d be lying if I said there weren’t sideways glances among our group at our guide’s response to a question that reflects modern day concerns. After a fantastic meal of quinoa soup, lake trout and  more quinoa, we were eager to get back on our feet and get moving. Once again, our guide pointed to a path and told us to “follow our feet” and so, blindly, we set off again.  The path eventually started downward, a rarity in Peru. We were delighted to take our time, following the footsteps of an elderly local, shepherding a small flock of sheep toward the water’s edge. I was dumbfounded. Here on the shores of Lake Titicaca, a small flock of sheep skipped from rock to rock, basking in the midday sun, enjoying a cool drink as their shepherdess rested in the shade of dusty eucalyptus trees ... just when you think you have seen it all!Eventually we made our way back to Puno, cleaned up and rearranged our packs for tomorrow’s journey onward to Bolivia. At this point you might think we called it a night, but no. After dusting ourselves off, we found our way to Puno’s Plaza de Armas, past yet another religious parade, complete with incense  to dull the senses we found our way to a gastro pub where we met with our homestay sisters, Audre and Vanessa. Here we spent several hours treating ourselves to local delicacy dishes including but not limited to cuy and alpaca lasagna, enjoying the company of newfound friends. It was late when we said our goodbyes, exchanged contact info and committed to staying in touch with our newfound friends. Another great day; beautiful places discovered and new friendships made. Oh! Travel! How I love you!