Chucuito

We decide to forgo a boating trip to the floating islands on acount of the thunder and lightening, and instead visit the town where they actually MAKE the famous reed boats Puno is famous for. Oh, and also the city which houses the Templo de Fertilidad, a phallus-filled ancient structure the Good Book dubs, "bizarre." When Lonely Planet says something is "bizarre" or "weird," we come running.

Chucuito is a tiny town with cobblestone streets and adobe houses. I love it. Temple de Fertilidad is several blocks from the plaza. We are accosted by several kids en route volunteering to tell us the Temple´s history. We decline.

The Temple is quite bizarre, all right. A one-roomed affair, the entire floor is lined with two-foot stone penises. We take pictures. We try to think of crude poses, but everything is overkill. Instead, we shop at the stalls set up in the Temple´s courtyard. I consider buying a metal penis keychain to add to my collection of little metal artifacts (totem pole from Seattle, train from Sacramento, etc), but think better of it. In the end, Wade buys seven finger puppets of various animals, and I buy alpaca wool gloves and a hat with pictures of llamas.

On our way out of t town, we see a large vehicle parked on the side of the road. It looks rather out of place. It has tractor wheels and reinforced windows. Apparently, it is an RV-type 4x4 monster vehicle used for long travel, like down the entire Pan-American highway. While I am thinking, oh, a big car, Wade wets himself with excitement.

I manage to drag him away into a cemetary in the back of a cathedral. The crypts are all above ground, some stacked three by three like little grave apartment buildings.

We catch a combi to Chimu. Twenty four people are squished into this vehicle, clearly a record. Our personal best, at least.