First stop was a local market to pick up some supplies for the family we would be staying with that evening. We then headed out on a boat to the tiny community of Uros, a group of 45 floating islands made from reeds. The islands are home to about 75 families whose entire lives are based on these miniscule islands (they even have a school and hospital!) Originally, locals built the islands as a refuge from the Spanish invaders in the 16th Century, but they soon became a permenant feature of the lake and a major tourist attraction.
The islands are so remote that most inhabitants still speak Peru's native language, Quechua. We were given a whirlwind lesson of key Quechua phases on the boat before we got there, but could only just manage to pronounce a greeting of "Kamisaraki!"
The island we visited was home to three families who greeted us with open arms. The leader of the island sat us down and gave us a detailed explanation of life on a floating island. It was a pretty amazing place to live, with solar panels for electricity and even a watchtower in the shape of a fish!
We were invited into their homes for a look round, and Jo even found time to get her hair done by a professional for the first time in a couple of months!
Then we took a ride around the island on their handmade boat, made entirely from reeds and is normally only used for weddings... we were also lucky enough to be serenaded with a Quechua version of 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' the whole way round!
Next stop was Taquile Island for a spot of lunch. Our trip coincided with the town's textile festival, so we were fortunate enough to see some traditional dancing. All the men wear hats to display their marital status - fully red means married and half red/half white means single and ready to mingle!
After lunch we set off to the mainland and the small village of Amantani, where we stayed with a local family for the night. We arrived as the sun was setting and we greeted off the boat by a welcome party!
Before we even had a chance to say hello to our hosts, the locals were giving our boys a game of football. Sam was on his knees within minutes as he struggled to breathe due to the altitude! The less said about his football skills the better...
Soon after we were introduced to our families and dressed up like the locals! Jo wore three different coloured skirts, a waistcoat and a hat, whilst Sam donned a Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat-esque poncho complete with hat and bag!
That evening we ate a huge dinner with the family and did our best to speak to them in broken Spanish and Quechua... we managed to ask all their names and ages before discovering they knew more English than we did Spanish!
After a very comfortable night's sleep (and a wake up call from the donkey) we were up early and helping them herd their sheep across the village to the lusher grass near the lake.
Then we leant a hand with the day's chores and spent the morning picking beans for the family to eat and sell. With the beautiful setting and mischievous kids, it didn't feel like work at all!
The older girls were very shy to begin with, but quickly came out of their shells. Once they started they were giggling and chatting with Jo - teaching her how to pronounce Spanish words properly!
After another hearty lunch we managed to round up some of the children for a photo, before saying a big thank you and heading back across the lake towards Puno.
Once we were back on solid ground, our guide took us to a restaurant where we could give the local speciality a go... Guinea Pig! We didn't know how it was going to be served, but neither of us expected it to be deep fat fried, quartered and presented with it's head staring at you, teeth and all!
Sam's face was priceless. Safe to say he went hungry that night, while Jo got stuck in and finished it with ease!
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