From Cuzco we flew to Juliaco and were taken to Puno on Lake Titicaca at 12,400 feet elevation.  It is a beautiful area.  We had a boat tour on the Lake and went to Taquile Island, a natural island in the middle of Lake Titicaca with about 2500 residents.  We hiked up and down the island and learned about the history and culture of the poeple who live there.  It was 2 1/2 hour boat ride to get to that island.  After that we went to the Floating Islands on Lake Titicaca.  It was a very interesting place.  We learned that the ancestors of these people fled to the Lake when the tribes north and south of them were fighting.  These people built little reed boats to live on.  Now they have developed how to make reed islands and reed homes on the islands, etc.  They are very colorful and creative people.  They still have some reed boats.  We rode on one of them.  They also have little motor boats to get around in as well.  There are about 70 floating islands and they are all anchored in the same area.  Some are tied together.  They have little shops, church, school, clinic, etc on their islands.  They are not very far from Puno where they can get all their supplies.    Our driver from Puno back to Juliaca tried to find some quinoa growing along side the road.  You will see the photo below.  We were interested to see how this grain grows.  It does well in the high elevations of the Andes Mountains.