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On the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, they speak Quechua — just like in Cusco, and in most of the highlands of Peru — the language of the Incas. But here on the Bolivian side, they speak Aymara, the language of the altiplano ("high plains"). Apparently, the lake is not just the border between two countries. It's also the border between two languages, and between the two ancient cultures behind them. Looks like I won't be needing my Quechua phrasebook anymore (not that it helped, anyway — Quechua is downright impossible to learn).

After only one day in Bolivia, I've already met my first two (of many) stark raving mad locals. These two cute little girls from Isla Del Sol demanded chocolate from us numerous times. When we refused, they explained how their parents are dead — "viven en el cielo" (lit: "they live in the sky") — and when we gave them some, they burst into hysterical laughter.

Took about two hours to ride the long but pleasant ferry from Copacabana to Isla Del Sol ("Island of the Sun") this afternoon. Once we reached the island, we were given a guided tour — after, of course, repeatedly insisting "no queremos un guia" (lit: "we don't want a guide") — of the nearby southern ruins. Nothing spectacular, but a nice, relaxed introduction to the island.

This morning, I completed my first-ever international land border crossing. Being an Aussie and all, I don't get to see them all that often. Crossing from Peru into Bolivia was fairly easy, even for someone such as myself, with a mild hangover and a vicious bump on the head. Slightly overpriced exchange of money; walking through a simple stone gate; various stamps and taxes on each side of the green line; and I was done. So, now I'm in Bolivia!

I can't just call this entry "Peru: the wrapup", because I have definite plans to return to Peru (after seeing Bolivia and northern Chile), and to do the coast from south to north. It seems that two months in Peru simply wasn't enough for me — especially when I spent almost all of that time loitering around in Cusco. Anyway, my time in Peru (and in South America!) so far has been spectabulous; and I can't wait to get back here, and to see the rest of the country. Except next time, I'm not coming to Cusco — not falling for that one again — if I go back there, I might not ever leave!

There may be many unpleasant local smells in Peru — diesel fumes, raw sewage, and dead chickens come to mind as a few — but generally, cigarette smoke isn't one of them. In my time in Peru so far, I've been pleasantly surprised to learn that most locals smoke infrequently, or not at all. I've only really suffered from passive smoking around here, while around other gringos, almost all of whom smoke non-stop. But apart from the fellow tourists, Peru seems to be a very friendly country for non-smokers such as myself.

As I already wrote regarding Mexico, you can tell a lot about a country from its music. I was mainly in the highlands of Peru for my time there thus far — almost 90% of my time was spent in Cusco — so what I have to say is probably somewhat particular to that region; although I don't imagine that the music is that different in other regions. Essentially, the music of Peru is a mix of the old, ancient folk traditions; the influence of traditional and modern Latin music in general; and of course, modern Western music. As with its people, Peru's music is exposed to the big, wide world, but still holding proudly and stubbornly to its cultural roots.

Fate was against me as I boarded my bus out of Puno (to Copacabana) this morning. I'd just gotten on the bus and sat down, when I remembered that my passport was in my big backpack, which was stowed in the luggage compartment underneath. Since we were going to be crossing the border into Bolivia on this bus ride, I needed my passport. So I got off the bus, and ducked down to the luggage compartment to extract my passport from my bag. And that's how I left Peru with a bang.

While in Taquile this morning, I went shopping in the handicraft centre there, and picked myself up some beautiful local hats. Taquile is very famous for its woollen hats, which are hand-knitted exclusively by the men of the island, and which are of excellent design and quality. I liked them so much, I decided to buy three! The other two will have to become presents for some people. Quite stylish, and quite protective when it comes to that harsh altiplano sunlight.

After last night's roaring party on Amantaní, this morning we the crew said our farewells to Amantaní and to our one-night-stand families there, and headed for the next island on the Peru side of Lake Titicaca: Taquile. On this famous island, we completed the arduous hike from lakeside to village, we relaxed in the sleepy town, and we checked out the local craftsmanship offerings.