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Published: March 11th 2013
Although this blog is centered around Lake Titicaca, I have to back up a bit and ease into it. I flew from Cusco to Juliaca yesterday and had an hour taxi ride to Puno, where I am staying. The flight was nondescript, but the views from the window were far from it. We flew over snow covered mountains and once we reached our final descent and I had to put my camera away, there were the most incredible storm clouds. I knew that this was going to be an interesting place.
For quite some time,
taracloud and I messaged about meeting while I was down here. Tara has been in South America a long time and I have enjoyed her blogs and photos. It is always a shot in the dark to try to be in the same city at the same time, but we both thought it sounded like fun. Long story short, we met outside the cathedral here in Puno. It was so great to finally meet her. I have met several TBers back at home and have really enjoyed spending time with each of them, but to meet up with someone out on the road was a
Taracloud
Finally met a fellow TBer while on the road. It was so great to meet you Tara.very different experience. Tara, if you are reading this, know that you rock. I am very glad we were able to make this work.
I was already set with a tour of Isla Uros and Isla Taquile on Lake Titicaca, so I was hoping the weather would clear. It was raining in the morning when I was picked up to be taken to the boat. Ah, I have been rained on before, so I was prepared with raincoat and such. Our first stop with one of the Uros Islands. There are many floating islands here, so we were assigned which one we would visit. I had read about these islands, but seeing them in person was very different than I had imagined. Roots of reeds are tied together to form the base of the island. The reeds grow up to 4 meters tall, but only grow in the more shallow area. On top of this base more reeds are placed criss-cross to form what I call the "ground" of the island. The islands are large enough for an average of 6 families to live on if I remember correctly. Walking on these floating islands is very unique. I said
it was squishy and someone else remarked that it was like walking on a mattress. Both are correct, but the mattress analogy gives a better idea of what it really felt like. A family of the island invited us into a house to talk about how they live, work, their traditions. One thing that I really found interesting was that since the islands float, they will tie them together for large celebrations, while on the other hand if there is a problem that cannot be overcome, they can cut the island in half and create 2 separate islands. Another oddity were the solar panels planted in the reeds. The house we were in had a television. They don't have heat and the weather gets very cold here, but at least they do have some electricity. I was also able to go into the reed hut that they use as a kitchen. It was very well stocked with pots, pans, plates, a propane burner. In the summer, the cooking is done outside, but in the rainy season they cook indoors. The woman were cleaning fresh lake trout for their lunch, so the stove was on, making the kitchen hut very pleasant.
On Uros Island
Wearing some of the traditional clothes while posing with the President of the Island Tourists are are able to spend the night on these islands with families, but I didn't have time so I didn't research it. To go to the next island, we were rowed in a reed boat.
After visiting the second island, we went back on our boat for a 2 hour ride to Isla Taquile. As we left Puno and Uros behind and made our way further into the lake, the sun came out and the day became absolutely beautiful. For a long time I sat up on the upper deck and watched the clouds. Now, this is only my observation and based on one day, but I am going to write it anyhow. I felt as if we were so high in the mountains (around 1200 feet) that we were up in the clouds. From the pictures you can see that the clouds were low in the sky with deep blue sky above. The contrast of the lake, clouds and sky fascinated me. Not only were the clouds low in the sky, but they were full of life. Some of them were happy, fluffy cotton candy clouds while others were angry, tumultuous clouds that were breaking away from
the happy clouds. At first I had dreaded a 2 hour ride to the next island, but the scenery made it fly by. I will post more cloud pictures than necessary and hope that you can see what I was trying to describe.
Taquille Island has about 3000 residents. The reason this island is on the tour is that the people wear the traditional Quechua clothing and live by the Inca moral code of "do not lie, do not steal, do not be lazy". Although there are solar panels on the island, it maintains the traditional life. We hiked up a steep stone path to the main plaza. I felt badly that I was breathing hard walking up (it's the altitude I tell ya) while the residents walked by carrying everything they need for their lives. There are no cars, no horses, no transport other than walking. Products are brought in by boat and carried up the hill. As we walked, our guide explained how the color of a hat, size of a pompom or the way it is worn indicates if a person is married, single, looking, or satisfied. It was all very fascinating. But, the highlight of
Floating Island
This is what the "ground" is on the island the day was lunch as the Mayor's house. Our group was approximately 12 people. They had a long table with the most incredible view of the lake on one side and a view up the hill through the fields on the other. To me it felt as if I were lunching at a Tuscan Villa. The dark blue sky, sparse trees- it reminded me of Tuscany. The woman who cooked for us did a far superior job than the cooks at the restaurant Tara and I went to that evening. I had a Quinoa soup that was perfection and fresh lake trout with fried potatoes and rice. I can't say enough how wonderful it was. We had bread with a spicy pepper, onion salsa to spoon in it and the traditional Muna tea. After lunch the hosts performed a dance that they had performed in Puno's Carnival. Our guide told us that Puno has the second largest Carnival in South America. All I know is the dance was intense, as were the costumes. I had my picture taken while I was wearing one of the dancers hat, but I chose to not put it up here. There are so many
pictures of me that I don't want to bore you. It was a perfect afternoon and one I will not forget. Great food, great company and great views on a postcard perfect day. I was content.
It was almost 3 hours back to Puno. As we motored along the lake, the clouds did their thing, changing from happy to dark storm clouds as we neared the city. The temperature dropped as the sun hid behind the mean clouds and the postcard day became a memory. I can't complain. It was truly a special day, but there was one more fun thing for the evening. As I mentioned earlier, Tara and i went to dinner. We spent a couple hours talking not only about travel, which all TBers do when we get together, but about opera, our lives and how we came to do what we do. Tara is a slow traveler and spends long periods of time in a place. I am what I call a power traveler. I can take about 3 weeks off a year and I pack as much as humanly possible into those 3 weeks. We both agreed that just like we all have our
Reeds on Lake Titicaca
These are the reeds used to construct the floating islands way of blogging that works for us, we all have our way of traveling. As I type A person, I would go bonkers staying in a small village for a week, while Tara would not want to pack up and move cities and hotels every 3 days. The great thing is that we really enjoyed each others company. I hope to meet some other TBers while I travel in the future. But, I need to finish packing and check out of the hotel. Tara and I are going to see some ruins this afternoon and then I am off to the airport and onto the next destination. Until then, ciao.
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Michelle Duer
Thanks for sharing the details about the floating islands. It was fascinating to imagine the reeds being tied or cut for big ceremonies or disputes. Also glad to hear you got to enjoy good conversation face-to-face with Taracloud. Wish we could join you!