Floating islands - Lake Titicaca

---

8th May http://www.heygo.com

Lake Titicaca is the second largest on the planet. It also is the navigable lake at the highest altitude in the world. It has an area of 8562 km2. The Bolivian part occupies something less than half of that surface, the rest belongs to Peru.



Our guide Renan took us by small boat to one of several floating islands where we were greeted by some of the locals.

These floating surfaces are constructed by the people of the Uru Chulluni tribe from braided roots of totora and we were shown with the use of models just exactly how the island & dwellings were constructed.



It is the men who collect the totora, because they are the ones who know which roots are good for building the island. If they have a lot of land on them, they sink. To maintain them, every 20 days a new layer of totora is added on the surface. The islands are anchored with ropes, stakes and stones that sink to a depth of about three meters.

Between five and seven families live on each island. They subsist thanks to hunting and fishing that then they sell or change in the market of Puno.



Located at an altitude of 3,800 meters, the lake in which the Uros live is surrounded by mysticism. Titicaca, which means puma stone, is according to legend the place from which emerged Viracocha, the Sun God, who in turn sent Manco Capac to found the prosperous Inca culture in Cuzco.

The uros, meanwhile, were one of the first cultural formations of the Altiplano and its origin dates back to the time before the Inca Empire. According to some theories they came from Bolivia but migrated to the coastal areas after major droughts occurred between 900 and 1,200 AD.

At first, they lived on the mainland but decided to build floating islands to avoid being conquered by the Tiahuanacos, Collas and Incas. In addition, they discovered that in the middle of the lake they had more means of survival thanks to hunting and fishing. Their original language, the pukina, was lost and they adopted Aymara, which is now their language, together with Spanish.



Each island has a president and there is a maximum boss for all of them.

The way of life is still traditional. But, along with some of the houses, you can see small solar panels. The panels provide families with three hours of electricity at night.

The government of Alberto Fujimori was the first to deliver these panels to them, in the 90s, and in mid-2015 the government of the moment sent them another 600 plates. To avoid fires they cook outdoors on wet totora,although they also have some gas stoves that they use inside the houses when it rains.



What a great place to see and the people so friendly but obviously missing real time tourists during this time.

---