Day 9 - Lake Titicaca

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We were a little worried because we got some rain yesterday and today started out with a thick cloud cover. But as the day progressed the cloud cover burned off and it turned out to be a perfect day to tour the islands of Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is unique in that it is the highest navigable lake in the world(3812m). It stretches for 8,300 sq km and borders two countries (Peru and Bolivia). The average temperature of the lake is 10deg and swimming is not recommended. We were told that the only reason it does not ice over at nite is that it absorbs so much heat from the sun during the day. And, boy is the trout (trucha) great!
We started our day with a nice breakfeast at the Totorani Inn and then were hurried off to the port. We boarded our boat and were entertained by a local musician while we waited for the second half of our group to arrive. Our first stop was a visit to the Aymara Indians on the Uros islands. The Uros Islands are very unique in that they are not terrestial islands but floating islands made of a hard aquatic reed(tortora). The Aymara Indians first built the reed islands and moved offshore a thousand years ago as a defensive mechanism against the Inca and previous warring cultures. Eventually thier entire culture revolved around the reed. They live ON the reed(floating islands), they live IN the reed(reed huts), they EAT the reed(raw root), they COOK with the reed(used as firewood), their TRANSPORTATION is provided by the reed(reed boats), and in modern times the reed is a source of INCOME (reed sovenirs for the tourists). Their only other sources of income are fishing and weaving souvenirs. The visit was very interesting. They demonstrated how the islands are built, sang a couple songs for us, tooks us for a ride on a reed boats, and welcomed us into their homes(to buy their hand made goods). We sang a few of our traditional songs for them and they let us sample a very tasty fried bread. We all got our Uros Islands stamp in our passports and were on our way again, headed for Isla Taquile.
It was a 2.5 hour trip from the Uros Islands, in the sheltered bay near Puno, to Taquile Island in the middle of the lake, but the drive was well worth it. The scenery on and around Isla Taquile was absolutely stunning. We paid our entrance fees at the gate and started our climb. Every 100 yards or so I would pause to take in the 360deg view(and catch my breath). I just couldn't believe how beautiful it all was. There were the islands inhabitants in thier coloful hand-woven garments. There were many colorful flowers dotting the landscape. And then there was the Cordillera Real; the snowy Bolivian mountain range that set the back-drop for our Lake Titicaca adventure. After a 45min climb we stopped at a small village of three families. The women were at their looms, weaving, and the men were doing what they do best...knitting?? Yes, it is tradition that the Aymara men do the knitting, among many other jobs, as these people are almost completely self-sufficient. They allowed us to take some photos and then put on a nice show for us. They demonstrated their weaving and knitting skills. They showed us a couple of their traditional dances, even asking for audience participation, and then made us a scrumptious lunch of fresh lake trout. After lunch and a little shopping were were on our way again; hiking to the highest point on the island to enjoy the view and some facinating pre-Inca ruins. It was an easy, but not comfortable, descent back down to the boat. My knees were starting to sing a little from all the high-impact aerobics. Going down was deffinately a little harder on the knees than going up. It was a relaxing and reflective three hour boat ride back to Puno and we got to enjoy a sunset over Lake Titicaca. After freshening up at the Totorani Inn we walked back to Mallku Restaraunt and each had bacon Wrapped filet with a mushroom sauce (23soles = $7.50). The meat was differrent from what we expect in the states(it was its natural color, grey) but still very yummy. I also tried Cervesa Trujillo. It was my favorite Peruvian beer so far.

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