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Published: July 14th 2008
Our trip from Puno to Lake Titicaca with the islands of Uros and Amantani. Lake Titicaca - the highest navigable lake in the world.
You will notice from the photographs Uros Islands were floating reed islands and Amantani Island was where we had our home stay.
Uros Islands Here people live on floating islands handmade from totora, a type of reed. Everything is made from totora; houses, seats, shelters and even boats. The lower root part of the totora is edible and is used in their cooking. Layers of totora are placed on the floor, which is quite spongy to walk on. Once a month a new layer is put down to replace the lower decaying layers. Every 10 years a new island is made, to replace the one being lived on. The totora roots are cut, sewn and tied together tightly to form a new floating island. The old island is then left and the totora re-grows.
The island we visited belonged to 1 family and was 4 years old. Each of the little buildings consisted of 1 bedroom and wholly made from the totora reed. They ate mainly fish, eggs, poultry, various different
grains and pulses and potatoes. Cooking was done in a clay pot over an open fire. Other islands in their community held a church, a junior school, restaurants and shops. While visiting another island our boat left without us, just as we were walking towards it! So a local man rowed us over to our boat. We were not amused. Our silly tour guide! His name was ‘Clever’!
Uros islands were quite unique. I’d never seen anything like that before, in all my time travelling around the world!
Island Amantani and our home stay It was a rather long journey across the lake to Island Amantani and it was a relief to arrive, but I felt a little hesitant as I didn’t know what to expect from this experience.
We followed our tour guide to our family’s house. Up the hill, across small streams, areas of crops, passing mud brick houses, the altitude could be felt in my lungs at 4000m above sea level my heart pounded. Our house we stayed in was in the process of being extended, with the help of tourist visit money. We had a simple room, and our beds had numerous layers
of blanks for the cold evening and it was so so cold. No heating here.
Lunch was served and at first glace I thought I’d been given grubs, but it was various different types of potatoes - phew! The mother of the house looked after us very well and cooked us super healthy food, lots of vegetables and it was very tasty. All the food was cooked in a clay pot over an open fire.
During the evening we were given traditional dress to wear to a dance. This was great fun, but there was no relaxing the locals kept pulling us up to dance! The dances were accompanied by a live Peruvian band which kept the evening going. It was calorie burning at altitude.
Up early in the morning, it was rather chilly. No shower, as there wasn’t one and just hoped for a good breakfast and it was tasty pancakes and jam with thyme tea. Delicious. The Peruvian ladies here all knit hats, so we bought one each. They are lovely.
On the way back to Puno we visited another Island of Taquile, which we walked around and had lunch- trout and chips. Bit of
a tourist stop, but nice all the same.
The uniqueness of the Totora reed islands of Uros and staying with a family on Amantani Island, Lake Titicaca and our home stay was one of those experiences that will stay in our memories for a long time to come.
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Lisa
non-member comment
Love the hats!!
Still really loving your pictures, particularly the woven hats in these pics! Glad you're having a great time in South America! When you back in Blighty again? Take care u 2 and enjoy yourselves! Lisa xx