Blogs from Uros Island, Lake Titicaca , Puno, Peru, South America - page 5

We went on a boat tour on Lake Titikaka which, upside down is shaped like a puma hunting a rabbit. It is a huge lake at 3800m above sea level so one of the highest navigable lakes in the world. The guide we had was great he was telling us all about the Aiamara and Quechua tribes that used to live around the lake who have their own languages and traditions. We visited Uros a group of floating islands where they speak Quechua andhave houses, kitchens, lookout points, primary schools and a basic medical centre all built from reeds. The islands themselves are also built from peet, with reeds laid on the top. We got dressed up in traditional dress by a girl called Melissa who was so friendly and was telling us about her life ... read more

Hello! With illness finally behind us, we were finally ready to see Uros Island or the floating islands. The Uros people made there homes on the reeds growing in Lake Titicaca even before the Incas, centuries ago to stay away from some other more aggressive tribes that were in the area. The islands are built using layers of the bouyant totora reeds that grow in the shallows of lake Titicaca. Several hundred still live this lifestyle. Each reed island houses 3 to 4 families. They have a school and hospital on these reeds as well. When you walk on the islands, they are very soft and springy. A very unique experience. They have to replace the top layer of reeds every 15 days or so depending on the weather. They make their homes, boats, and crafts ... read more

A Puno, nous avons visite les Islas Flotantes sur le lac Titicaca. Ces iles ont ete fabriquees par les hommes et hebergent entre 7 et 10 familles. Elles sont faites d´osier et doivent etre nettoyees et renouvellees en surface tous les 10 jours environ. Les habitants utilisent des racines qui flottent afin de maintenir les iles au dessus de l´eau. Il y a environ 15 metres de profondeur sous l´ile et chaque ile mesure 2 metre de "haut". Grace a des subventions de l´ex-gouvernement de Fujimori, les Uros (peuple habitant les iles) a beneficie de l´installation de panneaux solaires pour l´electricite. Les Uros produisent leur nourriture et vendent leurs poissons. Ils fabriquent aussi des objets d´art qu´ils vendent en ville ou aux touristes qui visitent les iles. Les Etats-Unis ont finance l´achat d´un terrain que les ... read more

Just a short blog entry for my final stay in Peru. Left Cusco early morning to catch the bus to Puno which only managed to break down once! (luckily another bus was only 30mins away). Arrived in Puno late afternoon to the pouring rain so got the first available hostal, dumped our ever increasing rucksacks (there are too many amazing textiles and jewellery to purchase!) and went for a wander. Puno isnt that beautiful a place, however its very close to Lake Titicaca, in fact a ten minute walk away so it has its benefits! We took a boat over to the floating islands the following morning which were pretty incredible. Made entirely from reeds and populated by the Uros people, it certainly has a sense of calm and tranquility to it. The surfaces were pretty ... read more

So we had found a bus company that were prepared to take us through the striking farmers passage of violence, though the downside was that it was a proper tour bus and we had to become one of the things I never wanted to become; a tourist following some leader like a lemming, telling us facts that were complete bollocks, but it was a small price to pay to be finally escaping Cusco. It had become a dangerous place for me, especially on the physco women front. Anyway, we visited Inca sites that were complete rubbish and apparently only 1% original Inca, but we did stop at the top of a mountain pass and had a superb view and was incidently the highest point I had ever been, though I didn´t exactly have to work hard ... read more