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Published: January 18th 2006
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Uros floating islands
Mini replica island in real islands pond Lake Titicaca is jointly owned by Peru and Bolivia and can be visited from either side. We had originally planned to visit from the Bolivian side and visit Isla del Sol and Isla de la Luna but having been told that the latter was temporarily closed to visitors, we decided to visit the floating Islands of Uros, Isla Taquile and Amantani instead (from Puno). We were slightly hesitant as this trip is supposed to be very touristy and contrived but I´m glad we decided to see for ourselves. The Lake is the highest navigable lake in the world and natives believe it is the product of tears from a God (I forget which one now) Dotted around the lake are traditional villages where Spanish is the second language and where ancient myths and beliefs still hold true.
I whiled away the 6 hour bus journey from Cuzco to Puno yabbering with Annie, a really cool lass from Melbourne, much to the annoyance of Dunx who was trying to watch a dodgy pirate version of the new Harry Potter movie. The journey offers spectacular scenery so I highly recommend making the trip during the day. The sight of the Lake was
Lake Titicaca
The peaceful and mystical lake beautiful and absolutely massive. Puno itself is nothing special but doesn´t deserve the bad press it gets. We sorted out our 2 day trip for the next day and met up with Annie, Flo and her David, her brother (Flo, a Bruce Peru Volunteer) for dinner.
The people of Uros (floating Islands) lead a basic life. They fish, hunt birds and live off the lake plants. The islands really are floating with their foundations being made of reed plants. Its a bizarre concept but one that seems to work well. Energy is provided on the Islands using solar power which is really'right on´for such a primative people. We chatted (kind of) with the locals and they invited us into their little huts. Each family has one hut which houses their kitchen and another hut where the family sleep. They used to travel between the Islands on reed boats but have now given into modern technology and use more conventional methods. The reed boats are now purely used to ferry us tourists around. We bought a beautiful wall hanging weaved by one of the ladies for 60 Soles (10 quid)
After Uros we motored across to Amantani where we
Journey to Puno
Beautiful snow capped mountains met the family we were to stay with. Amantani is very beautiful and peaceful. There are six villages and ruins on both of the island´s peaks, Pacha Tata and Pacha Mama (Father Earth and Mother Earth) Justina came to meet us and took us back to her family home. There we met her parents Andrea and Luis. Andrea speaks only Quechua so communication was of a non-verbal manner but Luis spoke a little Spanish and was happy to chat away about the Island and its customs. I offered to help out with lunch preparations and was handed a blunt knife and a heap of potatoes. This forms part of their staple diet, along with rice and vegetable produced on the island. I made a bit of a hash of the potato (sorry for the punn) peeling and to my one potato, Justina had peeled 5! But still I think they appreciated the gesture. After lunch of Quinoa soup (a delicious locally produced cereal), potatoes and fried cheese (surprisingly tasty) we headed up a very steep hill to see the ruins. Unfortunately, the lunch did not agree at all with my stomach and I had to retreat at break neck speed
My name is Bungholio
You have teepee? teepee for my bunghole (Sorry, private joke!) down the hill and into the first toilet hut i could find. Lets just say this was not a pleasant experience...... nuff said.
So onto the evening´s festivities. Locals have been welcoming tourists for a few years now and evening entertainment involves being dressed up in local attire and taken to the local 'hang out' where locals play traditional music and teach their native dance. The guys get away quite lightly by adorning only a large poncho, but us gals were dressed in a massively unflattering skirt which would make even Twiggy's behind look huge, a flouncy blouse and a wide band wrapped many times around the waist so speech was squeeky. Yes, we all looked ridiculous but who cares? we didn't . To say the dance steps were simple would be an understatement...even Dunx managed them! tee he he
We cuddled up and slept like babies that night despite the freezing conditions... we are loving our Snug Pak sleeping bags thats for sure! We set our alarm to watch the sun rise. Bleery eyed and with frozen tootsies we sat outside our hut and watched as the sun rose majestically over the lake to a soundtrack of
singing birds. Who said romance was dead eh?
Up bright and early the next day we said farewell to our family and re-joined our group to sail over to Taquile Island. On this island there are pre-Inca, Inca ruins and Inca terracing. We arrived nice and early and with a blue, cloudless sky and glistening lake we trekked around the perimetre enjoying this beautiful, beautiful place. We learnt about the local customs and dress of the people and after another tasty meal of Lake Titicaca Kingfish we boarded our boat and sailed began the 3 hour journey back to Puno under a scorching sun. It was a perfect end to a great couple of days.....
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Bungholio
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I come from Lake Titicaca!!!
I need TEEPEE for my bunghooole...!! I am a gringo.... hehehe