Land of the Incas
Day Seven – 5 October 2011
Weather: Sunny, bright, mid-teens
I got woken up at 6 am by a very bright sun peeking in through my curtains. I looked out and immediately grabbed my camera.
Click.
Nothing.
Grabbed my battery.
Click.
Something.
What a view!
It was quite warm in the room. I had to turn the heat off last night. It was so warm, my jeans were almost dry. I loaded up my knapsack for stuff I’d need for the day and went down to breakfast. No eggs made to order but everything else was there.
At 7:45, we met up with Rosaria and we walked down to the pier to catch the boat that will take us to the floating islands.
The hotel is located outside of Puno on a peninsula, so that all rooms have a view. Down side is there is nothing within walking distance, but we won’t get the time to do much else anyway. I sat shotgun next to the boat driver. It didn’t have the best view but had all the legroom one would want.
That’s important at my age.
Rosaria first told us that the islands we were going to were the only ones left on the lake and have moved closer to Puno so that the children can go to school there. They have to row to shore and take a bus to get to school. Apparently, the children from the floating islands are excelling in school and many have gotten the few positions available for public university. The downside of course is that once they are educated, they don’t want to go back and the population is declining. Only about 2300 inhabitants remain.
I foresee the government of Peru eventually paying the inhabitants to either live there or show up at 6 am to play the part for tourists. It’s the main attraction in the area.
The lake itself is huge – over 300,000 square miles. The water contains salt and is fairly clean. The only polluted area is around Puno and they are slowly cleaning that up (sewage treatment). Peru shares the lake with Bolivia and since Bolivia is land-locked, the lake is the largest body of water inside the country.
So, what’s a country to do, but have a navy for the lake. You know, to protect the 40% of the lake that it owns.
The Peruvians laugh at them, wondering why they have a Minister of the Navy. The Bolivians laugh back at the Peruvians, wondering why they have a Minister of Justice.
Heh.
It took us about 15 minutes to get to the floating village.
Words can’t describe the experience.
Well, yes they can. But really, they can’t.
The place is amazing.
Rosaria rotates which island she visits. The one she picked today was fairly new. We were met by four women and 3 men and we sat in a circle with a big map of the island. Rosaria translated as the islanders gave us information about the island’s history and construction.
Apparently, the islands have been around for thousands of years. Essentially, the first floating island started as a boat when someone figured out that the root of the reed would float when it was uprooted. Eventually, they began to put the roots (which look like 3 foot by 2 foot cubes of peat) together and reeds on top to make an island.
Each island needs to be anchored in place with ropes and they can stay afloat between 28 and 30 years. The root is about 3 feet thick and the reed covering is also about 3 feet thick.
The reeds tend to rot very quickly (2 weeks) so the reeds on top have to be replaced constantly. The houses are built on thicker layers of reeds so that they don’t need to be moved as often.
Everything is made from reeds. Islands, houses, boats.
Even the logs the tourists sit on.
The colour of the reed can indicate its age and it eventually gets brittle, so they have to be replaced. Boats can last 2 years. The older boats are obvious.
The locals eat the fiberous end of the reed which is their source of iodine (tastes a little like a bland celery).
Oh. Yes. I tried it.
They also fish, hunt birds and collect eggs. They use this to trade for other items. Like solar panels so that they can have lights instead of candles.
Cause, as you can imagine, an island of reeds is not a place to be if it’s on fire.
One local gave us a demonstration of hunting by sitting on a replica reed canoe and holding up a rifle that likely pre-dates the Great War. As Rosaria translated, he explained how he splashed the water to attract the birds and makes a mating sound, then he raises his rifle and says *bang*
And from behind a reed wall, another guy throws out a dead bird.
These people have a great sense of humour.
They also have TVs and radios too. No internet yet. They don’t marry right away. They live together for a few years first before they decide to marry. They claim there has never been a divorce.
Rosario translated everything and here’s a short video of the talk.
The sun at this altitude is incredibly bright. Everyone had to wear sunglasses (or cursed that they hadn’t brought any with them). The depleted ozone layer is also letting a lot more radiation reach the surface at this altitude. The locals have noticed changes to the sea creatures. In one case, a frog has changed how it breaths so that it’s no longer amphibious. That concerns the men here because frog juice is their version of Viagra.
Cheaper. No side effects.
Anyone want to get into the export market for frog juice?
They make it by skinning the frog and dropping it into a blender. Ummmmm
They also believe very much in reciprocity. If someone needs money to go to a hospital in Puno, everyone collects so that they can go. If a home burns, they all rebuild it. No one goes hungry.
We could learn something from this attitude.
After they had spent an hour explaining all this to us, they started asking us questions. They wanted to know our names and country of origin. Then they wanted to know who was married and how many children.
The married couples put up their hands and told them. The locals were very curious about those that had divorced. One man said they had been married for 30 years and had one child.
One of the locals said he needed more frog juice.
Once the 20 Question Session was over, they brought us over to see their homes. Very basic accommodation. A home about 14×8 feet with half taken up by a few blankets. Clothes hung from the sides and a radio sat in the corner. The home owner was very proud of their solar panel.
The people are very self-sufficient, but for a time, had been in receipt of aid that started to make them lazy. They have worked to reclaim their self-sufficiency. No one held out their hands to us when we took a picture. Instead, they sell handicrafts. Wall hangings, little weed boats and the real hit was necklaces that were like round painted pieces about the size of an Olympic medal with a hole in the centre. For 5 Soles, it became the favorite to give as gifts back home. I got 8.
Everyone bought something because 100% of what we give them stays on the islands and they said that even though we don’t need what we bought, they were very grateful.
As we prepared to leave, they gave us a song and dance and even sung happy birthday to one woman.
Here is a short video of their farewell song.
Then they went to everyone in the tour and gave us a handshake and hug. Very very very sweet people. We didn’t want to leave.
As we pulled away from the island, the four women danced and sang then shouted out a familiar phrase. You can watch the video.
Yeah. The TV is corrupting them!
We took a ride in a reed boat to the next island (only 5 Soles). This island had a tower (used to watch for fires where candles are still used) shaped like a huge fish.
The stop was only for photos then we reboarded our regular boat for a ride to Taquile Island.
An hour and 40 minutes away!!!
If the driver falls asleep at the wheel, we could end up in Bolivia.
On the map below, you can see Sillustani to the left. We visited that site yesterday. The hotel is located on the point at the end of the railway line and the reed islands are the Islas de Los Uros in the bay. Isla Taquile is the brown island to the right.
I wonder now why we went so far to see this island. Granted, it was nice to take a ride on the main part of the lake, but more than a 3 hour round trip was a bit much. We could have spent the entire day on the floating islands no problem.
The steep sided island is full of terraces and it was quite the hike up to the home where we were going to have lunch.
One couple remained at the dock for the two hours or so that we were gone. There are no llama or alpacas on the island. And no dogs. They don’t like the noise and feel no need for the protection. There is no crime here.
We climbed up a steep path, making way for the sheep then crossed through a set of fields until we came to a home. Lunch was a choice of fish or omelet.
I went for the omelet with Inca Kola.
What a combination. LOL
One of the kids enjoyed my tomato slice.
The little girl also gave us a dance while Rosario spoke. I took video.
The adults also showed us a dance in this video.
Rosaria gave us a speech on the locals, much of which was very similar to the people of the floating islands but she noted the weavers of Taquile are recognized by UNESCO.
They had a selection on display. Nothing struck my fancy but they had some really nice wide woven brimmed hats. I should have gotten one. They were truly unique.
Which reminds me. There is absolutely nothing here with the words Lake Titicaca or Puno on it. No fridge magnets. No t-shirts. No hats.
I see a business opportunity here.
I have my fingers crossed that there might be something in the airport tomorrow.
Rosario also noted that the men did the knitting and a gentleman sat next to me during the meal knitting quietly.
We returned to the boat for the long ride back to the mainland. Most had a nap. We got back around 4:30, so I went up to a terrace above the hotel with a tourmate to take some pictures. We can see the floating reed islands from the hotel.
Didn’t know that this morning when I was snapping pics of the sunrise.
Dinner was at 6:30 and was another “first class” affair. We had four choices of chicken, fish, beef or vegetarian. I took C. That was tomato soup, beef tenderloin and cheesecake.
The meal was superb. One of the best cuts of beef I’ve had. Ranks up there with the filet mignon I had in Bosnia, Amman and at the Grand Canyon lodge. The cheesecake was the fluffiest I’d ever had. Delicious.
As we ate, Mother Nature put on a lightning show over Puno. Then it began to pour.
Hail.
Tomorrow, the flight to Lima isn’t until 1 pm, which means we don’t get to Ica before 9 pm.
Yeah. 9 pm.
But we do get to sleep in till 7:30.
Yeah. Like that’s going to happen.
On both counts, as it turns out.
Go to Day Eight
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