We awoke to another perfect
sunrise. Ideal day to spend on the lake.
After an amazing breakfast
(not quite the calorie count of the Monestario, but close), we met Alberth and
walked down to our boat.
We had an hour ride out to the floating islands, during which time we got some lecture time,
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| Looks a lot like Lake Sunapee on steroids |
and some leisure time.
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| Dave playing Leonardo DiCaprio |
We were on our way to visit
the Uros, an aboriginal group that has maintained a traditional lifestyle for
several hundred years living on man-made floating islands in the middle of Lake
Titicaca.
The
Uros people originally came to Lake Titicaca region from the Amazon sometime in
the pre-Columbian Period. They were forced to take up residence on the
floating islands when the Incas expanded onto their land. The Uros use
the totora reed, which is plentiful along the edges of the lake, to make their
homes, their furniture, their boats, and the islands they live on. The islands,
which are usually moored to the bottom of the lake using wooden stakes, but can
be moved if necessary. As reeds disintegrate from the bottom of the islands, residents
must add more to the surface, which is soft and occasionally spongy.
There are somewhere between 90 and 120 of these islands each
housing about 5 families in simple reed houses. Even tiny outhouse islands have
been created, and the ground roots of the outhouse islands help absorb the
waste. Despite the traditional
lifestyle, the Uros people are not against modern amenities. Some families have
motorboats or solar panels,
to charge their IPhones or run their TV’s. There are elementary schools on the larger
islands, and for high school, the children must go to Puno (and live there
during the week. Alberth grew up on a
floating island, and told us the Uros equivalent of having to walk uphill both
ways to school; he had to pole a boat 1 ½ hours each way taking his 2 little
brothers with him. No snow, but rain nor
wind deterred him. I guess they didn’t
believe in calling off school for bad weather.
The entrance to the island is an arch, representing the rainbow
which was needed for rebirth as a highway to the sky. This is found everywhere in Peru.
We were greeted by one of the families that included a toddler
that had enough energy to power a small city.
It was fascinating to watch him negotiate the spongy, reedy surface of
the island. Because of the unevenness and
the sponginess, a person’s gait is very odd.
It didn’t slow him down, though.
Alberth gave us a short course in floating island design and construction.
Initially, blocks of totora reed roots are
cut out of the lake bed. These roots are
full of air, making the blocks buoyant.
The blocks are then tied together using stakes and rope (originally
ropes made from reeds) and layer upon layer of reeds are added to reach a thickness
of up to 12 feet. The surface has to be
continually renewed with the addition of new dried totora reeds. The islands are roughly 50’x50’.
Our little toddler friend, also gave us a demonstration of the
use of the knife and saw in everyday life on the floating islands. They apparently have no Child and Family
Service worries here!
We transferred back to our boat via reed canoe, poled by our host.
We left the islanders for another 1 hour boat ride to Taquile
Island (a real island), which sits in
the middle of the lake about 10 miles from Titilaka.
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| Chilling |
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| Snow covered mountains in Bolivia |
The island was named a UNESCO World Heritage
Site about 15 years ago because of the “Taquileños” (the indigenous people here) fine
handwoven textiles, and maintenance of their ancient culture. The island has about 2,200 inhabitants on an
island that measures about 1x3 miles.
The society is based on collectivism and the Incan code of “do not
steal, do not lie, and do not be lazy”.
The islanders speak Quechuan, although most can also converse in Spanish.
We landed on one side of the island, and hiked up and over to
the opposite side for lunch.
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| Fields of Quinoa |
Along the
way, we met a few of the locals, dressed in their traditional garb.
Men greet each other by exchanging coca
leaves carried around in beautiful hand woven sashes.
Hats are of crucial importance here, both the
style and color as well as how it is worn.
Hats differentiate young from old, marital status (S, M, W),
and even
how one feels on a given day (tassel to the right, happy, to the left, upset,
and to the back, just normal).
Alberth
also described in great detail, courting and marriage traditions. Men must ask their prospective wives’ fathers’
permission. The father tests the man’s
hat, to see if it is well constructed (can stand up by itself-my socks can
sometimes do that, and can hold water.
If they pass, it means the young man is not lazy because he knits
well. I would still be a
bachelor!). The couple then lives
together for 2 years and if they don’t kill each other in that time period,
they get married-for life. No divorces.
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| HAPPY! |
We had a wonderful lunch at one of the local family’s home in an
idyllic setting, high on a hill overlooking the sparkling waters of the
lake.
Fried bread (think Tunbridge World’s
Fair) is a staple, along with vegetable soup, fish, quinoa and avocado,
potatoes and fruit.
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| Family weaving |
Sated, we hiked down to the pier past old pre-Incan terraces
to
catch our ride back to our hotel.
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| Resting my picture-taking finger |
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| Ricardo waiting to greet us |
Another beautiful day!
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