On Sunday, we arrived in Puno, Peru which is the jumping off point for trips to Lake Titicaca. It took about 10 seconds of looking around to realize that we should have made this stop much shorter. Our Lonely Planet (LP) book is too politically correct and does not accurately describe the city. It is bustling with people, but is quite dirty and there is little to do but eat and go to Internet cafes (which are packed).
We quickly got a hotel with the help of some random guy that we met at the bus station and then walked down to Calle Lima to see a travel agent. We made a request to change our tickets to leave sooner for Iquitos, but alas, there was no availability.
Keeping with the trend, we got up early on Monday for a tour to the floating islands of Uros and the land island of Taquile. Here we are riding the boat on the way out:
The tour was truly amazing. In Peru, there are two types of Indians – the Quechua are descendants of the Incas and the Aymara are a people that historically feared the Incas and another tribe known as the Collas. The Quechua people are located all over Peru, but the Aymara are mostly located in this area.
Hundreds of years ago, the Aymara feared for their life. With nowhere to go, they fled to Lake Titicaca (thought to be the beginning of all life) and made their homes using reeds that grow in the water. Today, they still do this practice and it is truly a site to behold.
Each island is 3m thick full of reeds and is anchored with eucalyptus tree trunks. Forty islands currently house 2000 people. Many of the young men have left after completing obligatory military service in larger cities in Peru and getting a taste of a different life. The women work hard to weave and the men fish all day and make reed boats. The boats can take over a month to build and only last 1 to 1.5 years. Wild birds are pets here and it is a place from a different point in time.
Once we left Uros, we headed off to Taquile island. It is an island in the true sense of the word and is gorgeous. The people immediately greeted us at the gate. The cutest little boy and girl came and shook our hands. The villagers then wanted to perform a traditional dance that shows the men plowing the field and the women putting the seeds in the ground. Here is a great shot of the children:
We then had a very tasty lunch of kingfish, rice and french fries. Bill tried the local favourite, Inca cola, which tastes like bubble gum. We agreed that it is best to stick to Coca Cola in the future.
Last night, we went to a nice restaurant for happy hour. A good band started to play. I must admit, having now learned the history of the Quechuas, that I can now better appreciate the music. I used to think that the folks playing in the center of every major city in America was just some guys with recorders. Apparently not.
So I guess that´s the good thing of travel. You get a new respect for things. Like wicker islands and flute players.