Lake Titicaca

In the morning, We headed off from the hotel in a private travel van with Lisette, from the travel agency and our driver to catch the 7:30 cruise boat at Lake Titcaca.  We're told that we're on the fast boat--one that takes 1 and a half hours to get to one of the islands instead of the other boat that takes over 2 hours.  When we get to the dock I check out the boats at the pier and they all look the same to me in terms of boat design.  Either everyone's on a fast boat or the difference is in the inboard engine size and I can't see it.  This is what the boats look like:

We on a boat that holds about 50 passengers.  There is an upper viewing deck that can carry a maximum of 10 people which is accessible by a ladder on the rear outside deck.  The interior setup is like an airplane; individual reclining seats.  2 seats on each side.  There is a captain steering the boat, one deckhand, a travel guide and an assistant travel guide.  Boarding is kind of interesting and frenetic. Lots of travel agents calling out the name of their company.  Once a boat is filled it leaves and other boats slide over to fill in the gap.  

Lisette walks with us all the way to the pier, introduces us to our travel guide, Alex, and makes sure we're safely on the boat.  She'll be back to pick us up around 3:30 after the cruise.  The boat gets underway and we motor towards our first destination:  Uros  islands.  These Islands are fascinating.  They are artificial islands built from the plentiful totora reeds around the shore.  The Uros began living on these floating islands centuries ago as a way to isolate themselves from aggressors such as the Incas.  

 The reeds are partly edible (apparently they taste like unsweetened sugar cane) by cutting the reed near the base and stripping off the outer husk to reveal the edible core.  Alex advised that waters in Lake Titicaca are not clean and unless you had been raised on this water, you would become ill from eating the reeds.  

In fact we learn that Lake Titicaca is under a lot of stress.  Pollution is a huge problem, but global warming is also having a big effect.  The water levels are reducing.  There is a large and growing population living on the shores and measures are being taken to better treat the sewage flowing into the water.  Sixty percent of Lake Titicaca is located in Peru; the remainder is in Bolivia.  

The main industry on Uros is now tourism.  Women on the family islands set up small tables and sell souvenirs. There are about 90 family islands.  As the boats arrive they moor up alongside one of the family islands--apparently the families take turns hosting the boats--and we unload and get the seminar. Here's a picture of the island we were on taken from the lookout post.

There are huts all around the island where the residents sleep.  The darker conical shaped hut is the old style.  These days the huts are square and on some of the roofs, I can see blue plastic tarps used as some of the joins of the roof structure aren't tight.  The semi circle of benches are made of reeds that are lashed together rope.  You should be able to see a few posts with solar panels on them.  A few years back, the government installed them as a safety measure.  Before the installation of these solar panels, light was provided by candles and fires were a problem.  

To make a floating island, they cut large blocks of reed roots using a large crosscut saw with coarse teeth and a handle on one end of the blade.   This is done in the wet season because the reed plants float to the surface as the water level rises.  The blocks are about 3 feet deep and these blocks are secured together with rope to form the floating base.  Then several layers of cut reeds are laid on top of the base to form the top.  Several families will live on one of these islands.  They last for about 30 years before a new one needs to be built.  There's regular and constant maintenance required to add a new top layer as the bottom reed layers compost.  For the explanation they built a model for us: 

The floor of the island is just layers of reeds so it's soft underfoot.  The Uros used to get around on reed boats; these days they have aluminum boats with motors and reed boats are now designed to carry tourists around for a 20 minute ride for a few dollars.

Judith tried to pet the ibis, but it was totally disinterested in her and wouldn't let her near.  I suspect she would have had better luck if she had a fish for it.  

  

On our way out through a channel through the reeds we see a number of boats coming back in, full of reeds, likely for that regular maintenance.  The stick on the top of the pile has a sharp knife at the end of it and is used to cut the reeds.  

Next was Taquille island.  It's a small island with a population of about 2200.  It has an interesting history of handicrafts.  Boys around the age of 8 learn to knit/crochet.  They knit tightly crocheted woollen hats that are like long floppy toques--red bottom and white tops if single and all red if married.  The women weave a waistband for their husbands--their hair which is uncut until they get married, is incorporated into this waistband.  

We climbed up the hill to the central square.  It's up on the ridge in the picture below.  I don't know what the rise is from the dock to the square, but at 3950 ft in altitude, it's a hard climb due to altitude.  

We did make it to the central square and here's the picture.

Here's a close up of the signpost.  

Anybody know where El Cabo is?

Next was lunch:  Quinoa soup, and trout. We learn that rainbow trout from Canada was introduced into Lake Titicaca.  

We get treated to some dancing.  The music was supplied by this guy.  After the show, I gave him a guitar pick that I carry in my wallet.  It was nice to see how happy he was to receive it.  He was playing with an odd shaped piece of plastic.  

After the show was over, we made the trek down the hill.  On the way down I notice the interesting hinges on the gate:  These are old shoe treads made from car tires.  

We came back to the hotel.  Judith is still not 100% and so we have a light dinner in the hotel restaurant.

We get to sleep in.  Tomorrow we're flying back to Lima.