Lake Titikaka

Most of you have probably heard of Lake Titicaca (correctly spelled Titikaka)...I know I had before I came here, but I didn´t know anything about it! The history is actually pretty fascinating. The lake is located on the border of Peru and Bolivia, and is HUGE for its elevation of 12,500 feet! The lake is known to be the highest navigable lake in the world, and the largest in South America.

The Floating Islands of Lake Titikaka
We visited two islands on the lake while we were there. The first was a collection of small man-made floating islands called Uros. The islands were built from tutoro reeds, a native cattail type reed grown in the lake, and built by the Uros tribe, pre-dating the Inca civilization. The islands are about a half an hour boat ride from Puno. The history of the Uro tribe is fascinating because as a way to get away from the Incas taking over the region in the 15th century, they created their own home out of these reeds, while the Incas allowed them to live peacefully out on the lake. To this day there are still about 2,000 Uro people living there...the little tribe had outlasted the Incas! Their way of life is very simple. It was an amazing experience visiting these islands and talking to some of the native Uro people, and learning about their way of life. We even were able to taste the tutoro reeds, which are a large part of the Uros diet and medicine.
We were lucky enough to have great weather while we were visiting these islands (february is usually rainy and cold, but it was a beautiful sunny day).
Most of the Uros islands today are run by tradition and tourism. The islands are a huge tourist attraction, so the Uro people take pride in being able to sell their homemade weavings, textiles, and other beautiful and intricate art work to the tourists. We only came in contact with about five Uro people, all dressed up in colorful, traditional dresses and hats (native people on Lake Titikaka often wear hats and head pieces covering their faces because the sun is so strong there). We were told about their history and traditions, and were shown a small tour of their home. It was fascinating walking on the reeds, they were really soft, and all of the Uros that we saw were walking about barefoot...although we were warned that there are some spots on the reeds that if stepped on may fall through to the water! It was amazing that they have maintained these reed islands for hundreds of years! The little houses were also made out of reeds, which mainly consisted of a small room with a bed. The one room that we went in even had a tv! The Uros don´t reject modern technology, some of their boats have motors, and there are solar panels on some of the houses for appliences like TVs. We visited two different Uro Islands, and when we were leaving the Uro women sang us a farewell song, then ending with ¨hasta la vista baby!¨

Island Tequile
The second place we visited on the Lake was Tequile Island, this one is a real island! It is located about another two and a half hours out into the lake , also with about 2,000 inhabitants speaking Ayumara. This island was absolutely gorgeous, amazing views on all sides. We could see mountain ranges all the way to Bolivia. It was amazing being that high in elevation, we were higher than most of the clouds that we saw! We docked at the shore, then took a steep half hour trek up to the main plaza of the Island where we were able to explore the small town, and ate lunch with our guide. It is so crazy seeing all these people who live their lives so differently than ours! Life is so simple there, but it was also a little sad seeing the childres beg for money. We were told to not give money to the kids because it teaches them to be lazy and not go to college. When we first got there we were taking pictures, and some young children demanded their way into the pictures, then demanded money, so I didn´t have a choice!
The Tequile Island was part of the Inca Empire, and has a number of Inca ruins. Tequilensos are known for their fine handwoven textiles and clothing which are regarded as among the highest-quality hand-crafts in Peru. We didn´t buy anything there because the prices were much higher than anywhere else.
The long four hour boat ride back to Puno was relaxing, as we were able to sit on top of the boat and bathe in a little bit of the sun. We also met some interesting tourists who gave us some good tips on places to travel to in South America.

We took a lot of pictures of these islands, so check them out on the costco site!