Life on Lake Titicaca

After an incredibly interesting journey from Cusco to Puno on the Inca Exoress bus, Chris came down with Flu-like symptoms meaning we took things slowly for the next few days. We still don't know whether it was something he ate or a 24hour bug but either way he was weak enough not to want to do much during our stay in Puno. I'm sure the altitude didn't help: we were still nowhere near sea level. Puno is at 3830m above sea level and sits on the edge of the world's largest lake at altitude and also the 'world's highest navigable lake', Lake Titicaca (we're still debating exactly what that means!). We recommend the 'Walk On Inn' here which has confortable ensuite rooms for a reasonable price and the ladies who work there are lovely and will help you organise your onward trip.

Aside from watching the England - Germany world cup match one morning (tssssk) over breakfast, surrounded by Germans (seriously there's been no escaping them during our whole trip - they must be the most well-travelled nation in the world!), we did make it out to see the famous floating islands on Lake Titicaca. This lake straddles both Peru and Bolivia - the border runs straight through it. It's 8400km square and it isn't Quechua that's the mother tongue here but Aymara.

The floating islands are still inhabited by the Uros people and we've honestly never seen anything like them. We took a boat from the harbour and it was a quick 5km journey out there. The 'totora' reeds that grow in the lake are incredibly buoyant: so buoyant that if you pile layers upon layers on top of one another, floating islands sturdy enough to hold whole villages are created. The people use these reeds also to make boats and even their homes. The first island we visited housed four families but it was only a hop, skip and a jump away to the next one which looked a lot bigger. Apparently, these people started their floating existance hundreds of years ago to escape the Incas and other aggressors called the 'Collas'.

When we arrived to the first island the chief explained using small models made of reeds how the islands, their houses and boats are made. The reeds making up the islands are constantly replenished at the top as the lower layers become rotten by years below the water. They anchor them down using a brick of rotten reeds so they don't float away. The islands feel very bouncy to walk on and in some areas, where it seemed a bridge had been formed between two islands, it was een a little squelchy and the water soaked through a bit. This is seriously one of the craziest ways of living I have ever seen. I like. I like a lot.

Quite unexpectedly, the inhabitants use solar power - though I don't know how else I expected them to find their electricity!

Look at the washing drying, tipee style!

Floating ladies waving us off...

Two Videos:

1) Poorly Chris attempting a video diary

2) Local, floating boys gargling with a bottle of the national fizzy drink, Inca Kola, while the smallest child ever pushes their boat away with a stick - rather amusing!