Snow in Peru?
Trip Start
Apr 20, 2008
1
18
70
Trip End
Ongoing
Puno,
Peru
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The next day I was picked up at 7:45am for my two day tour of the islands. It had been very cold overnight and to my surprise I found upon walking outside that it was snowing!! Lake Titicaca´s claim to fame is as teh highest navigable lake on the world, it was also really important to the Incan civilization. There were 18 people on the tour from 8 different counties!
Our first stop was the Uros Islands, about half an hour boat ride from Puno
Uros Islands
. These islands have been built using the totora reeds that grow in the shallows of the lake. The islands were originally built hundreds of years ago by the local people in order to escape their enemies on the mainland. Once a week the top layer of reeds needs to be replenished as they rot from underneath. These reeds are also used to built homes, boats and crafts to sell to tourists! There are over 50 floating ilands, each with about 4 or 5 families living on them. The islands are fixed in place by long stakes that are shoved through the reeds to the bottom of the lake, 20m deep. If they want to move they can pull up the stakes and push the island around. The islands have become very commericalised but are still very unique. We were greeted by women and men in indigenous dress and invited onto their island and into their homes. They have given solar panels by the Peruvian government so they have TVs and radios.. After being shown around the tiny island.. about 30m square we were invited (persuaded, almost forced) to buy handicrafts and souvenirs.The next island was a couple of hours boat ride away, it was a beautiful sunny day and we could sit up on th etop of the boat and enjoy the views. Isla Amantani was the next stop, this island is about 13km square and is home to 10 communities, about 3000 people. There are no roads on this island, no cars, no pollution and no police.
Uros Islands
We were divided into groups of 2 or three and designated a host family. I was to stay with Jenny and her parents along with two English girls, Krista and Liz. We went back to Jenny´s humble mud brick house an dhad a home cooked lunch of quinou soup (a cereal type grainy thing that was really important to the Incas as a staple) and then a main of chicken, rice and potatoes. Always rice and potatoes!! After lunch we met back up with the group and climned up a massive hill to the highest point on the island to watch the sunset. Back home we were ushered to our room after dinner and Jenny brought us each a traditional Quechua womens outfit which she dressed us up in. It cosisted of a big puffy skirt, a blouse, a wide colourful belt to hold it all together and a shawl. It was freezing cold so after having all of this over the top of what we were already wearing we felt quite warm.... that is until we went outside and had to walk 10 minutes to get to a big building where we would be having a ´traditional discoteque´. A band played traditional music and we were made to get up and dance which mainly consisted out joining hands and running round in circles!
The next morning after a hasty breakfast we rushed down to the dock to get back on the boat at 8am. An hour away lies the smaller narural island of Taquile, only 7km square
Uros
. Here the people live as just one community, and a very well organised one. Similar to Amantani there are no roads etc. There is a school on the island but most people reain relatively undeducated. Every person on the island had a job, they are split into four groups, agriculture, handicrafts, restaurants and boats (that go back and forth between the mainand) The food grown is divided equally among all the people on the island, as is the profits made from tourism. They do not export any food and they fish from the lake only enough to eat and supply the reataurants. Tourism is the only form of income but the islanders decide exactly on what terms the tourists come to the island. Toursists stay with families on a rotational basis so everyone has a turn, restauarants must also be used equally so tour operators do not get to choose where their tour group will eat, this is decided by the island officials, also on a rotational basis. The island officials-government are not paid either and their jobs are also rotated.We walked from the dock on one side of the island up to the top to the main plaza where there is a small market and ephotography exhibition. We then had lunch at a lovely restauarant, the same soup that we had had twice the day before (lucky it´s really tasty!) and some freshly caught trout. We then continued down the other side of the island where our boat was waiting for us. It was a three hour ride back to Puno so we amused ourselves playing a variety of games up on the dock. I was with a great group of people and thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
My anthropology lesson complete, I returned to my hostel and booked a bus to Copacabana for th efollowing morning. I headed out to meet Liz, Krista and another english guy Jason for a few drinks
Uros
. Liz and Krista had just got their dinner when I arrived and they had ordered guinea pig........ It came out on a massive plate and luckily not looking so much like other guinea pig I had seen served, this one was kind of squashed and looked a bit more like ribs.... apart from the four little legs sticking up that is... oh and the teeth which remained intact...... I tried a little bit of Liz´s and did not like it at all.. it was grisly and had a wierd taste. I had also been further put off guniea pig on Amanatani Island when Jenny asked me to shine my tortch into the shed for her, she had a sack full of live guniea pigs which she shoved a handfull of grass into and tied it back up.... horrible..We eventually headed out to discover Punos nightlife.. the positive of not having such a great nightlife was that we got our first drinks free and then it was two for ones. If we moved places we would get more free drinks, mainly pisco sours. I headed home exhausted at around midnight.
Comments
Queen of Fashion!
I think the Peruvian costume looks very becoming on you me dear!
I'm also a bit impressed with your grey beanie which can tie up under your chin. Did you get that in Peru?
xx
Re: Queen of Fashion!
Why thankyou... Yes these kind of beanies are obligatory for tourists in Peru.. tying themup under ones neck is not.. but the cold often makes it necessary!!! xxx