Day 6- Lake Titicaca (pt1)

Amazing! Highest lake in the world! It was chilly and gorgeous. I am dressed in layers with another new hat made of alpaca to keep me warm.
Started with a hotel view of the sunrise over the tip of Lake Titicaca (Titicaca) and a lovely (long) boat ride out to the floating homes of the Uro people . The main income source for the occupants (1,200-2,000 on 120 islands) is tourism and fishing. Thus, when you arrive, you check in with their authorities and are assigned an island so that visitors rotate between all islands. Very organized and fair system. Once on a floating island, you are greeted by the families that live there. They explain the history and process and charm you with their humbleness, hospitality, beauty, and textiles to sell. This system of commerce started when the first Protestant missionaries (SDA -1958, followed much later by Mormon) found them impoverished and isolated and taught them to sell handcrafts to visitors to improve their conditions….the tradition continues. While the men fish and attend to the Totora reed layers of their foundations, the women embroider traditional pictorial stories onto hand-woven alpaca and sheep cloth. And no one is leaving the island without something.

I cannot explain how fascinating the system is. Because they don’t live on land and are in a National Reserve, they don’t pay taxes. They have solar power, and each island has a boat made of reeds to get to the mainland for goods, etc. One floating island holds 4-6 families and can last for around 20 years.
There are also three churches on their own floating islands, SDA, Mormon, and Catholic. Other than for modern goods or advanced education, the Uro people can function within their traditions and floating communities much like they have for 600 years. It was a treat to see and experience this amazing culture and systems of living.

Next, a 45-minute boat ride to a natural island called Tequila, also in Lake Titicaca.Read more