Puno

As a result of our return to Toronto, we missed several planned days in the middle of our trip before we resumed our trip on November 25 in Rio de Janeiro. Mike, Judy and Gary and Karina continued on to Puno and Lake Titicaca.

The pictures of Titicaca were taken by Gary, Karina, Mike and Judy, and the notes are Judy's.

As we drive from Cusco to Puno, we pass agricultural land and wind our way up and down the mountains. There are many small towns, lakes, fields of corn, and cows grazing. Most farming is done by hand - both hoeing and sowing.

We stopped at Raqchi, at 3460 metres, to see the remains of the Temple of Veracocha, which is one of the only remaining examples of a 2 storey Incan building. Only isolated sections remain. At 15 metres high and 90 metres long, this was the largest roofed building ever constructed by the Incans.

When we drove through Juliaca, we were surprised to see many people doing their laundry and washing their cars in the river. There was a lot of road construction - all done by hand. The old concrete is broken up with a sledgehammer and then shovelled into trucks. Many men took turns.

Our hotel in Puno, the Sonesta Hotel Posadas del Inca, is on the shore of Lake Titicaca. There are beautiful grounds and hundreds of guinea pigs running around. They are very playful and amusing to watch.

Lake Titicaca is a large, deep lake straddling the border of Peru (53%) and Bolivia (47%) in the Andes Mountains. It is the world’s highest navigable body of water at 3,812 metres (12,500 feet). It is thought to be 3 million years old, covers 3200 square miles, is 120 miles long and 50 miles wide. The bright warm sunny days contrast with bitterly cold nights.

Our tour of Lake Titicaca began with a half hour boat ride to the Uros Islands. These floating islands were established in 1800 BC as an escape for the Uru, an indigenous people, from the Incans. There are over 100 islands housing about 2000 people. Depending on the size of the island, there are 2 - 10 families per island. The islands have shared solar panels to run appliances like TV and radio and to heat water tanks perched atop buildings. Kindergarten and elementary schooling are available on the islands but students have to go to mainland for high school and university. The houses are made of reeds and the roofs have to be replaced every year. The islands are added to every month. They use thick green reeds for longer life.

We landed at Isla Los Uros Suma Chaulla. The island feels very spongy underfoot and moves. It took a few moments to get our balance. The natives are all in bare feet. We had a demonstration of island, house and boat building. Then we were taken into a house where Gary and I were dressed in traditional outfits.

Travel to mainland is done in small motorized aluminum boats through a 4 metre deep channel that has to be periodically dredged. They travel between the islands in tortora reed boats.

The main source of income is fishing, farming and hunting. Some of the men travel to the city to work in construction or drive TukTuks. The schools are government subsidized. The women embroider bought fabric and make jewellery to sell to tourists.

We then went to Taquile Island, an hour away. We are now 45 Km from Puno. This island is 5.5 km long and 1.6 km wide. It houses about 2200 people in an area of 5.72 sq kms. The highest point is 4,050 m (13,287 ft) and the main village is at 3,950 m. Their society is based on community collectivism and moral code - do not steal, lie or be lazy. The island is divided into 6 sections for crop rotation purposes. The economy is based on fishing, terraced farming, potato cultivation and tourism. They have sheep, cows, chickens and guinea pigs. They use solar panels to generate energy.

We climbed up a flagstone walk to the top of the island and saw the backbreaking work of farming. The men till the soil with a hoe and the women break up the clumps, all on a steep incline.

They also produce fine handwoven textiles. The men all knit the hats worn by all. Plain hats are for males and coloured hats for females. They start learning at age 7. The women spin the wool and use vegetables and minerals to dye it. The women also weave the wide belts worn by everyone.

Following a song and dance routine we were served a delicious lunch of vegetable soup, trout with rice and a tomato and onion salad. The atmosphere on this island is very calm and peaceful and the views are spectacular.Read more