Lake Titicaca

7:42 I was packing in my room and a woman from the front desk knowck on my door and apologizing profusely told me that my bus was hwere. The scheduled departure time of 7:50 was 16 minutes hence. I shoved my computer and power supply into my day pack, grabbed my boat bag and camera, donned my vest headed down to the lobby. A guide stood waiting holding a large oxygen cannister and showed me to the bus. I had minutes before chatted over breakfast about the altitude how feel my heart pounding while in repose.

8:30 After picking up several more passengers we headed down towards the dock. We stopped in front of a store and were instructed that it is traditional to by some food for the family. I bought a kilo of rice, a kilo of suger, some pasta and a small bottle of vegetable oil. A hundred meters later we were at the lake. Hundreds of boates were moored for and six deep, at anchor in the still water but so close together one could hop from one boat to another for almost a kilometer. The boats have identical hulls designs; forty foot wooden hullled craft with four feet of freeboard and a ten foot beamm. The aft deck is uncovered, the cabin has four rows of seats with four seats per row. Forward of the seats, behind the pilot's station two benches, each readily capable of accomodating five passengers run lengthwise. The pilot's station has but eight inches from the front of the seat custion to the bulkhead. An automotive steering wheel is mounted on a pipe nearly parallel with the horizon. Affixed to the lower end of the pipe is a drum around which is coild several wraps of 3/16 plastic coated steel aircraft cable. The wood appears to be low grade mahogany.

We putt along at seven knots, the big diesel barely working. Passengers are from Peru, Finland, England, Holland, and the the United States.

The lake is 285 meters deep, 165 kilometers long and 65 kilometers wide. We are about to visit the floating islands of the Uros. The reeds of this island are used for everything, to make the island, the boats, housing, fuel for fire and food. Potatoes are grown in the hummus of the decomposing reeds. The people here speak a pre Inca language. ???? The reeds grow to a height of four meters half of it below teh water. The lake has 36000 hectare of reeds and is home to sixty-five species of birds.

9:00 Extremely rotund, nearly spherical women in colorful garb stand on the edge of the island awaiting the next influx of tourists. We exited our boat to a sea of reeds. The ground is spongy underfoot, like walking on a soft mattress. Windowless reed huts surround a central area. We are directed to sit on the benches, long cylinders of reeds bound with twine. The island is home to ten families comprising thirty people.

The president of the island, Jose gave us a presentation on how the islands are made. During periods of drought the lake level drops by several meters exposing the soil at the bottom in the shallow areas in which the reeds grow. The soil dries out in the warmth of the day. When the water level rises, during the rainy season great areas of soil heavily bound by dried reed roots float to the surface. Chunks five by ten meters, a meter thick are collected. Stakes are driven in and the chunks are tied together. Dried reeds are placed on top to a depth of three centimeters followed successively by another layer, perpendicular to the first until a depth of one meter is achieved. Watch towers are constructed for communication with the other islands. After about a year, construction is complete and the island is anchored. The husband and wife dwell in separate huts. If they have a disagreement the huts are turned so that the doors no longer face each other. If the situation becomes irreconcileable a hand saw is used to cut off part of the island, though I don't know if it is the man or the woman who drifts off.
At the base of the reed is a while section that looks like heart of palm, the outer skin is peeled away and the inner portion is eaten. There is sufficient iodine in the reeds to prevent goiters.

Jose showed us some fish that are caught and eaten, they could not have have been more than four inches in length. Ducks are hunted, the shotgun appears to be black powder with an external hammer the falls on an a primer. The duck is salted and jerked in the sun. A sauce is made from clay which is said to taste like mayonnaise from this some essential minerals are derived. There are no fruits that grow here.

9:40 We board a reed catamaran with a wooden deck; the president and an assistant row with huge oars made by lashing a flat board to a pole. We are rowed to the capital island on which there is a restaurant, more places to by fabric products of every description and a public toilet in the grant Peruvian tradition.

11;19 Our boat followed the catamaran and we all board for a three hour trip to Isla Amananti. The sun is beginng to burn away the chill of the night. A freckled blonde Austrialian women removes here jacket, she is wearing a sleeveless low cut t shirt, her wonderful bosom unfettered I pretend to watch the scenery astern.

12:45 Despite the vast fetch the merest of ripples disturb the tranquil waters. Our wake is evident for over a kilometer.

2:03 The Uru's would never defile the water, They defecate onto the reeds and cover it with ash from the cooking.everybody has solar panels, they were distributed by the popular president, Fujimori. Ninety percent of the islands are clustered together, the primary source of income is tourism. Those that don't want to participate move their islands, through means that were not described, I can only assume that they are poled.
Isla Amanati has 5000 residents in 10 commumnities. Lunch will be vegetable soup and an omelette. At 4:00 we will meet in the town square and climb to the top of ????.

2:25 We pulled up to a quay and 2 passengers disembarked. Short fat local women in colorful skirts and thos tophats they favor stand around on the quay with no apparent objective.

2:29 Adobe houses some stuccoed are clustered on the hillside with generous spaces between them. Many houses stand alone on large lots adjacent to the terraces which provide most of the sustenance. Most of the terraces are not cultivated.

2:58 Start Trekking. Our host is Ambrosia a well worn slight diminutive Indian. He stops several times affording the tourists more rest than is necessary.

After about 20 minutes of hiking up the hill we cut off on a level trail for a couple of hundred meters and arrived at Ambrosia's house. I was shown to my room. To get to the room it was necessary to duck under an archway in the wall from which vines of three types hung down, covering the top foot leaving the entrance height clearance of four feet. Up a flight of stairs in the small courtyard and around three sides to a balcony I ducked to get through a four foot door into a room with three beds and a ceiling just a few inches shy of six feet. I walked around the garden, saw meat drying on rocks, a fetal sheep uneviscerated jerking in the sun.
We were invited into the kitchen which is the first floor of the family house. An adobe wood burning stove sat at one end; a large sistern sat on the floor to the right of the door pots and cooking utensils sat on the concrete floor. The Finn and I were staying at this house, each with our own room. Soup was served and shortly thereafter two girls appeared Julia Jr. aged 23 and her little sister. They both live in Puno and were home for the weekend. Julia liked to talk a good deal, practicing her English; she is taking a degree in informatica which by the signs I see in town I think means translator. Julia likes to eat cats and dogs but there are none left on the island, they have all been eaten. They can't raise chickens because the foxes will eat them.

We met in the main square and ascended to the top of the island and watched the sunset and returned to the soccer field. Each of us wore those knit inca caps assigned by the hosts, ostensibly as they couldn't tell the guests apart as all gringos look alike.

6:36 The family is preparing dinner and having a conversation in Quechuan. I have nothing to do but sit and observe.

7:04 We are served a bowl of vegetable soup followed by a a bowl of rice and potatoes with just enough carrots do give a little color.

7:50 I was given a poncho to wear, all of the guests were to appear in native attire. As
I stepped outside I gazed at the unfamiliar southern sky. The moon had not yet risen and there was little ambient light, the milky way arced across the sky densely packed with untold numbers of stars.

We entered the dance hall and the guests of the various houses joined us all in native attire, two bands took positions at opposite ends of the hall and alternated songs. Small stringed instruments, pan flutes and drums were employed by both bands. The music started and the native women grabbed the tourists onto the dance floor. Soon everybody was running and dancing in a closed chain at excessive speed at high altitude. I could never sit any dance out, if I wasn't on the floor Ambrosias younger daughter would drag me out for another. After an hour I walked back to the house in the dark, but it was locked. The younger daughter immediately observed my absence at was at the house no more than 30 seconds behind me and unlocked the gate. I crawled into bed after shedding my boots and jacket lying beneath the very heavy densely knit woolen blankets.

Day 2

6:18 A sistern sits by a garden house and is filled with water that flows freely and clear from a bibcock. A bathroom with tile floors, a sink, a toilet and a shower adjoin the kitchen and is accessible from the courtyard. TO flush the toilet one fills a one gallon bucket from the five gallon buck outside the door and pours it into the bowl. Neith the sink nor the show is supplied with water. These is of course, no toilet paper or soap in the bathroom. Never leave home without your personal supply of toilet paper and alcohol based hand sanitizer. Paula Sr. carries a few bits of wood into the kitchen In addition to having no cats or dogs there are few trees here.

6:32 An enormous pile of dried stalks is carried into the kitchen by the wife as the Finn shows his face, apologizing for missing the festivities of the prior night explaining that too many tours started too early and he needed his sleep.

Food is prepare while sitting on a rock. The woman grates carrots into a small bowl. The bowls form last night are scraped into a large bowl which is brought outside and dumped on potatoes too small to peel, left fot the donkey whio presumably will return at his whim as will the twenty sheep said to be roaming the hills.

Breakfast was two five inch pancakes and marmalade, with some coca tea.



8:27 We are off to Isla Taquile. In 2005, "Taquile and Its Textile Art" were honored by being proclaimed "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO.
Knitting is the exclusive domain of males who begin at age eight. Women spin all the yarn and the weaving. The marital status of men can be determined by their hats. A single mand wears a red and white cap; the married men wear red hats. Although the main entrance has 550 steps, we will be approaching from the other side and descending the steps to leave.

10:48 I handily beat everybody to the top and wasn't even breathing hard. A couple of minutes later the guide come up panting and told me I was burning a lot of calories.
The artesan shop was filled with Inca hats and the weavings of the people but frankly I prefer the lush soft alpaca sold elsewhere. The weaving is incredibly tight of very fine thread, a belt takes two months to weave, but I prefer the soft brushed alpaca available almost everywhere in the highlands.

We ate lunch everybody opted for the trout over the omelette and we were told more details that I will spare you.



3:18 After a three hour boat ride, my wonderful guide, Blady Maita takes me to the office of immigration where I attempt to get a stamp in my passport indicating my entry into Peru. I have yet to find and immigration office open. The guide knocked on the door and somebody looked out a second floor window, came down and let us in. I explained that I came in through Caballacocha from Puerto Narino and that my passport information was recorded but I was unable to obtain an entry stamp and explained my problems in Iquitos, then Lima and that by that time I guessed nobody in Peru really cared. I had travelled to Cusco, Arequipa and now Puno. After twenty minutes of discussion and a couple of phone calls the immigration office said that he had arranged that when I arrived in the border at Copacabana that I could get the matter taken care of for a special favor for only $40 USD and that I was not to go to the police station to get my special stamp but directly to immigration.

That was it for the day I went back to the hotel but couldn't get a room for an hour the woman at the front desk wanted me to wait until the manager returned in ten minutes. I went to the security room, the administrative office, which I found unlocked and grabbed my day pack with my computer fired off a few emails, went down the street made a few phone calls to some twit in Panama who wants to sell me land but never answers his phone, returned, went to my room, editted some pics, in general killed time, set my telephone alarm and went to bed.