Our Lake Titicaca tour included two stops, the first being to one of "floating islands," still inhabited by the Uros people, an indigenous group that came from the east centuries ago. They built "floating islands" in the lake, out of reeds and their roots--you have to see this to believe it--enjoying the ability to pull up stakes (literally) and move away from danger. At length, they adopted the indigenous Aymara language and speak it today. The Aymara are mainland folk with whom the Uros traded and intermarried. There are some few dozens of floating islands, some housing 10 or so families, some as few as 2 or 3. The traditional lifestyle has continued, in part, despite the encroachment of Incas, Conquistadors, and 21st century tourists. I suspect the 21st century will finally do them in. The Uros language was dead even before the Incas.
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On Lake Titicaca, looking back towards bit of Puna, population
250,000 |
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Arriving on our island; the Uros alternate islands vitis, both to
share the proceeds but also to minimize the impact on the island
itself |
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| Our vessel, the Cap 40 Max |
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| "Our" island comprised 6 families |
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| Four of the ladies of the island welcome us |
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| Everything is made out of these totora reeds |
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| Our tourist group |
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And faster than you can say "That'll be 20 Soles ($6.50) each,"
we all pile into this reed catamaran for a little cruise around
the island and its nearest neighbor; propulsion is by pole...it's
very shallow water here |
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The nearest island, which turned out to be the regional
kindergarten |
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| Aboard the catamaran |
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| Kindergarten Island |
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| Kindergarten boat |
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| Reeds; the white is a staple of their diet |
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| Demonstration of reed-eating |
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| Vicki bravely tries a sample; tasted like mild apple, she said |
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| Looking back to the home island |
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| Instructional aid |
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And now a demonstration of how the island is made, of reeds
and their roots, pegged down in the shallow water |
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| Evidence of Disney's total market penetration, world-wide |
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| Display of textile goods made on the island |
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Model boat from the gift shoppe; these tourist visits and
purchases are the cash crop for these people; they otherwise
live off the land and lake; so one doesn't mind spending a few
soles to help them maintain the lifestyle they obviously want |
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| Interior of a cabin; I counted 8 solar panels on the island |
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| Potato garden |
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Back on the lake, en route to Taquile Island (I thought it was
going to be Tequila Island; only later did I figure out what a
"spit boat" was and why it went so fast |
