Lake Titicaca - Yes, It Does Exist!

Don't pay any attention to the dates on these posts; from Cusco onward are being done from home, since we finally have the time, and the breath, to finish them.

Getting from Cusco to Puno on Lake Titicaca entailed a 10-hour train trip aboard the Andean Explorer, owned by the Orient Express company. It is a very comfortable train, with most of the tables set up for either 2 or 4 people, and a few singles. The seats are reminiscent of parlor armchairs, the service is excellent and the food is - well, the food is pretty good but not spectacular. The scenery is the best thing about it, as we traveled out of the big city and into the altiplano, or high plain.

The plain was created when the Andes Mountains split into two sections, the western and the eastern. The plain, and Lake Titicaca, sit in the area between the two.

 

Alan and Margaret and the interior of the train

 

Tour director Marcos and one of the train
staff at our brief stop at La Raya,
elevation 4,319 m or 14,037 feet

 

A herd of llamas we passed on the way

 

Marcos had warned us that the train has no heating or cooling system, so it could be very cold or very hot, depending on the weather. So, of course, everyone put on all their layers, just in case. Which meant that it was warm and stuffy since there were practically no clouds in the sky. Although there was entertainment and an observation car on the train, we were somewhat listless with our colds, so we stayed in our seats most of the time and had some really good conversation with Alan and Margaret.

It was already dark by the time we reached Puno, or should we say our special stop outside of Puno. Our hotel, the Libertador, was on an island (the access road is the bridge), and the train tracks passed right by this island. Tauck had managed to arrange with the Andean Explorer to make a special 10 minute stop to let us off, but not our luggage. That had to make the return trip from Puno via some local help once the train ended its journey.

Because we had no idea of the surroundings in the darkness, it was with some surprise that we opened our drapes in the morning to see the beginnings of the sunrise:

Sunrise over the Bay of Puno, Lake Titicaca

Today would be a day to explore Lake Titicaca and find out about some of the people who have lived there for many generations. The lake is at 12,507 feet above sea level, and is known as the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. It has a surface area of 3,141 square miles and is 922 feet deep at its deepest point. It is only about 60% the size of Lake Ontario but when you're on it, it seems quite large. The interesting thing about the lake is that it is a closed system. It has 17 rivers that feed it, and one that runs out of it, but that river doesn't go anywhere. So that takes care of any myths that it is the source of the Amazon. The Amazon actually doesn't have a particular source; it just has a whole bunch of rivers in the basin that flow together and eventually feed the river.

You could see from the sunrise photo that there are lots of reeds in the lake; well, actually in the Bay of Puno, and rather than being a pain, they have been the lifeblood of the Uros people since the 1200s. The Uros live on floating islands made entirely from these tortora reeds, an absolutely fascinating process. They are fairly well integrated into the society in nearby Puno but still maintain their original customs.

Tortora reeds

So how do you build an island? Like this:

Choose a good-sized section of reed growing in 6-7 feet of water

Mark the section and then start cutting off the roots just above the lakebed using a pole with a blade attached at a 90° angle

Float the reed section into deeper water so new roots can't reach down to the bottom

Using stakes and heavy rope, tie multiple sections together until your island is the size you want

Using larger stakes and more rope, anchor your island to the lakebed to keep it from moving

Once in place, cut more tortora reed and place it in layers, crosswise to each other, on top of your reed base

When the layers are deep enough, build up special areas that will be the base of your house and any other buildings you want

Find a large flat stone to be the base for your cooking area

Build your house from reeds - either in the traditional round or modern square shape

And while you're at it, build a boat from the reeds as well (although many people have standard fishing boats with motors for convenience)

And what will all of this look like?

 

Isn't it amazing what you can do with a bunch of reeds if you know how? Of course, there is a down side to all this: Don't argue with your neighbour or he can cut you adrift. And be careful of fighting with your spouse, or you'll find your island cut neatly in half - and you floating away.

Demonstrating how a floating island is built.

The finished island, complete with traditional house, modern
house, cooking area and boats.

Larry standing on (or is that in?) the reed base. One author described
the feeling as being on top of a mattress on the water.
It certainly take some getting used to!

One of the rather elaborate boats

 

We had a really nice visit with the family who lives on this island, and were, of course, also given a chance to purchase some of their handmade items. They have discovered that the tourist trade can be quite lucrative, and since they live in a rather unique way, they don't lack for visitors.

Although most Uros are fishermen, they do also hunt duck, flamingo and heron that live among the reeds, so they need some firepower to shoot them. Here's Larry holding one of their rifles:

Looks a bit like a conquistador's musket,
doesn't it? Maybe they got the idea
from Quechua who brought Spanish
arms from Cusco.

There had been a little girl from the family wandering around among us while we were learning about the Uros methods, but we could never get a good photo of her. Once we got back in the boat to leave, though, the best opportunity came up. Here she is with her mother and a young brother or sister:

 

 

One of the other family members waved us off as we left.

Everyone commented that, although most of us had come on the trip basically for Machu Picchu, meeting the Uros family was a huge unexpected highlight.

Our next stop was just as special - Taquile Island. This island has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site because of the way of life the inhabitants are perpetuating. On this island, along with farming and raising cattle, the men knit and the women weave. And more intricate hand-made knitting and weaving is hard to find. The residents were also providing our lunch.

Some of the farming terraces on Taquile Island

A typical homestead

We were greeted with dancing and music by
the islanders

Here are some examples of the knitting and weaving they do:

You can see the man's woven belt. The one they are holding
is a calendar. There is a specific image for each month
of the year

Some of the intricacies of the ladies' weaving

 

The lunch they prepared for us was one of the best meals we had on the whole trip - not to say that hotel and restaurant food wasn't good, but doesn't homemade always taste better?

Delicious vegetable soup and homemade bread

 

 

Rice, potato, a popular tuber called Oca, and freshly
cooked rainbow trout from the lake

What's one of our blogs without flowers? Here are few we found around our 'dining room':

Roses on the wall

California poppies

The Peruvian national flower - the Kantuta

 

Once we returned to the hotel - the boat ride back was over an hour - we had our free time for the day, which we used doing what? The blog, of course!