Lake Titicaca

Saterday morning the guide came to get us at our hotels (in Puno). We were with 9 people (2 Koreans, 3 USA, 1 Nw Zealand, 1 Belgium, 1 France and me). We went for Lago Titicaca. This lake is the highest navigable lake in the world (3812 m), it is situated on the border of Peru and Bolivvia and it is the biggest lake of S-America. Titicaca means Puma-Hare because it has the shape of a puma catching a hare.

Embarcation on our boat and going to the floating islands, Uros they are called because of the Uros people. Actually there are living no Uros-indians anymore but Aymara. The islands are made out of cane and people are living there already for a very long period and not only as a tourist attraction. There are about 40 islands and there are schools and churches. Houses are also made out of cane. The cane is very eatable but tastes like nothing. On a few islands there are iron houses given to the people by the Adventist church as a gift for people's conversion.

One of the USA girls and I went for a cane boat trip (like the Kontiki of Thor Heyerdael) to another island where we embarked our own boat again.

The trip to Amantani took about 3 hours. On arrival, our hostesses were waiting for us, in their beautiful traditional clothes, and brought us to their homes. The French guy (Laurent) and I slept with one family. A simple but clean room. Lunch, diner and breakfast was with the family. Our hostess is called Olga. After (a heavy potatoe) lunch we went up the Pachatata, the highest point of the island and an old pre-Inca temple. Still in use for offerings. About the potatoes:there are 240 types and it is always the maincourse (about no vegetables). No wonder that the proportions of the local people are amost as thick as their length.

We had diner together with the family in their primitive kitchen. A stove (and a lot of carbon monoxides), a 2 persons table and 2 clay benches, apparently only for the guests. The family ate sitting on the ground. This was less than the type of luxury I saw in the Sta Catalina monastery in Arequipa, and that dates from 1580.

Of the 4000 people (700 families) living on this island there are about 400 guest families which receive guests in rotation. There are no hotels, that would ruin the economy.

After diner there was a Fiesta. An Andean band and the tourists with their hostesses, everyone in traditional clothes.Olga and I went there and made a few dances (very simple), drank a drink and made a few pictures. After an hour I finished our fiesta, because I new that Olga saw it only as an obligation (part of the arrangement), and I was very tired (I sleep very badly at this altitude).

On the island are electrical connections, but hey are not in use (Diesel is too expensive). Some houses have their own solar panels (strange combination with middleaged kitchen). Walking back in the dark and in the rain was quite an adventure, but Olga was my guide.

After breakfast we went by boat to Isla Taquile (1 hour). We walked around that island and had lunch. This island is somewhat more touristic, but with the same system of selfregulation by the population. People on Taquila wear beautiful clothes on which you can recognise whether they are single or married (men from their hats, women from their skirts).

Most striking in these days: big difference in culture and level of wealth.

At about 15:00 we were back. The wheather, again was perfect, only last night it rained.