Puno and Lake Titicaca

We arrived in Puno in time for a quick meal at the hotel then off to bed for an early start. Puno lies on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the worlds highest navigable lake 3,800 m above sea level. Due to the high altitude they have no rats, spiders, snakes or mosquitoes and no doubt plenty of other vermin. There is plenty of netting for fish in the lake and all they can grow is potatoes. All their food is brought in from other areas. We saw a photo of a trout 1 metre long, it was as big as a dolphin. The people of Puno and the previous places we have visited in Peru have 4 rules....don’t lie, don’t steal and work hard. Same rules as the Incas. They have no crime and there are no benefits. You pay for your own health and secondary education.  Apparently they work so hard they have no time to complain and interest rates are 36%.  Our adventure for the day was to catch the boat out to the Uros Islands where about 3000  people live on floating reed islands. They collect reeds everyday to keep their island maintained. There are more than hundred floating islands some with just 6 reed houses on them. Their life is fishing, hunting and cutting the reeds which they use for  bartering at the Puno market. The women do a lot of stitch work in the evening. They love nature and live an organic life with no stress and everything is done at their own quiet pace. They haven’t heard of cancer arthritis and many other ailments and make their own mixes for ailments as well as using a healer. The women are all short and fat the way their men like them......heaps of starch in their diets.
When the children reach secondary school age they row themselves for one hour into Puno. I don’t think they used the reed boats as their were plenty of dinghies about.
These islands were very touristy but fascinating and could teach us a lot.

This boat is one of the reed boats they use. They now use recycled plastic bottles to build these boats 5000 per boat then cover them with reeds. The boats last about 5 years then they use them to enlarge their island.

 

Our guide and president of this Island all of 6 families demonstrating to us how they build their islands. First the foundations which is the root from the reeds then criss cross several layers of reeds over the foundation then build their homes and tower. The island is the anchored using sticks deep down tied with rope now but in earlier times it was woven reeds. They move these islands when the depth gets to 5 metres as the foundation has to be 2 metres off the bottom otherwise the roots attach themselves. The very base of the reed stem is crisp like asparagus which is part of their diet and high in calcium. 

They have their own microclimate on these islands and can actually grow a few of their own vegetables in the root of the reeds.

This is how they are dressed all day. The reed hats were very heavy to wear. 

From the Uros islands we travelled by boat to Taquile Island.  UNESCO recognises this Island for the best knitters and weavers in the world. The women weave and the men knit. The boys start learning at 4 yes old. It was beautiful work. Lunch was a beautiful organic trout meal. I think I’ve eaten trout for every meal so far. Other choices have been chicken beef Alpaca and sometimes pork. A lot of rehydrated potatoes and quinoa.