Few people visit the Bolivian side of the lake (which I would recommend!), so we knew that we needed to visit the ever popular Peruvian side. As this side is so much more popular, tour companies abound.
When reading about the islands that exist in the Peruvian side of the lake, I knew I wanted to visit Uros and Taquile. This is where most tours go. And so, it was easy to find a full-day tour to take us out amongst the islands. I believe there were ways to make it there on your own by ferries, but after our tour, I must admit that I’m not quite sure I know how that would have worked.
Our tour to the islands was just what it needed to be, but we are not tour group people, and that’s the way we had to visit the islands. I know I’ve talked about our food tours and even the tour across the Bolivian desert, but in each of those, our group numbered about half a dozen which meant interactions between fellow travelers were easy (and even encouraged) and I could ask my plethora of questions to the guide. Yesterday, we were on a floating tour bus. But, I got to see what I wanted to see, and had we done it on our own, I believe we would have been very lost and lacking in so much of the information.
Uros is a community of floating islands just off the Puno Bay. The water is not terribly deep, and it is full of reeds. These ingenious people spend two years creating an island that will house 3-7 families. They start with the blocks of roots of the reeds, tie them together and then begin adding layer upon layer of reeds on top of them. Even after living on the island, they continually add to it as the reeds die down. The islands usually last 30-40 years. There are currently over 100 floating islands.
A few years ago, one of the presidents of Peru spent a night on an island. Since then, he helped put a bathroom with a septic tank on each island. The tiny huts, also made of reeds, have solar panels which support some basic electrical needs. There is a school on one of the islands and a hospital that is supported by doctors from Puno several days a month.
I asked our guide (because yes, even in a crowd, I found ways to ask Hugo questions!) how long people had been living this way and why they continued to. He said that when the Incans first invaded the land, the fishermen of the area knew the reeds so well, that they escaped with their families to live in boats out in the water. They were left alone and so slowly but surely built up their own community. Today, they seem to like the freedom it provides. Sure, they frequently go in to Puno, but they are not held to the strict standards of living and working that society often demands of us all.
The women on the island we stopped on (we only met women, but I know there were male residents as well) were welcoming and loved explaining their way of life and how they built the island. We were even invited into their home to see how they lived. They were lovely and genuine, but as you can only expect, then came the part where they used tourism to their advantage. They brought out their artistic creations for sale and offered us a boat ride on their special boat (that of course we took) for an extra fee. Of course I’m happy to support people who welcome us into their homes and show us their unique way of living, it just always makes me feel awkward like they’re forced to put on a show for us tourists. That being said, I was incredibly thankful for the opportunity.
An hour and a half later, the boat reached Taquile Island. It’s an island similarly sized to our island (what we are now lovingly calling Island of the Sun) and of similar geography. The terraced land and sparse trees was very similar to our island as was the lack of motorized vehicles, but we noticed no donkeys! And, the main path, rather than ancient stairways was a concrete and rock inclined pathway.
People on this island are known for their textile creations. Even more impressively, the men and women take equal share in these creations. The detail and the tightness in which their works were made was astounding. They have spent generations perfecting the craft and it shows! Once again, the people were incredibly welcoming, put on a dance for us and then began to share their works of art at the market stalls.
We had a delicious meal on the island, which was even more impressive considering that there were forty of us eating at the same time! There was warm quinoa soup, fresh trout from the lake and a hot tea made with local herbs.
After a peaceful ride back to town, we meandered through the city to our lovely hotel. It is right on a main square where a fountain is brightly lit by ever changing colors at night and locals and tourists alike sit and enjoy ice cream on the benches from one of the four ice cream shops on the small square.
We ate dinner at one of the top restaurants in town, also located on the square. I had quinoa salad with fresh vegetables, cubes of cheese and an avocado dressing with a warm squash soup and hot red wine out of a terra cotta mug. It was divine and totaled up to about $12. We are thoroughly enjoying living like queens in regards to food.
There’s not a whole lot else to do in the city that caters to taking tourists out to the island, so we spend most of our bonus day climbing stairs. In fact, I believe that we climbed more steps than I thought were feasibly possible in any one place, and at an altitude of well over 12,000 feet.
Puno sits even with the lake and slowly but surely edges upward into the surrounding hillsides. So, of course if you climb up, you are rewarded with a wonderful view. And what city wouldn’t take advantage of this by creating venues for viewing? So, on one side of the city, a giant condor overlooks the city and lake below. On another side of the city (yes, we had to walk down and then back up) an oversized puma and two large cobras keep watch over the city.
We meandered down to the water (stairs are so much easier to go down than up) and discovered a small flock of flamingos amongst the ducks and seagulls enjoying the shallows of the lagoon.
I do not regret our time in Puno at all, but we head to Cusco next where many of our exciting adventures happen from, and I must admit that I’m looking very forward to that!
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