Overnighter to Puno's Lake Titicaca Reed Islands

June 9th - 10th 2008

The 10 PM bus was a nightmare. I paid extra for a cama bed seat but the fact my seat could recline comfortably was negated by the fact that it was 0 degrees outside the mountain slopes we crossed, the bus did not have heat, my sleeping bag was under the bus, and the gas fumes were creeping into my section. The guy behind me who was snoring really loud was fixed with the iPod music but the fumes and the cold were unbearable. I slept maybe 2 winks (on par with the other 16 first classer's). Carlos entered the bus from the street at 5 AM to solicit his tours to the floating reed islands and overnight sleeps with Quechuan islanders.

Filip, Anne and I were in the market and made our way to his office at sunrise. We were boarded on a bus with other groupies and shuttled to the loading dock.

The first sight of the reed islands was amazing. It didn't hit me what I was doing until the guide showed us how deep the water was under the reeds (35 feet). I was walking on roots of floating reeds that new reed shoots were piled upon so the decomposing layer underneath didn't pose a threat. Funny enough, one girl in our group of 20 fell to her armpits through a hole near the edge. It wasn't funny to her but it really was to everyone else; in the end she was ok.

We were shown the many different ways the people use the reeds (they even eat them for stomache aches), offered to buy reed crafts, an taken on a reed boat transport to a neighboring island.

Our last stop of the day was at Amarateus Island (3800 M) where we were all placed with a native family for the night. I was paired with 2 french guys and given a widow (with a new 2 year old) and 3 daughters (18, 19, and 24). These people live in shanty cement hut houses and our dwarf like room was upstairs with 3 single beds. Literally, you have to duck your head to get into these rooms.

The tiny kitchen featured a fireplace that was heated so the soup pots could heat on the embers. I ate the most delicious Quinoa soup for lunch and a equally good soup for dinner. They served us this tea that was fresh picked Muna stems with added hot water - so flavorful!

After dinner everybody hiked to the peak of the island (4100 Meters) to watch the sunset - really beautiful but very cold.

After the hike everybody was dressed in traditional clothing and brought up to the site of the town fiesta (there are about 20 odd people paired with different families, dressed up traditionally , and taken to this event).

Fil and I prepared for this beforehand by buying a bottle of dark rum (26 ounces for $4 USD). Everyone took turns learning the native dances with the locals, forming large circles and getting whipped around the snake-like rotations.

Our strong rum and cokes were keeping us warm (and happy) as we shared some extras with our tour guide. 20 minutes later he was clearly drunk and demonstrated a traditional salute for a good crop season to the gods with alcohol splashing (similiar to the "this is for my dead homies" gesture). The town elders were standing close by and applauding his every move. The next part of the celebration was the traditional chewing of the coca leafs. One leaf represented the Moon (tierra=land), another the Sun (mother), and the third I can't remember. It was all a bit unclear and seemed like a religious excuse to get wasted on booze or subdued by chewing on the coco leaf. Mind you, the coca leaf is not like the derivative cocaine as it is better known and is regarded as a sacred ritual-like thing more than an abusive substance (really it just gives you a sense of alertness, suppresses the appetite, and keeps you from noticing the cold (somewhat similar to the affect of caffeine from coffee)).

The music for the dances was played by four local 14 year old boys who were just entering highschool (perhaps the promising young folk from the tiny pueblo). We were all walked back home to our repective cottage-huts with no heating for a good nights sleep (thank goodness for the rummy warmth in a bottle).

Leaving the Home Stay and Island

The next day we woke up and ate deep fried pancakes and Muna tea. We then headed towards the boat for our last stop Taquile Island. On Taquile we were given the history of the islands within lake Titacaca and why they have their respective names MamaPacha, Papapacha, Amarateus, and Taquile.

We walked for 20 minutes up the steep cliffs from the boat towards the central plaza. Along the way we gained a great view of the farm land and animals overlooking the large lake. When we arrived to the plaza there was a textile store commemorating the traditional weaving artisans that populate the island. We then went to lunch and our guide brought out different pieces of traditional clothing and gave an explanation for each piece.

The three hour boat ride back was very sunny but also chilly due to the altitude.