Feb 22 - 23
Lake Titicaca (3,800 metres above sea level) is located high in the Andes. The lake has over 40 islands and is the highest in the world.
This is a sacred place for the Inca civilization, as the Incan mythology says that the first Inca king was born there. According to the Incan mythology, this is the place where the world was created, when a god came out of the lake and created the sun, the stars and the first people.
Our two day tour began on a boat, to the man-made floating Islands of Uros. Totora, a cattail-like reed growing in the lake is used to build the islands, as a food, for fuel and to make boats. There are entire communities out there totalling about 2,000 floating islanders...It's kind of like squatter's rights, only on water. No electricity or running water although some have solar panels to run small TVs or charge a cell phone. A primitive lifestyle pre-dating Incas. They do make beautiful handicrafts, which they attempt to flog at every squishy turn.
They showed how construction starts with blocks of mud and reeds tied together and anchored followed by layer upon layer of reeds stacked in different directions. They then can build their homes of wood frames and more totora for walls and roofs. It's quite amazing really. They warned us not to step too near the edge where it might be weaker, to avoid doing an unplanned polar bear plunge into 9 degree waters. They also said they could move the island if they decided they didn't like their closest island neighbours, or if they were feuding on the island, they have a big saw and could just cut that chunk off...what a novel idea!
After touring the island and taking a short ride on the reed boats we continued further into the lake where we were being hosted in private homes for the night. Three robust women serenaded us as we left, in a few languages, and ended with an odd, mimicked version of "Row, row, row your boat", followed by "Hasta la vista baby"!
We arrived at Amantaní Island, home to 4,000, where there are no roads, two horses, some burrows, a handful of chickens and a rooster or two. Oh, and some Guinea pigs, for special occasions.
Our group of about 30 was met at the port dock by the families, all in their beautiful folkloric dress, where we were assigned to our hosts for the night. Ours was Ines, a 20 year old, mother of almost two and a half year old Roy, a real cutie. Ines seemed quiet and shy with her black head scarf pulled up over her head. And so began the long trek of at least a mile uphill over hill and dale as we all struggled with the altitude and breathing. The first five steps went well, followed by thirty dragging, a pitstop pretending to be looking back but really only to catch our breath. It was reminiscent of the March of the Penguins trudging uphill past quinoa fields, a very tranquil place. Our hosts were to feed us lunch, dinner and breakfast the next morning, as well as take us to a fiesta in the evening. They're vegetarians so quinoa, potatoes and rice are their main staples - and the odd Guinea pig.
We knew the place would be primitive, but seeing is believing. No running water inside although we did see what we believe was a water tower of sorts on our trek, so a bucket in the kitchen with a dipper. Some have solar panels for really basic light at night, outhouses, again with a bucket for gravity flushing and an awesome view of the burrow sneaking a peak from the field beside the house! Bed pans to avoid a nasty tumble down the old rickety stairs, aka ladder, in the middle of the night. We were advised to bring flashlights and we just happened to have a bunch, and we were glad we did. On the plus side, with no light pollution the stars were amazing.
We played with little Roy for a bit as Ines worked in the kitchen. He was intrigued by the wheels on the carry on bag so wheeled it for a bit and loved the little laser lights we brought and laughed wildly at pointing the beam at my hand and me moving it away quickly as if it were hot. He was afraid of the LED Santa hat so grandma ended up wearing it.
The first order of the day was lunch, which consisted of quinoa, potato, vegetable soup followed by a big plate of rice, boiled potatoes, melted cheese, tomatoes which we struggled to finish, followed by steaming mint tea (stalks of local mint in a mug with boiling water from a Thermos). This was all prepared in a dirt floor kitchen approximately 10 feet by 20 feet, on a double burner propane stove and a eucalyptus stoked fire in the same space. A flour bag on a string covered the only window. The walls were rough cement, an old map of the island hung on one wall.There was a toothbrush sitting in an old ceramic flower pot that collected rainwater just outside the heavy metal door and a scrunched up tube of toothpaste on an old barnwood shelf outside. No running water means no showers either. There was a table at one end and about three short-legged chairs the family sat on by thee fire, probably to avoid the smoke from the fire swirling higher up.
We brought rice, barley and noodles as a gift and I had some unopened Brie and crackers so offered them as well. Ines was unfamiliar with crackers but said they were muy bueno. In this house live Ines and Roy, her parents, her brother and her paternal Grandmother, who is deaf, almost blind, has no teeth and speaks only Quechua. At one time there were eight kids living there (Ines' siblings, but 6 moved to Puno). Ines' father works up in the mountain breaking rocks every day to build paths, fences etc. Ines walks miles to the market on certain days of the week, either to buy sugar and staples or to sell her knitted hats as her income.
In the afternoon we made a trek up the mountain to an Incan temple and sat there and watched the sunset over the mountain. As we climbed, an old weathered woman overtook us with a huge brightly colored bundle on her back and we soon realised why as she quickly unpacked her wares, including cerveza and Inca sweaters, scarves, etc. We were embarrassed to be wheezing as she could easily have been 85 if a day.
Dinner was corn soup, rice and noodles with some kind of onion concoction which was good. Just when I was thinking, great, I didn't eat too much, out came Ines with MY outfit for the evening and she proceeded to dress me up in two skirts, a beautifully embroidered blouse that her father made for her on his sewing machine as tradition would have it, and then proceeded to cinch a multi-coloured band about my waste....then I wished I hadn't eaten at all! Rainer got off lightly with a grey poncho-like blanket but at least we were warm. Off we went with our flashlights, over a small bridge, a few old planks across a ditch and black as pitch narrow passageways to arrive at their version of a community hallway with benches all around the outside.
It was pretty funny to walk in and see all of the others dressed in similar fashion, very Hallowe'en-like. So we did what the natives do and dance around for a few hours to their local songs. It was quite fun actually, but a long day so we slowly trickled out and did the trek in reverse back to the house. We were happy to hit the sack, and didn't even mind the scurry of little feet in the roof, beats big feet in the roof....it's all relative (mouse vs. rat). We climbed into one of the beds and pulled the 50 pounds of alpaca blankets over us and sort of drifted off. (Blurry shot in costume but wanted more to show kitchen).
I pulled all my clothes under the blankets in the morning to get dressed. Breakfast was served at 7 the next morning and Ines' Dad actually came up to say Hello as we hadn't met him yet. A smiley guy who likes to talk so we got along fine. His old mother was sitting by the fire on one of the low chairs. We had a quinoa crepe with some strawberry jam and of course tea (or maté, anything infused). They said that we had missed Ines as she had to walk to the market across the island that morning, to sell her knitted hats and to buy some staples, rice, sugar and such so we were disappointed to miss her. Little Roy was still sleeping.
After tea we gave them a shopping bag from our cruise, a flashlight, and I handed a tube of lotion to Granny. She was so excited she kissed me on the cheek, we all shook hands and hugged and we were led back down to the pier by Carmen for the boat ride back. Before we left we brought out some leftover pizza we had from the night before. They were very happy to accept that...good thing it was mouse footy prints we heard and not rat, or we may not have had the opportunity to offer!
Very nice, genuine and honest folks who work like dogs every day and have so little. It stopped hailing and was raining as we slipped and slid gingerly back down to the lake level for the rough ride back.
Coca tea and high altitude meds in full swing!
A great experience, once. But appreciative of what we have.
