Introduction to today's journey
Today's journey takes us from central Puno out into Lake Titicaca, stopping at the floating village of Uros, built entirely out of reeds floating in the deep lake. From there we head further out into the lake to an island which we explore and take in some very interesting Peruvian traditional culture. We walk across the island and take the boat back to Puno through a severe storm but make it back to the city in one piece.
Today's Journey
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We are picked up by these little cyclo vehicles outside the hotel and taken down to the port. |
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Heading out into the shallows of Lake Titicaca along a channel through a sea of reeds growing in the cold 9 degree water. |
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Half an hour out we reach Uros, a small town built entirely from reeds floating in 18 metres of water. The floating platforms, houses and boats are all made from the reeds. |
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Exploring one of the villages. This feels like walking on a giant water bed floating on water. The village was set up by people who were outcast from the mainland villages, so they set up their own village on the lake. |
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Sailing out from Uros, we head into open water passing some spectacular headlands as we head into the lake. |
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In the distance is the island of Taquile, where we land. The main divide of the Andes is just visible on the horizon in the distance in Bolivia. It is hard to believe this massive body of water is sitting nearly four kilometres above sea level and it doesn't drain into the sea. The La Paz end of the lake does drain into a smaller lake, but this water completely evaporates in the arid Atacama Desert not forming any river leading to the sea. |
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Landing at the rocky port on the far side Taquile Island from where we walk across it towards the other port on the other side. |
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We stop in the town in the middle of the island, where old men sit on their balconies knitting. |
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After lunch we hike down the the other side of the small island and head back towards Puno as a violent storm strikes. All the boats apart from ours turns back to the island due to the very rough head swell. |
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Fortunately the storm does pass leaving a magnificent rainbow behind us. We safely make it back to the port in Puno and shelter in a restaurant before more heavy rain falls. |
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