Lake Titicaca
Dramatic skies and clear blue water describe yesterday’s outing on Lake Titicaca Uros and Taquile Islands. The tourists in our group included Peruvians and Europeans of all ages – Irish, Italian, German, Russian, and Norwegian.
Our indigenous guides were gracious and well organized. They did a great job educating us about the islands! When the tour began at 6:00 a.m., skies were dark and ominous, and it was raining. On the way to the islands, the rain stopped. By the end of the day, it was sunny.
Uros and Taquile Islands
First, we visited two of the Uros – small floating islands man-made with totoro reeds. Uru inhabitants gave an interesting demonstration of how reeds are used to build the islands. After a 1.5 hour boat ride, we arrived at Taquile Island. Taquile is a larger natural island which we explored and hiked for several hours. At the end of the hike, we ate lunch high in the hills overlooking Lake Titicaca. The local cuisine – chicharrones, adobo, and Peruvian-style grilled chicken – was cooked on traditional pottery stoves.
Once again, the altitude (12,500 ft.) made itself known and what should have been an easy hike was a bit tiring. After a mellow, easy-going day, many in the group napped and yawned on the two-hour boat ride back to Puno. Las islas son muy hermosa! Photos taken during the day are attached. I leave Peru on March 2nd, and the next stop is Bolivia.
There is no end to the beauty and grace of the land and people of Peru! Thanks for sharing your experiences!