tomandbuntytrails

We arrived in Puno after our adventures in the Colca Canyon at about 7pm. We were dropped in the main Plaza De Armas and it was total chaos! The locals were celebrating 200 years of independence. I had booked a place to stay on the floating islands on the lake, which are inhabited by the Uros people, who are indigenous to Peru and Bolivia. They live on approximately 120 self-fashioned floating islands in Lake Titicaca near Puno. We were meant to meet our taxi driver in the centre of the square – which was cordoned off completely! Somehow he found us _ I heard a man call “Tom?” And off we went! He drove us around 5 miles east of Puno to a seemingly derelict piece of wasteland. We got out and discovered that our host, Nicobar, was waiting for us with his boat! We got in and soon were zooming through the reed beds in the pitch dark, towards our magical floating paradise! The stars shone brightly above, and we huddled together on the wooden plank seat. I offered to put my head torch on but Nicobar indicated it wasn’t necessary. It appeared that he could navigate the network of routes through the reed beds with his eyes closed! I sat back and trusted his instincts. That was until, upon entering the main waterbody, I saw just a few metres ahead a smartphone screen switched on, I called out and warned Nicobar and we swerved to avoid the stationary boat! Once at the island it was apparent how thin the layers of reeds were as we were shown our room – in places it felt like you could easily fall through and into the water underneath! We had a very basic shack, and it was perfect! We had a meal, a beer and got into bed, festooned in blankets as it was freezing cold (-2 centigrade at night) and the corrugated iron shack offered no real protection from the elements!  No wonder legend has it that the Uros have black blood, which makes them immune to the cold!

The room had a huge window at one end and the view in the morning was breathtaking! Looking straight out onto the lake, the surrounding reed islands with their beautiful reed huts and quirky tourist boats made from reeds with the heads of various mythical beasts on the front. The boats were pushed gently around the lake by motor boats and they provided a constant spectacle throughout the day – passing by with tourists aboard waving at us, always with two identical gargoyle heads bobbing up and down gently!

The little island had a simple restaurant, shop and the family had made pretty reed umbrellas for you to sit under whilst you had your breakfast, a little look out tower you could climb and a big sign you could pose with which said “Quechua”. Sitting there and watching the worlds go by , we felt really lucky to experience such a unique place and community. We stayed for 4 days and every day felt more and more part of their family – I’m so glad we stayed for 4 nights. The whole island sways and rocks gently as each boat passes by, it was a really relaxing and a great place to unwind. Lying next to the water on the reeds, as they gently bobbed up and down, with the pretty hills that surround the lake in the distance. 

The lake is at 12507 feet so it is super cold at night, but once the sun rises you can soon warm up. Due to the altitude you notice how the large clouds hang really low in the sky. The family consist of Nicobar, Jenneh, Manuel, Miguel, Geraldine and baby Matteau. It’s astonishing how hard the kids work, always smiling and helping out; one minute Geraldine is carrying a thermos to one of the tables, the next minute carrying her baby brother. It’s easy to imagine that this is all a show for the tourists, but it isn’t. Tourists sustain their way of life and give them a valuable income, but with the family we are staying with it hasn’t spoiled them or made them greedy or bitter. Of course this can’t be an easy life fro them however, at the mercy of tourist numbers and just surviving here with no mains power, no schools or clinic. It was a privilege to share their beautiful home for 4 days.