October 20th 2005 – Visit Uros Islands (Reed Islands), Boat to Taquile Island for over night stay
Wake up call this morning is 7:00 am and breakfast is available in the hotel for $10.00 Sols ($3.50 CDN). The meal consisted mostly of toast and coffee with a few muffins. Internet access is free at the hotel so I spent a few minutes typing a few letters back home.
Most of out luggage will stay behind this morning, it had to be packed and placed down in the lobby for storage. We are headed for an over night stay on Lake Titicaca on the quiet island of Taquile. We can only take a backpack with a few essentials for one night. Our luggage will be put back in our rooms when we come back tomorrow for one more night stay in this same hotel. We board our bus for a short ride over to the docking area where we board our boat.
Boarding the boat
A view from the docking area along the shore of Lake Titicaca.
Docking area
Some of my group just before we embark on our journey today.
Boat ride to Uros Island
We are on our way, we pass a luxury hotel in Puno, we understand it may be the only one in the area at this standard. Most of Puno consists of modest hotels and accommodations.
Uros Island
Our first stop was the Uros Islands that are completely made of reeds (man made). They are simply floating out on the lake not too far off shore. It wasn’t really explained why they are made this way but I think it may have started as some kind of tradition long ago. The reed islands are much larger than I expected and each one supported many families with their main income coming from the tourists. It was a bit of an odd feeling to be walking about as you could feel the reeds sink down just a little as you walking across the island visiting all the different merchants along the way. Supposedly they last about 20 years before decaying and eventually sinking into the lake.
Uros Island
We are allowed to take as many pictures as we like on this island without being asked for money.
Uros Island
Many hand made items to choose from. Lots of color in their work.
Uros Island
A viewing platform has been built for the tourist to go up and take a look.
Uros Island
A view from the viewing platform.
Uros Island
A view of a boat that is made entirely of reeds.
Uros Island
A closer look at a reed boat.
Uros Island
A view of the edge of the island that we are presently on.
Uros Island
We take a smaller boat across to another island, the boat was propelled by one of the locals doing all the paddling. I ended up buying a few of the string bracelets and necklaces before we left.
Uros Island
A hospital and school are built out in the lake for the local residents.
Uros Island
A young child plays near the edge of the island. There is only minimal protection to prevent the child from falling in but this is the way it is, this is the culture of the people on Uros Island.
Boat ride to Taquile Island
Our next stop is the island of Taquile and it takes our 35-foot boat over 2 ½ hours to get there. The weather turned out to be great with mostly sunshine all day long. It was explained that over 1100 people live on the island with farming as their main source of income along with the tourism. Tourism is restricted somewhat and there is no modern hotel on the island as the people do not want too much development. Many of the island residents are hoping to keep there culture the way it is and do not want too much outside influence in changing their ways.
Boat ride to Taquile Island
Our guide for this trip, Rueben, is on the left and our boat captain is in the center.
Taquile Island
We arrive at the island around 1:00 pm only to find we have a long walk up to our hostel. It only should take us about 20 minutes but with the high altitude, it's much harder than it first appears.
Taquile Island
The lake is at 3856 Meters above sea level and our hostel was another 100 meters above that. It took some of the group much longer to walk than the others, in the end we all made it.
Taquile Island
As far as I could see, there were no motorized vehicles on this island and everything must be brought in by boat and then carried by hand or animal to where it needs to go. A very picturesque island and it was a surprise for me to see the island the way it was. I was expecting something smaller but instead I find a large island with a thriving community all on its own.
Taquile Island
It seems we have gone back in time watching the people around the island work there fields mostly by hand and some were using donkeys to prepare their fields. Again, some of the fields are smaller than a city lot and built into the side of the hills as are other parts of Peru.
Taquile Island
The air was so pure and clean, no pollution at all to hinder the view.
Taquile Island – Hostel for the night
Our hostel is built about two thirds the way up the steep hill, the accommodation is small but adequite.
Taquile Island
When booking this trip I had the option to pay a little extra for a room to myself (Single Option). But there were not enough rooms available so I will be sharing a room with one of the others tonight. Once we are all settled into our rooms, we all sit down for lunch at the restaurant beside the hostel. A well prepared meal of soup and fish for $15.00 Soles ($5.35 CDN).
View from hostel
A view from the hostel including the restaurant. After lunch we have a short break before walking down the trail towards the Town Centre, It’s a small plaza with a few shops built around a square but it turns out they’re all closed up by the time we get there. Most of the action happens earlier in the day as we will find out tomorrow.
Walking paths on Taquile Island
A view from our hike along some of the paths on Taquile Island.
Taquile Island
A view of the housing in the area.
Taquile Island
A view of the main village as we walk along the pathways on Taquile Island.
Taquile Island walk
Another view along our hike at Taquile Island.
Taquile Island
Bolivia is in the distance.
Sunset on Lake Titicaca
We walk a little further down the trail for a great view of the sunset and some more interesting facts from our guide Rueben. It turns out to be somewhat cloudy but in the end it turns out great. From our viewpoint you could see Bolivia and the snow capped peaks of some the mountains in the distance. It was a great time to sit back, relax and reflect as the sun made it’s decent.
Sunset and then dinner at a local home
We had the short walk back to the Town Square in the dwindling light to a local restaurant. It was more of a house that is converted into a restaurant for groups such as ours. We had already ordered our meal before we left the Town Center earlier. As we sat and enjoyed each other’s company you could see the women working in the kitchen through the back doors. Our meal was being prepared by stoves fired by wood and cooked in large pots that many of the families around this area would be using for there own meals. Authentic meals cooked in very authentic style as we watched, I found it something to experience. There is no power source on the island besides the solar powered units seen around most homes, so the lighting was not too good. The battery back ups would not last to long if to many lights are used so there are many candles placed around the table.
It was an interesting walk back to the hostel in the dark with no lighting besides our own flashlights, or as my friends call them a “Torch”. A few people forgot to bring them and some of the path was a little tricky to walk on even in the daylight. We all made it back with out incident and found our rooms and lit a few candles. It was a beautiful night with clear a sky and a great night to sit out and watch the stars before going to sleep. It's amazing to look up at a sky that should be so familiar but it was not. Because of being below the equator, everything has changed. None of the stars looked familiar to me, it just gave me the feeling of just how far from home I really was.