Anachronism

Uros Islands 06
Originally uploaded by CanonS2.

Week two of the Peru tourist circus, I mean Peru tour, has started with a visit to Puno on the shores of the mystical and mythical Lake Titcaca. The world´s highest navigable lake (whatever that means, exactly) sits on the border between Peru and Bolivia and holds several islands, including the incredible floating reed islands of Uros (pictured).

We began with a visit to Taquile Island and then on to Amantaní where we were due to spend the night with a local family. So far in Peru it has been hard to tell what is genuine and what is a show for the tourists but Amantaní is home to Quechua speaking families who have lived there all their lives and only visit the mainland once a year, so despite the fact that we were far from the only boat rocking up to the island last night, the people we met were just being themselves.

Laura (Canadian tour-mate) and I stayed with Justina and her six year old boy Jeme and although I forgot the Quechua words we had been taught on the boat, I did manage to communicate reasonably well in Spanish. We ate a delicious dinner in her very humble kitchen and then dressed up in local costume (including those damn woolly hats with earflaps and pompoms) and were escorted to a party in the village hall to dance our altitude sickness away until we could party no more. Which happened at around 9.15pm (it´s hard dancing at altitude, you know).

After a chilly night and early start we said goodbye and travelled to Uros to meet the people who make and live on these bizarre floating communities. Quite a different people from those on Amantaní, the Uros people are more friendly, speak Aymara instead of Quechua and seem a little more au-fait with modern life in the rest of the world.

Yes, they live in huts made from reeds, eat fish from the lake and mostly wear traditional clothes with their long hair in thick black plaits, but while we were being escorted round the islands in a sort of canoe catamaran (a ´canoe-maran´?) made from reeds, one of our oarswomen had to stop for a moment to answer her mobile phone.

She had a better one than I´ve got too.

Leaving Puno tomorrow (dependent on strikes) to head for Cusco where we have a couple of days to relax before starting the highlight of the trip - The Inca Trail!