PUNO & The Uros Islands, Peru

We were warned to go to Lake Titicaca before seeing Machu Picchu. After that experience, consensus was that most things pale in comparison. Our schedule didn’t permit this but the forewarning helped prepare expectations that were more appropriate. Still, I was a little disappointed when I first laid eyes on the lake. I knew Puno was only a jumping off point and had heard the town itself was on the uglier side. So I had no expectations whatsoever of the town. But, I’d envisioned the lake to look like a huge crater high in the mountains. It’s elevation is among the highest in the world. The slope of the mountains was less dramatic, though. And it seemed like a lake surrounded by hills not mountains.

We arrived in the early evening and went to dinner after settling into our hotel. The older and touristy part of town was actually quite cute. The next day we were picked up for a boat tour to several islands on the lake. The second place we visited was fine and dandy. But, the first set of islands made it worth the trip.

The Uros Islands are man made islands of reeds. The people who’ve inhabited the islands for centuries use the reeds that flourish in the lake for everything. They use them to make rope for which they tie together floating blocks of dirt and root. Then they lay dry reeds over the dirt in a criss cross pattern until the footing is thick. Homes, boats and everything in between are then constructed using the same reeds. They even eat them! It was incredible to see people living as they had for so long and on islands that looked like fairy tale illustrations. That first step off the boat and onto the reed strewn ground made me feel uneasy as I sank down into the cushy footing. Soon, though, I began to feel confident of my footing. And I had to suppress the impulse to run and jump and roll. It reminded me of playing in piles of leaves as a kid. Falling is not a problem here and the implications were a little thrilling. The kid inside was getting a kick out of this and the adult inside had to hold me by my collar. It took all day to visit these islands and we didn’t even cover a quarter of the lake. It’s size is impressive. And, though the view from our side of the lake didn’t wow me, I suspected a more earth shattering view could be had across the border. But, alas, that was all the time we had. We’d hoped to go to Copacabana and La Paz, winding around and exploring different parts of the lake. But I think we’ve finally come to terms with the fact that we don’t have time to do everything. We left for Lima by overnight bus the following day after exploring the town a little more. And we’ve vowed to come back to Peru. Thirteen days here just isn’t enough.