This morning I arrived in Puno at 5AM. Knowing that I would be picked up for the tour at a hotel in Plaza de Armas at 8AM, I decided to Uber there. Everything was closed so I stopped by a hotel in Plaza de Armas and paid 28 soles for a breakfast buffet. For the next two hours, I used my computer and ate plenty of food and drank plenty of coffee and tea. The tour company picked me up from the hotel and drove a bunch of us to the harbor, where we boarded a boat to Uros.
Uros is a community consisting of 100 small man made islands, each one having 5-6 families living there. A few hundred years ago, the indigenous people in Uros were fleeing persecution on the mainland and built floating islands on reeds in the shallow part of the lake. At the island in Uros, there was a nice presentation on Titicaca Lake, the Uros people, and their construction methods. After the presentation, we had 15 minutes to walk around and buy overpriced souvenirs, which were being sold to us by the few residents of the islands.
After briefly visiting the Uros capital island, we traveled another three hours by boat to Animati, a natural island in Lake Titicaca, where we would be spending the night. Upon arriving at Animati, we met our host and walked about 30 minutes uphill to their home. After settling in for a few minutes, we went into the kitchen for a vegetable soup, plate of vegetables/grilled cheese, and tea. The experience is much more authentic and less touristy than I expected, and it’s been nice to feel like I’m living the lifestyle of the locals: sleeping in their home, eating their food, and walking their paths. There is also an Israeli family staying in the same house as me. The daughter is 21 years old and she is traveling for 6 months after finishing the army. Her parents are visiting her for a couple weeks during her trip. While speaking to Judit (our 27 year old host), she said that her family has hosted 10 people over the past two months. This is because the tourists stay in different communities around the island each day, which allows the residents to maintain their authentic lifestyle (unlike uro)
At 4pm, we met at the soccer court and hiked up to the two temples located at the highest points of the island (approximately 4,150M above sea level). The view was stunning and we could see all the way to Bolivia. Also, the temple ruins were interesting to see in their setting at the top of the mountain. Near the top of the mountain, I had piccarones (Peruvian donuts), hot cocoa, and coca tea from a local vendor. On the way back from the top, I also had a skewer of alpaca and a matcho te (hot drink containing pisco, eucalyptus, Coca, lemon).
A few thoughts before dinner:
- There are no solo travelers in this group, which is a stark reminder that part of the traveling experience is sharing it with someone, whether a spouse, a friend, or family. I can’t wait to travel with Michelle and family in the future
- The people living on this island seem genuinely happy and content with their simple lives and culture. By living separately from mainstream society, they are able to move their simple tranquil lives without being dragged into the trap of consumerism and the accompanying environmental consequences. They have more time to focus on family and enjoying nature then the local populations in Puno probably do. Their work is growing food and gathering food in nature and household work (what humans have been doing for hundreds of thousands of years), rather than sitting in front of computers all day or sitting in a shop like workers do in more advanced societies. If you ask me, I would say that they’re better off
- Everyone on this island that I’ve met is genuinely nice. They may want money, but they are content with their lives and it shows in how they interact with other people. This is in stark contrast to Uros where they were aggressively seeking our money
For dinner, we had vegetable soup and potato stew with rice, both of which were delicious. Then, we wore ponchos and hats and walked over to the auditorium and listened to live Animati music and danced. After about 30-45 minutes, I walked back to the host home and slept
