La locura al lago: Loving the Lake

What a weekend it was!  As you already know, Shauna and I went on a whirlwind tour of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world.  Cool, huh?

One of the Uros Islands

We started Thursday night on an overnight bus ride to Puno.  (It was great that we had the trip to look forward to, because on Thursday we had to say goodbye to our American friends who had been taking classes in Cusco, and are now back in the States.  We hated to see them go!)  After the trip, from about 5am to 7am, we got to sleep in a real bed at the house of the travel agency we went through, and then we made our way to board the boat that would show us the islands over the next 36 hours or so.


First we went to the Uros Islands, which are the famous floating islands on the lake.  That’s right, these man-made islands have to be anchored down so they don’t float to Bolivia (after all, as one indigenous man on the island joked with us, they don’t have passports or visas!).  So basically what happens is a group of the indigenous population there gets together (usually about 6-10 families who are either related or close friends) and decides they want to create their own island.  And that’s exactly what they do.  Made of essentially dirt and straw, the people construct an island and then the straw houses that sit on them.  Then these 6 to 10 families live there together, with one of members acting as president.  Most of their money comes from tourism, from people like me oohing and ahhing over their floating lifestyle, and as could be expected, most of their money is spent on their Mercedes Benz.  Okay, so that’s not so true, but they did joke about their Mercedes Benz, which is what they called their elaborate canoes made of straw.  We got to take a ride in one of these majestic creations.  Suave!

A Mercedes Benz of Lake Titicaca, the famous totora reed boats

Next we took a three hour ride (back in a motor boat) to the next island, Amantani.  Try as I might, I could not keep my eyes open (nor could my travel companions) so we dozed in and out of amazing views of the gorgeous lake.  At Amantani we split into small groups to eat at our homestays, so Shauna and two other girls from our volunteer program and I ate soup, potatoes and cheese with our temporary mom.  Luckily she spoke Spanish (in addition to her native Quechua) so we were able to converse while eating.

The moon over one of the clay houses on Amantani

The view from my bedroom door!  Buenos dias, Lake Titicaca and the Andes!

The evening was spent climbing to the top of Pachatata, a mountain that was breathtaking in more than one ways.  On the way up, Shauna and I shared our pain and inability to breath with some of the others in our weekend travel group.  What started as some silly complaining about the climb (“taxi!?”), turned into great new friendships and a weekend of laughter.  Our new friends were in a large group of design students from Arequipa, another part of Peru, and were on a weekend’s trip with their professors.  As they had gone through the same travel agency as us, we were with the same tour guide, on the same boat and experiencing the same fun as they were, so beginning with that breathtaking sunset over the lake together, we were attached at the hips with our new buddies, Jose and Frank (or Frankito, as we called him).

We made it to the top! Jose (el payaso), me, Shauna, and Frankito on Pachatata

In our traditional skirts and ponchos:)

That night we dressed up in the traditional clothes our host moms gave us and met in a main town hall building.  We danced and laughed, but were pretty exhausted so after about an hour we returned home and fell fast asleep in our cozy, clay homes.  It was chilly, but quiet and peaceful, the night air was fresh and the stars were plentiful (all unlike life back here in the city).  And under our five alpaca blankets, we slept like babies.

Dancing!

The following morning, after warm coffee and breakfast, we said goodbye to our sweet mom and boarded the boat once again, this time being sure to claim the top so that we could soak in the sun, fresh air, and incredible views.  We hopped over to another island, where we, yet again, struggled to reach the top, stopping to take pictures along the way, half because we wanted to record the views and memories, and half because we needed an excuse to take a break and breath (did I mention that at about 12,500 feet it is even higher than Cusco...meaning there is even less air to share?!).

  

Frankito, beautiful camera in hand

 At the top we ate at a restaurant in the little plaza and then made our way down the other side, where our boat was waiting for us.  The whole day was spent with the Arequipañan boys, from more “complaining” about the hike, to taking in the views (with their really pretty cameras...as they are all design student, they each had cameras that left me very celosa), to hanging out in the sun on the top of the boat for the whole three hour trip back to the mainland.  There we parted ways, and Shauna and I did what we do best: explore.  While Puno is a cool city, it made me realize the many ways in which Cusco is a very rich city in comparison to others in Peru (this is largely due to the high levels of tourism in Cusco, as it is a hotspot for those hiking the Incan Trail and/or visiting Machu Picchu).  

Just hanging out with the boys on the boat

Titanic!

Some of the indigenous islanders fishing

Some empanadas and one pizza later, we met up with Jose and Frankito to say goodbye and then it was back to the bus for us.  We hated to leave our new friends, and we definitely were not ready to leave the lake, but on the bus I realized that I had kind of missed Cusco over the three short days, and that going back really felt like going home.  It was a comforting feeling.

So remember Machu Picchu and how I practically spent more time raving about the people than the World Marvel itself?  Well it has happened again.  I went to a beautiful, unique lake that I absolutely fell in love with, yet looking back on the weekend, I think my favorite part was making new friends.  I’m sure this does not surprise anyone who knows me, but this whole experience reaffirms how much I thrive on relationships and meeting people.  There’s just something so beautiful about it, and it gives me a sense of energy that I can’t explain, but that keeps me going.  Thankfully experiences like these validate my choice to become a sociologist, and reassure me that I am headed down the right path in the field of social work.  I am so grateful for this chance I have to fully experience another culture and to meet so many amazing people!