We are woken up fairly early and I have no idea what the temperature is anymore since we seem to be flying from one climate to another every day. I throw on a pair of shorts, sneakers and a t-shirt and head out. I get some breakfast with everyone and notice the Aussies eating vegemite – I was confused – why would someone bring that with and was it really that good? We were then quickly called to come outside and check out our new and exciting transportation!
It was guys on bicycles with a little cab in front for you to sit – so if he crashes into something – you’re the one going headfirst – no seat belts needed ha-ha. Everyone got in pairs and I decided to get in alone and told my guy to speed like no tomorrow! The journey began and even though it was not a race my guy was doing fairly well as we flew by all the others. One couple had their bottle on the seat and that came flying off and so we were in the lead! I felt bad for my driver but it was fun – only tough part was that it was roughly 40 degrees outside and I was in shorts and a t-shirt with no sun in sight. I quickly bought a scarf at our final destination, which was the roughest material I have ever felt, but hey it beat being cold.
We boarded a small boat and we were on Lake Titicaca heading for Taquile Island while stopping by a few floating islands made entirely of plants! Even though I saw straw made buildings on sitting on top of these Uros islands, I was very hesitant to get off. Was definitely a strange experience. Apparently the people that live on these islands have to remake them every 6 months or so and there kids typically go to public school on the main land but they live out in the water. They don’t have to pay any taxes at all because they are not on land. Right across the lake is Bolivia. Two ladies and myself decide to try out the boat that is made of the same material. We get in and get to the upper deck of the boat as we are driven to the next island. Meanwhile a boy no older than 6 sings to us – was very cute and at the end was asking for tips. Was pretty funny and a fun experience. We check out the next island and learn that their primary source of income is tourists that buy toys from them and other souvenirs. I bought a little boat and then we got back on our regular boat and headed to Taquile Island. After a couple hours on the boat we arrive.
We disembark the boat and the view of the lake with the road going into the water, was pretty amazing. I snapped the shot and followed the rest of the group as we slowly hiked up the island. The island was not enormous – it was layered as you kept going up with different sections of property. Electricity was pretty bleak here and the guide explained that there was nothing here – yet I did see on satellite dish in the corner. We were here to have some dinner and also play a fun game of soccer with the locals. But playing soccer at roughly 3800 meters is not as easy as it may seem. I was the goalie and we played for about 40 min or so and every few minutes. The game ended with a tie and we had a blast and so did the locals. I was surprised though – every time the ball went out of the soccer area it would drop 100 feet down and a local kid would literally jump from one elevation to the other – get it and run back up. We also learned that the people on this island are some of the best weavers in the world.
They apparently competed a couple years ago and had won. They were selling scarves bracelets and other fabric goods. We also did some dancing with the locals and then headed in to eat some food. The altitude was still trying to kick my butt and playing soccer was not helping. I opted out of eating and began my decent down the mountain with the guide as the rest of the group forged ahead towards the beach and the blistering cold water. The views on this island were amazing and right across the lake we could see Bolivia.
The guide explained to use that this lake had constantly been in negotiations as to who actually owns it – Peru or Bolivia. As we finally got back on our boat we headed back to our hotel.
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