I'm now on the road with TWO great friends from the States, D and J.
Our first stop together as a travelin' threesome was the city of Puno, due to it being situated on Lake Titicaca--the largest lake in South America and the highest (12,000ft+) navigable lake in the world.
Puno itself is a really relaxing town that I enjoyed wandering, even if I was huffing and puffing every time a street went uphill. The altitude!
The main purpose of going to Puno, though, was to get out on the lake for a day. And a gorgeous one it was. Our first stop was the floating reed islands of Los Uros.
The indigenous people who live here literally build the "ground" they live on out of reeds that grow in the lake, constantly laying down new layers of reed as the bottom, oldest layers rot away beneath them. They also make their boats out of reeds (and then paint them these really bright colors). It's pretty mind-blowing.
When you're standing on one of the islands, the ground feels really boggy and squishy beneath you, but people have houses like normal, except they're made of reed and just sitting on more reed.
We also stopped on the island of Taquile (actual land, this one) and climbed to the top of it, enjoying sweeping views over the lake.
I was trying to imagine what it would be like to grow up and live one's entire life in this very isolated place, no cars, in the middle of a lake so high in the sky. I can't really! But loved this little glimpse into that world.
No comments:
Post a Comment