Uros Floating Islands, Part II

2/20/14, 2:30 PM

When we arrived at the island of Taquile, we disembarked by way of two other boats. Our tour boat was lashed to another boat that was lashed to the dock. To reach the dock, we had to crawl over these two other tour boats.

Boats in the dock at Taquile Island

Once on the dock, we were tasked with a steep 30-minute hike to the top of the island where the main plaza was I was dying. I've been sick for the last couple of days and have been having trouble breathing regularly. This hike was miserable. I couldn't catch my breath and my chest hurt. Add to that the fact that Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world; the altitude makes physical exertion difficult.

Terraces on the side of the island

Finally, very out of breath, I made it to the plaza at the top of the island. Alli and I visited the knitted goods store before rejoining our group for lunch at a local restaurant. We had an option of trout or omelette. Being vegetarian, I obviously chose the omelette. It was okay, and like many of our meals here, the main came with rice and french fries.

Taquile Island

After lunch, the guide explained a bit more about the local people of Taquile and showed us examples of their red hats and colorful hats. We walked back down to our boat by way of a different, less steep, stone path.  And now, here we are on the boat traveling back to Puno. Tonight, we will arrange for our transportation to Arequipa for tomorrow and will hopefully go to sleep early.

Uros Floating Island Tour

1:02 PM 2/20/14

We arrived at our hostel in Puno at about 5:30 AM. Our island tour was scheduled to pick us up at 7:00 AM. Essentially, we got settled in our new lodging and got ready for our day out.                                                                                                                      
Right on time, we were picked up by a minibus that transferred us to a boat in the port. In about half an hour, we had arrived at one of the Uros floating islands. We disembarked onto layers of reeds and were led to reeds laid down in a horseshoe like a bench. We sat and listened as the guide talked.

Apparently, the base of each island is a layer of reed roots. On top of that, approximately 2 meters of cut reeds are placed. On top of the reeds, the reed homes are built. Generally, 3 or 4 people live in these one-room homes, parents and 1 or 2 children.

One of the reed homes

Traditional reed boat.

Woman rowing to one of the villages

As soon as the guide had finished speaking, we were all whisked away into different homes. Alli and I were let to the island leader's home. He outfitted us in traditional Peruvian costumes for a photograph. We complied, and he took our picture. Afterwards, he led us back outside to where his wife sat with her goods, wall hangings and pillow cases, and his mobiles featuring condors and reed boats. Of course, all of this was an attempt to get us to buy, buy buy.

Dressed up in Peruvian garb

The last part of the Uros tour was to climb aboard one of the island's reed boat for 10 soles and sail to an island a bit further up. I opted out and got the same ride on the tour boat. After one last ditch effort to part us from our money, the tour boat continued on to Taquile Island.

Welcome to Taquile Island

Apparently, this island is special in that it is recognized by UNESCO. The best knitters in the world happen to live here, and they are men. Not only is the island known for its knitting, it's also known for very particular wedding traditions. According to the guide, who is from Puno but engaged to a local from Taquile, a woman must make her fiancé a belt made in part out of her hair. In return, the man must make his fiancée's wedding dress. In recent years, this wedding dress tradition has faded some, and now the man may buy parts of the dress.

Furthermore, specific traditions surround the wedding festivities.  Both man and woman must meditate on their knees for 3 days of the 8-day celebration. They may not smile; they may only consider the seriousness of the upcoming union. To assist the couple in their meditative journey, the godparents provide sheepskins for the couple to kneel on. This gesture isn't friendly. The sheepskins are full of ticks, and the couple must endure the ticks crawling on them and leeching their blood.  They are not permitted to scratch, remove the ticks, or show facial expressions. It's enough to make you not want to get married!

In addition to the special ceremony regarding the wedding, special clothes must be worn every day. Wearing a red knitted hat means you are a married man. A red and white hat means you are a single man. Leaders wear colorful hats. Women are not exempt from status-declaring clothing. The pom pons on their mantles denote marital status. The island's 2,500 inhabitants all live by these tenets.