Lake Titicaca Vacation

View of (a small portion of) Lake Titicaca

 My last vacation as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Peru was to Lake Titicaca (or Titiqaqa). At 12,500 ft, there are a few lakes at higher altitudes, but none with the gorgeous grandeur of this Mother Lake. She supports all manner of ducks, grebes, gulls, snails, frogs and fish, including the “Salmon Trout” – a savory, pink fleshed species. She is twice the size of the great Salt Lake, dotted with islands and fringed in marshland, which provides the reeds, so critical to the Uros culture as well as lush habitat for her fauna. Adding to the natural beauty was the company of my dear friend Robin, who made the trip ever-so-much more pleasurable.

A colorful market in Puno

We flew in from Lima to the small airport at Juliaca. I’m not sure why anyone would endure the 30 hour bus ride, as the 1.5 hour flight is only $20 more. Flying in, the landscape seemed barren and bleak, but during the 1 hour ride to Puno (a city of 2+ million, on the Lake) the vistas improved dramatically. Puno is quite attractive, though crowded and noisy. We elected to stay well outside the city, in the little village of Chuquito, at the Taypikala Lago Hotel. While pricey ($75) by Peruvian standards, the place was as nice as any US resort. Well-appointed rooms, expansive views of the Lake, fireplaces, lounges, a crystal garden, a maze and access to a dock in the reeds made it quite enjoyable. They even had a tank of oxygen in the lobby, to assist those in need. When the dock was built 11 years ago, it was on the Lake, but declining rainfall in the Andes has dropped the Lake level by some 20 ft, leaving the dock well into the reeds, with a channel cut to the open water.

Typical residential floating island of Uros

The biggest tourist draw in the Puno area are the Uros floating islands and their culture. The Uros people sought refuge from the Inca and later the Spaniards, by leaving the mainland to live on islands made of reeds that float freely in the Lake, though these days they are anchored for practical reasons. The island base is chucks of reed root, stitched together, upon which are laid layers of dried reed. These are constantly replenished as the reeds eventually waterlog. The homes are also built of reed, woven into mats, which form the walls and roof of the small, self-supporting

Goyo discusses solar with an island leader

structures. They are placed on wooden frames, so that they may be lifted to add extra insulation inside from the cold and damp of the water. Each island has one or more ponds, where fish are trapped and held for food. The original lake fish was a catfish, but these have largely been replaced by trout.

Of special interest to me, the only power (for obvious reasons) on the islands is solar. I immediately went to work inspecting the systems, most of which were inoperable. Happily, the main cause of failure was bad battery. The islanders have been buying lead-acid truck batteries, but no

L-R - modern house, cook stove, drying reeds and old house

one told them to add water, so they only last about 6 months. We refilled one and got it charging, but I told them to get maintenance free gel batteries, which will last about 10 years. They were also excited to learn about the small “pico” or micro solar units, which could be installed in each house and provide light and cell phone charging. This last bit is important, since at present, they have to take cell phone batteries into town (1/2 hour) to charge. Solar power has greatly reduced the fire hazard of candles and kerosene lamps in houses made of straw.

I was also intrigued by the cook stoves, which vaguely resembled the improved cook stoves built

Robin dips into the Sacred Water of Mother Lake

by many PC volunteers. They solve the problem of fire on a flammable floor/”ground” by making the fire atop reed root, which will smolder, but not ignite. The Uros also build all sorts of boats from the reeds. A recent innovation in design uses empty plastic bottles inside the reed structure for added flotation. Robin was more interested in getting her feet into the Sacred (and chilly) Waters of the Mother Lake.

The 260 ft SS Ollanta was trucked in pieces to the Lake

The Uros live quite well - entirely from fishing and tourism. Their income is well above the Peruvian average. 6 soles ($2+) from each tourist goes directly to the family visited in addition to money from selling trinkets, wedding demonstrations and rides in a reed boat. This makes for a very “touristy” environment. Being able to chat with them made it tolerable for me. An enormous fleet of tourist boats ferries passengers to and from the Puno dock, where Robin and I found some delicious local foods, including fried cheese, which I’d not seen elsewhere in Peru. I’m not sure why the dish is not more common, as it was really crisp and tasty. We viewed some of the large vessels which ply the Lake, including the 260 ft SS Ollanta. . We also found excellent bargains on Alpaca clothing in town and took a ride on the only bike-taxis I've

Robin in a bike - taxi

Ladies' "bowler" hats

seen in Peru, causing our driver some serious stress on an uphill route. We also enjoyed the unique ladies' hat fashion of the area, which Robin discovered was adopted from the bowler hats worn by the British rail workers in the 1800's.

Inside the Temple of Fertility - you get the idea......

                                                                       Back in Chuquito, we walked (with some huffing and puffing from the altitude) to the Temple of Fertility. No one is sure what rites were performed there, but it is certainly unique, with a hundred or so phalluses protruding from the ground, surrounded by huge, perfectly crafted stoneworks.  Even the adjacent church sported the symbols, pointing the way to the front doors. We also found a tiny little local restaurant, where we were served the pink-fleshed trout in a private room with 2^nd floor vistas and some lovely music. Unseasonable lightening, thunder and hail storms over the Lake made for entertaining evenings and left a coating of snow on nearby hills.           Click here for more photos