Today we spent the day out on the famous Lake Titicaca. It is the highest navigable lake in the world (pretty cool, huh?). We started the day by visiting two Uros, otherwise known as floating islands. That was a totally unique experience. The people who live on these islands build them by putting a layer of dirt about 1 meter thick and then multiple layers of the native growing plants from the lake (similar to reeds) on top of it another meter thick. They throw rocks over the side to anchor the island and then build up the sides with more reeds. Surprisingly, these islands can last about 20 years before needing to be repaired! And by repaired, we mean that they just keep putting more reeds on top. Crazy!
The boats that they use are also made of these same plants and 30 people can fit in just one boat! These boats don´t last as long as the islands, though. We read somewhere that they need to be replaced every few months due to water saturation. We were lucky enough to ride in one from one island to the other today. On the second floating island, they even had a museum (well, if you could call it that, check out the photo). It was definitely a great experience to see how these islands work.
Later in the day we continued on to the island of Taquile (a real, solid island, not of the floating variety). The views of the lake were great from t
here and there were lots of excellent local crafts for sale. Of course, we took advantage of both!Tomorrow we head to Arequipa. Hope you enjoy the photos!
6 comments:
That mueum is definitely a field trip must see. This is some education. I've been so busy telling everyone to see the videos on the 24th that I haven't had time to write. This blog is awesome
Love
Mom
You know I meant museum.
Carson is reviewing his biook,1491,which has tons of stuff on Lake Titicaca. He'll probably reread Kon Tiki in the near future, because the cultures of Peru and the South Pacific have many artifacts in common.
Mom
Huh huh... you said Lake Titicaca.
Jen and Chris,
My apologies for taking so long to write. Be assured that I have been checking the blog on a regular basis for updates. I even have had some of my coworkers looking on with fascination. (Makes a day in the insurance world go so much faster, and seem so much brighter!!!)
Anyway, it sounds like your are having the time of your life. Continue to enjoy every minute of it. Also, I think you have a future in writing travel books. Not only are the photos beautiful, but the facts and stories are so interesting!
Take care, be safe. Cannot wait to hear all about it when I see you in person.
Ron and Christina send their love.
Love you,
Tricia
xxoo
Tricia, we´re glad to hear that you´re ennjoying and sharing the blog! We´ve still got lots more to share, so we´ll definitely have some more stories once we get home.
Fun fact about Lake Titicaca:
It was originally called Lake Cacatiti but was changed to 1984 to bring in more tourists.
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