The altitude issues returned with a vengeance - it was almost impossible to fall asleep and stay asleep for any length of time. By 5:30 a.m. I just gave up on the sleeping concept.
Today's itinerary included going out onto Lake Titicaca for two stops - to visit the Floating Islands of the Uros people, and the Tauile island.
The original plan was to walk down to the pier. Fortunately, Danny had picked up on the concept that a bunch of us might not be up to that and arranged a bus for those of us who didn't want to walk. The bus was a great idea - it was a steep incline down to the pier.
And of course climbing onto the boat was a challenge, as always, though at least there was no plank to walk. Once on the boat, Charo began telling the story of the native Uros populations who live on the lake on man-made floating islands made of the reeds. There are about 1800 people currently living on these floating islands.
We arrived about 30 minutes later. The family was waiting for us - they gave us all big smiles and hugs in greeting.
It was not easy walking on the reed floor (I think it helps to grow up doing it). We were provided logs made of reeds to sit on, while Charo and the island President told us about how the floating island was made from reeds, how it is maintained, how the houses are built and the social organization of the group of people on this particular island. The group consisted of an older couple with a couple of their children with spouses and children of their own.
Charo explained about the clothing they wear, including the women's hats. The traditional hat is a bowler perched on top of their heads. Some of the younger women wear broad rimmed hats to protect their faces from the sun.
Here is a photo of a young woman showing us a typical wedding shawl.
Even their boats are made of reeds - some are very simple canoe-like boats, and some are very fancy and complicated. The men called these their "Mercedes Benz" boat. The boats floatation devices are discarded plastic soda bottles - which are also used as floaties to teach their children how to swim at around 6 or 7 years old
The family had questions for us - what are our names, how many children do we have, how many bathrooms do we have in our house? They knew about American television - the President of the island owns the only T.V.
And we could ask them anything as well. One question we had - how did the women keep the bowler hats on their heads? Apparently they just learn to do it from a very young age - there are no pins or elastic bands or anything holding the hats to their heads. One question I forgot to as was - why a bowler hat? What was the origin of that?
We were able to see the inside of their houses
And a couple of the men tried on traditional shirts
We then had the opportunity to buy some of their crafts from them - all the items were beautifully made.
Before we left for our next stop, they performed some songs for us, including "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean", sung very proudly in English.
We were given the opportunity to ride in one of the big Mercedes boats - except that I needed to use the bathroom on our boat and I couldn't move fast enough to climb onto our boat, use the bathroom, then climb back out to climb onto the reed boat.
But it was fun to watch:
Charo explained that the tours rotated between the islands so that they all have the opportunity to earn money. She also explained why there were solar panels on the island - apparently the Peruvian government has decreed that every house should have at least one solar panel.
So of course the bathroom was an issue - in the bathroom there was the toilet itself (with no seat), plus a bucket of water + a pitcher, and some pipes with a handle. I had no idea what I was supposed to do to flush. I thought maybe I was supposed to turn the handle, but that did nothing. Eventually I gave up and just asked - well, it turns out I was supposed to raise the handle up and down, as in pump it. Of course.
Our next stop was on the island of Taquile, another 45 minutes away. To get off the boat, we had to climb onto another boat, walk through it and then climb onto the rocks on the shore. The walk to the beach was not easy. The walk ON the beach was not easy.
We were treated to a performance by some Taquile residents, followed by a photo op
After the performance, we still had to climb up to the restaurant where we were to have lunch. This took a while, but we made it!
Charo explained the various items of clothing and how they are made - the women weave the belts their husbands wear using yarn made from their own hair. The men make the colorful skirts the women wear - the number of skirts she has reflects how much he loves her.
The men are also expected to knit their own hats - the design indicating whether they are married or single. The weave of the knitted had must be tight enough to hold water - if a young man's hat leaks, he may not get permission to marry the girl he likes.
The lunch was excellent - vegetable soup and grilled trout that had been caught just that morning.
Before starting the climb down, we were able to shop a bit. Andy bought a scarf.
That came in handy on the way back down. The wind was now gusting, making it even harder to breathe than before. So I borrowed Andy's new scarf to wrap my face against the wind.
Getting back onto the boat was a new challenge - to get off the boat, we walked through a boat that was closer to shore. That boat was now gone. The gap between the rocks and our boat was huge - there was no way I would be able to step down onto the deck. The gap was half my height! The crew dug up a little stool for me to stop onto - but the boat was rocking and constantly changing position. It took 3 people to get me from the rocks to the deck.
It was an hour ride back to the hotel. Most of us were asleep.
The evening's dinner would be the last for the whole group together. On Wednesday, we would all fly back to Lima. At the airport, half the group would be picked up and taken back to the HIlton where we stayed when arrived 10 days ago. The other half would board a bus and continue on to the town where they would continue with the tour to see the Nasca lines.
The bus took us into downtown Puno. We still needed to walk a couple of blocks to the restaurant. I've long since learned to take the concept of "a couple of blocks" with a grain of salt. And of course, the restaurant was up a long flight of stairs. But, a grand time was had by all!
Tomorrow - back to sea level!
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