The floating islands of the Uros and Taquile

Again nothing to sleep in! At 6:15 am we have breakfast and are picked up by Kollasuyo Tours soon after. In the port we board the boat, which can hold almost 40 people, and drive out into the Puno Bay, with the weather a bit friendlier today than yesterday.

The shallow bay is dense from Cane reeds (Totora) overgrown. He literally plays one essential role in the life of the Uros. We will soon dock at Isla Santa Maria and put our feet on the slightly yielding one Reed floor. There they get an interesting introduction from the village chief, like that world famous floating islands are built on the basis of a Miniature model.

The Uros chose this way of life centuries ago to avoid the aggressive Collas and Incas. The inside of the reed is not just a building material, it is also edible and tastes like palm heart.

Then we are allowed to Take a look at the apartment buildings, put on traditional clothes for the souvenir photo, buy souvenirs and take pictures of the residents. All is highly touristy and somehow has the pale aftertaste of one Disneyland theme park.

The more than 3000 Uros are now likely to live almost exclusively from tourism. On the one hand this means that their traditional handicrafts, clothing and the islands themselves are preserved, on the other hand it has completely changed their lifestyle. We buy four pretty pottery cups and then sit in traditional reed boatwhich as Basis for the Ra II served. In 1970 the Norwegian showed Thor Heyerdahl with his Atlantic crossing suggests that an exchange between the continents was possible long before Christopher Columbus. We take the reed boat over to the neighboring island, which is overpriced.

In a two-hour drive, which we mostly overslept, we now continue out into Lake Titicaca Taquile Island. The steep island makes every visitor gasp on their way to Plaza Central. Quechua-speaking islanders sell snacks and crafts along the way. They are especially noticeable knitting menwhat the island is famous for. Sheep and a few cows graze in the terraced hills. If you are interested and have enough time, you could stay overnight with one of the island families and get a more authentic look at island life.

There we now visit a restaurant where there was a barbecue Trout or omelette gives. Traditional Andean music will also be performed. In just under an hour's march on one Panorama way with a wonderful view we go to the other end of the island. Here we board the boat again and the long journey back to Puno begins.

Back in town we're going to eat. This time it's delicious Alpaca skewer with quinoa. The Peruvian cuisine is a lot more than the simple Bolivian food. Back at the hotel we use the Internet to update our blogs and read a little more.