No, not actually. But c'mon its funny! The legend goes that the titi side is Peru and the caca side is Bolivia. Bolivia's only body of water and close to its only attraction. For Peru, it is one of the many attractions of the country and only one of many bodies of water. Of course, my information and biases is coming from the "titi" side.
After missing my original overnight bus to Puno (the peruvian city on the coast of Titicaca) due to an unexpected party at my house making it hard for me to leave, especially right when the homemade Pisco Sours were ready, I caught the midnight bus to Juliaca ( a town 45 minutes from Puno where I would later take a shuttle bus to Puno).
Fast forward past sleeping on the hot, sweaty, cold, stinky bus and the shuttle ride to Puno and bam (lucky you can fast forward this part). I arrived in Puno at 7am and waited for Kiki until 9. Puno, for tourists is no more than a port town to catch a boat to the islands. Puno wasn't anything special and time should not be spent there, especially if you have limited time.
However, the islands, WOW! The islands! Not your typical islands for many reasons. Firstly, its a lake. Second, your up at 12,000 ft on an island (higher than Mt. Hood). Thirdly some of these islands are man made floating islands from aquatic plants named Reeds. Lastly, the culture is still in tact from hundreds of years ago. Pre-Incan and Incan. Some islands speak Aymara and are Aymara people while others speak Quecha. But all speak Spanish as well.
First stop, Los Uros (floating islands). There are 87 of these floating islands. Made from flaring reed roots with reeds stacked on top. New reeds are stacked on top at least every 16 days to keep them a float! The islands are staked into shallow parts of the lake as well so you are not swaying. But you better believe there's still a rock in your step! These islands exist because the Aymara people escaped from the main land to avoid conquest by the Incas. Originally they lived on reed boats with reed shelters on the boats. Floating around the lake. Eventually they built these islands and lived here surviving against the Incas, but not so much the Spanish. I was not told this but I assume so because there is a church on one of the floating islands. Church=Spanish.
These islanda were spectacular just to believe how inventive, creative and resourceful these people were. Incredible, people from all cultures around the world continue to amaze me. Western, Eastern, Southern, Northern. Mountain people, City people, posh people, indigenous people. No importa! Our thought of an educated people is skewed when referring to more indigenous people. They survived in this world for thousands of years before our technology filled, western run world ever existed. They might not have spent thousands of dollars on PHD's or other certifications. But damn, they are all engineers, doctors, farmers, traders and bi-lingual. I think they stand for themselves.
Going on, Los Uros was great and a necessary stop on the tour. We spent the night and got to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the lake and the floating island. Cutting down reeds and helping restore the island! Fishing with the locals and eating the local cuisine. It was great to spend the night to actually feel a different side then only spending an hour being a tourist.
In the morning we headed to Tequille island. Dios mio was this lo maximo or what? It was a mix between the Mediterranean, The Great Wall of China and Peru 500 years ago still in tact in 2014. Just spectacular! Really. The Mediterranean because of the water color along the shoreline, the great wall because of these amazing stone paths that circulated the entire island and Peru 500 years ago because everyone speaks Quecha, the whole island is made up of andenes (Inca farming terraces) and the clothes are so colorful and traditional and everyone wears them. The population on the island is 2,000 people and they all know each other. They continue to only live by the 3 Incan laws: don't steal, don't cheat and don't be lazy. They are so friendly and you can feel the safety on the island. A women isn't beautiful if she is skinny and curvy, but if she has big calfs bc it means she can work hard! We spent the night here with a family and it was truly an incredible experience getting to be part of the family for a day. The place just took my breath away the entire time. A must see. A must spend the night.
Warning: bring sunscreen, hat, sunglasses and warm clothes. Temperature is severe. One minute boiling the next freezing. The sun is powerful! Be careful. The air is thin I have been living at 6,000 ft for about 3 months but I felt it everywhere I was!
My phone ran out of battery before I could snap shots of Tequille island. But Kiara has plenty I will put up later
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