Tuesday 3rd May:
Lake Titicaca, or Great Puma, as the Incas called it. The lake has the shape of a puma, although how the Incas knew this is not explained, only that when it was photographed from space by Yuri Gagarin, and the images sent to the folk here, even pre-Google Earth culture, could the shape be seen. The lake is some 170 kilometres long by 65 kilometres wide, at an altitude of 3,810 metres, and the highest navigable lake in the world.
Today, with a clear blue sky the lake is deep blue and on the far horizon you can see the snow capped peaks of Bolivia's Cordilliera Real. Our guide Vicky explained that there are theories that the lake was once connected to the sea, could have been the Atlantic, more likely the Pacific and over the millennia has gradually given up its salt which has flowed out via the only exit river to form the salt flats in Bolivia, the Salar de Uyuni which we will visit in due course.
[This theory is refuted tomorrow by Bolivian guide Raul]
The lake has five rivers feeding it, and the one exit river in the South East in Bolivia. This outlet accounts for only 5% of the loss, with evaporation accounting for the remaining 95%. It also acts as a massive moderating influence on the climate absorbing energy during the day and releasing it at night. Without out it no agriculture would be possible and the snow line in this region would be much lower than it is.
Enough of the geography and geology lesson, today we visited two islands, one, Uros, over-commercialised, and Taqulle, a beautifully serene island community who have embraced tourism, but not sold their soul to the sol. It appears that the tourism industry has invested in the Uros and their floating islands to prevent the decline of this culture. Adjacent to Puno is a large national park area where the reeds grow in the lake and we see a few boats with people harvesting the reeds.
We meet Alicia and her husband Billian?, he is president of this island community, one of 87 islands, and this one comprising eight families. With Billian's help Vicky explains how they create and maintain an island, and how the totora reed provides building material, as well as food, the white inner tasting like palm heart apparently, and keeping their teeth white.
It then gets worse, as we are ordered into one of their reed boats, the children sing to us in seven different languages and they take ten sol each off us for the five minute crossing to another shopping opportunity.
There are ten of us in the group, and the only other English are Ian & Jill, who we met on the train yesterday. Ian is a corporate animal having worked in senior marketing roles in British Airways as well as Asda-Walmart, and by the sound of it reported to Alan Leighton for some time there. Jill had worked for Mars between 2000 & 2003 in European marketing but did not know Richard Fisher. The few names that we both knew were Andy Weston-Webb, Mike Batt and David Fish. They now run their own business, a farm with a number of holiday cottages on the Wiltshire/Somerset border.
Then the best part of the day, our visit to Taquile Island, about an hour and a half boat ride across the lake. The community on this island act very much as a cooperative, and have embraced some limited tourism. The ten of is had lunch at a local restaurant, being served with the obligatory quinoa vegetable soup, and then grilled trout; both were delicious. The social structure here is demarcated by their clothing and their headgear, so single men, married men, and the same for the women can be determined. Apparently they also seldom marry outside the local community.
The women weave, the men knit, and calendars as well as histories can be read in the intricate belts that they make and wear. Lorna returns to the boat after lunch, whilst Ian, Jill and I take a hike, and it certainly gets the respiratory rate up. We are very pleasantly surprised to see a Peruvian owl, which stop for some time to pose for us. Our hike continues round the headland where we are picked up by our boat, but not before some concern that we have got lost. The views on our walk are stunning, the deep blue of the lake complimented by many Eucalyptus trees, and the green terraces of the local farmers. The visit to Taquile has been a delight, another little highlight.
On our return Vicky tells us that a representative of the Bolivian operator Crillon Tours will be meeting us to explain our transit from Peru into Bolivia tomorrow. It turns out that this was very beneficial because when I mention luggage she says that just an overnight bag will be required for the hotel on Isla de Sol. When I ask why she explains that there is a 45 minute uphill climb to get to the hotel. Lorna is horrified and says, No Way Jose, and so alternative plans are quickly and impressively hatched. We are to stay in Hautajata, at a hotel owned by Crillon; also our itinerary for the next two days will be amended so that we don't miss anything.
We spend the rest of the evening chatting to other couples at the hotel ending up having dinner with Stewart & Liz from Stafford, he's a part time GP and part time antique shop owner, and she's a doctor specialising in STDs, apparently it doesn't require any out of hours working. Stewart is also an author, writing a series about dogs, for dog lovers. Lorna and Stewart hit it off, and after failing to gain much traction in any of the conversations I hold my peace.
Lake Titicaca, or Great Puma, as the Incas called it. The lake has the shape of a puma, although how the Incas knew this is not explained, only that when it was photographed from space by Yuri Gagarin, and the images sent to the folk here, even pre-Google Earth culture, could the shape be seen. The lake is some 170 kilometres long by 65 kilometres wide, at an altitude of 3,810 metres, and the highest navigable lake in the world.
Today, with a clear blue sky the lake is deep blue and on the far horizon you can see the snow capped peaks of Bolivia's Cordilliera Real. Our guide Vicky explained that there are theories that the lake was once connected to the sea, could have been the Atlantic, more likely the Pacific and over the millennia has gradually given up its salt which has flowed out via the only exit river to form the salt flats in Bolivia, the Salar de Uyuni which we will visit in due course.
[This theory is refuted tomorrow by Bolivian guide Raul]
The lake has five rivers feeding it, and the one exit river in the South East in Bolivia. This outlet accounts for only 5% of the loss, with evaporation accounting for the remaining 95%. It also acts as a massive moderating influence on the climate absorbing energy during the day and releasing it at night. Without out it no agriculture would be possible and the snow line in this region would be much lower than it is.
Enough of the geography and geology lesson, today we visited two islands, one, Uros, over-commercialised, and Taqulle, a beautifully serene island community who have embraced tourism, but not sold their soul to the sol. It appears that the tourism industry has invested in the Uros and their floating islands to prevent the decline of this culture. Adjacent to Puno is a large national park area where the reeds grow in the lake and we see a few boats with people harvesting the reeds.
We meet Alicia and her husband Billian?, he is president of this island community, one of 87 islands, and this one comprising eight families. With Billian's help Vicky explains how they create and maintain an island, and how the totora reed provides building material, as well as food, the white inner tasting like palm heart apparently, and keeping their teeth white.
It then gets worse, as we are ordered into one of their reed boats, the children sing to us in seven different languages and they take ten sol each off us for the five minute crossing to another shopping opportunity.
There are ten of us in the group, and the only other English are Ian & Jill, who we met on the train yesterday. Ian is a corporate animal having worked in senior marketing roles in British Airways as well as Asda-Walmart, and by the sound of it reported to Alan Leighton for some time there. Jill had worked for Mars between 2000 & 2003 in European marketing but did not know Richard Fisher. The few names that we both knew were Andy Weston-Webb, Mike Batt and David Fish. They now run their own business, a farm with a number of holiday cottages on the Wiltshire/Somerset border.
Then the best part of the day, our visit to Taquile Island, about an hour and a half boat ride across the lake. The community on this island act very much as a cooperative, and have embraced some limited tourism. The ten of is had lunch at a local restaurant, being served with the obligatory quinoa vegetable soup, and then grilled trout; both were delicious. The social structure here is demarcated by their clothing and their headgear, so single men, married men, and the same for the women can be determined. Apparently they also seldom marry outside the local community.
The women weave, the men knit, and calendars as well as histories can be read in the intricate belts that they make and wear. Lorna returns to the boat after lunch, whilst Ian, Jill and I take a hike, and it certainly gets the respiratory rate up. We are very pleasantly surprised to see a Peruvian owl, which stop for some time to pose for us. Our hike continues round the headland where we are picked up by our boat, but not before some concern that we have got lost. The views on our walk are stunning, the deep blue of the lake complimented by many Eucalyptus trees, and the green terraces of the local farmers. The visit to Taquile has been a delight, another little highlight.
On our return Vicky tells us that a representative of the Bolivian operator Crillon Tours will be meeting us to explain our transit from Peru into Bolivia tomorrow. It turns out that this was very beneficial because when I mention luggage she says that just an overnight bag will be required for the hotel on Isla de Sol. When I ask why she explains that there is a 45 minute uphill climb to get to the hotel. Lorna is horrified and says, No Way Jose, and so alternative plans are quickly and impressively hatched. We are to stay in Hautajata, at a hotel owned by Crillon; also our itinerary for the next two days will be amended so that we don't miss anything.
We spend the rest of the evening chatting to other couples at the hotel ending up having dinner with Stewart & Liz from Stafford, he's a part time GP and part time antique shop owner, and she's a doctor specialising in STDs, apparently it doesn't require any out of hours working. Stewart is also an author, writing a series about dogs, for dog lovers. Lorna and Stewart hit it off, and after failing to gain much traction in any of the conversations I hold my peace.
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