Jibby Jabbing: April 2018

The cheapest and easiest way to get from Cusco to Lake Titicaca was for us to take a big tour bus. And I have to be honest here... I slept pretty much the whole time. If the bus was moving, I was asleep. I tried to listen to the guide, but... yeah, I slept. And everytime we stopped somewhere, I woke up and got off the bus. Haha.

The first place we stopped was Andahuaylillas, where we toured the San Pedro Apostol de Andahuaylillas church. It was built in the late 1500s/early 1600s by Jesuits. We couldn't take photos inside, but here's the outside.

Our next stop was Checacupe, where we got off the bus for the express purpose of walking across a bridge. And it was a pretty cool bridge! Built by the Incas, it is situated between two other bridges built during different periods. On the right is a modern-day bridge for cars. On the left is a bridge built by the Spaniards.

So here are the modern and Inca bridges.

And here are the Inca and Spanish bridges.

Here's a better view.

And here we all are waiting for our turn to cross!

Here I go! I look kind of hunched... terrible posture! Anyway.

Here goes Daniel!

Our third stop was Raqch'i, which is most well-known for the Temple of Wiracocha. It's a two-story rectangular building that has 11 columns on either side and once had the largest roof of any Incan building. It was, of course, destroyed by the Spanish.

See the columns? Er, what's left of them?

Not a bad location!

The site also has several storehouses that were used for storing grains. This one has a reconstructed roof, showing what it would have looked like in Incan times.

Here we are inside! It was surprisingly cold in there.

More storehouses in various stages of ruin.

Then it was back to the bus! It was a beautiful drive; I wish I'd stayed awake for more of it!

At some point we stopped for lunch at a rather unimpressive buffet. No need to talk about that.But then we stopped at Abra La Raya, a mountain pass that stands 14,222 feet above sea level!

It was such a beautiful view. I bought a handmade alpaca sweater from one of the women who sell their crafts there. They carry their huge loads up the mountain every day! And it's chilly up there.

The most amazing part is that while we were standing there, we were looking around at mountains that were significantly taller than where we were. Talk about altitude sickness (which, thankfully, I never experienced on this trip)!

Our last stop before reaching Puno (a city on Lake Titicaca) was Pukara. Honestly, all I remember about the place is an unimpressive museum and our guide talking a lot. Someday I must go back and give it another chance! Anyway, here's a picture of Iglesia de Santa Isabel de Pucará.

When we got to our hotel in Puno, it was late afternoon. Just in front of it were tons of these beautiful flowers. They remind me of California poppies, my absolute favorite flower.

By the time we got situated in our room, this is the dusky view we had of Lake Titicaca. Pretty!

We ate dinner at the hotel and then went outside to see if we could see the Magellanic Clouds (which Wikipedia says are "two irregular dwarf galaxies visible in the Southern Celestial Hemisphere"). It was something Daniel wanted to do, obviously. It was too cloudy though, so we never saw them. Sad.

In the morning, we got on a boat and headed to the floating islands. This was my favorite part of the trip other than Machu Picchu. Here's some brief background. The inhabitants of the floating islands, the Uros, were the native inhabitants of the Lake Titicaca area. When the Incas came, the Uros were forced from their land and chose to take up residence on the lake. For them, this was a defensive move; if anything threatened their safety, they could simply move their island(s).

This was our first view stepping off our boat and onto one of the islands, of which there are about 70 or so on the lake.

Once we stepped onto the island, we walked through this beautiful archway. I guess you could call it an entryway.

The very first thing we did was sit and watch the inhabitants demonstrate how the islands are made.

Oh, and their cat came to say hi.

So. Here's how the islands are made. Everything (seriously, everything) is made from totora reeds, which are plentiful in Lake Titicaca. Even many of the boats they use are constructed from these reeds. The "benches" we were sitting on for the demonstration were bundles of dried reeds.

As for the islands themselves, they are also made entirely of reeds that are crisscrossed over each other to provide a sturdy (albeit squishy) surface. Of course, reeds alone would not be sufficient, so underneath the layers of reeds are clumps of mud and totora roots that are tied together with ropes. And the roots float!

The reeds are then layered on top of the blocks, which are moored to the bottom of the lake to prevent too much drifting. Of course, if the inhabitants of an island want to move it, they can.

Isn't that amazing?! The islands require constant upkeep, so the Uros people are constantly harvesting reeds to add to their islands. However, the islands can last for up to 30 years or so.

The island we visited was home to a few families. I believe they were all related by blood or marriage. As we watched the demonstration, two of the little kids were playing. They had to teach them very early not to walk right off the island and into the water!

The lake is a great source of food for the inhabitants of the islands.

They also raise livestock, such as chickens. Check out the eggs.

For things they can't catch or produce themselves, they travel into Puno to buy/trade. Older children also attend school on the mainland, though they usually come back to live on the islands with their families when they are done.

After the demonstration, each of the couples was invited into a different home. The woman who brought me and Daniel into her home had a son who was attending school in Puno. She was also the mother of at least one of the two young children pictured above.

This was her home. I tried not to be obvious about photographing it, so I just got a quick shot as we were leaving (and she had already walked out ahead of us). In the other corner was a small television, which is operated through solar power. Yes, they have solar panels on the island! They were provided by the Peruvian government as a way to encourage the Uros to preserve their way of life.

We sat in the woman's house with her for a good 10 minutes. She motioned for us the sit on the bed, which you can see in the photo above. She didn't speak English, but she did speak Spanish (in addition to her own native language), so I busted out what little Spanish I remember from school. We were able to talk about Daniel's job as well as Aubrey and Carter, and she told us about her children. I had never actually spoken Spanish to anyone other than my teachers and classmates, and it was a little scary. But I'm so glad I did it.

Here is her home from the outside.

After we had visited their homes, the women of the island brought out the handicrafts they had made so that we might purchase some. Here Daniel and I are looking at them.

The islands haven't always been a tourist attraction. The Uros originally built their islands much further from Puno, in the middle of the lake, but a storm in 1986 destroyed many of the islands, and the people were forced to rebuild closer to the mainland. With increased closeness came increased curiosity and ease of access for tourists. The Uros adapted and now rely on tourism as another means of support. We did actually purchase a tapestry that was handmade by the woman whose house we visited. Afterward, we took the chance to take a few more photos.

Here's Dad enjoying the view of the lake from their watchtower.

And here's a shot of one corner of the island.

The island actually has a hole in the middle of it, which is used for fishing.

Here's the whole group of us!

After visiting the islands, we got back on our boat and headed out to the middle of Lake Titicaca. The floating islands are actually fairly close to Puno, located in a kind of bay. So to get to our next destination, we had to sail out futher.

Here we are on top of the boat. It was a much better view from up there!

After a fair amount of sailing,we arrived at Taquile Island. This is an actual island in the lake. Because the lake is massive. I had no idea how huge it was! Taquile island itself is small, however--just over 2 square miles.

We landed at the southern tip of the island, in the region called Collata. There are six regions in all, and we were only allowed to visit this one. I think they try to limit the number of people visiting the island each day and spread them out.

As soon as we got off the boat, we started climbing. Everything in Peru is so vertical! This is what we climbed to the top of.

Here was our beautiful view of the lake as we climbed.

Sheep!

When we got to the top of the hill I showed earlier, there was more climbing to be done.

It was fairly steep, though not horrible. But with the altitude (around 13,000 feet), we were huffing and puffing! I had to stop more times than I'd like to admit just to catch my breath.

But oh, what a view!

We basically just walked over this region of the island and enjoyed the sheer beauty of it. Much of the island was farmland, with many sheep and cows. We walked until we reached this house/restaurant.

This is their view! You can see this little bay just down the hill from them. So basically we walked from one side of the island to the other.

Sheeeeeeep!

While we waited for lunch, which the family who lives here served us, our guide told us a little about the culture of Taquile Island. My favorite detail was that the men are all knitters! They are taught as young boys. The main thing they knit are chullo hats, which every man on the island wears. They kind of look like Santa's hat, with the floppy top and puffy ball at the end. The hats come in different designs depending on a whether a man is single or married. Apparently a man's ability to knit well is so important to a prospective wife (and her family) that there is a custom in which a man will drink water from his hat to show how well-made it is. No leaking water means it's perfect! And that means the man is worthy.

While the men knit, the women weave. One of the most important things they weave are waistbands for the men. In addition to a colorful waistband woven from the usual materials, a woman must weave a special waistband for her future husband, which is to be worn under the colorful one after they are married. And what is this special waistband made from? The woman's hair! When a couple becomes engaged, the woman cuts her hair short and weaves the hair into a waistband for the man. They must have strong hair!

Taquile island has no cars and very little electricity, so its inhabitants have been living the same way for hundreds of years. As a result, their traditions run deep. It was a completely enchanting place. I'm actually really glad we went to the part of the island that we did. I enjoyed being away from the more developed areas and plazas.

Anyway, our lunch was delicious! We started with a simple but yummy quinoa soup that came with amazing bread.

Then we had our choice of either an omelet (boring!)...

... or trout. I definitely went for the fish. And it was SO good. Nom. It came with a few varieties of potatoes, which were also delicious.

Here we all are enjoying our meal! It was one of my favorites.

After lunch, the family demonstrated how they wash their clothes using soap made from hawthorne plants. First the father ground up the plant into a paste.

Then he scrubbed it into the fabric in the water, and it lathered!

Next the family played music and danced for us.

And this time it was me and Kara who were pulled up to dance!

More sheep! Did I mention I love sheep?

Taquile Island was truly a spectacularly beautiful place--everything about it. Along with Machu Picchu, it was the highlight of the trip for me.

After a quick stop to grab our bags from the hotel, we headed to the airport to fly to Lima. On the way, we stopped at the Sillustani Necropolis. A cemetery dating back to pre-Inca times, the necropolis is full of towers (or chullpas) that contained the remains of whole families.

Llamas! Or Alpacas! I'm not sure which, but they're cool!

Just outside of the main area containing all the towers is a ceremonial "sun circle" formed from jagged rocks. It may have been used for sacrifices.

This picture shows how the bodies were prepared for burial. After being placed in the fetal position, they were wrapped in blankets--along with their posessions and food--and put in the towers.

Unfortunately, many of the towers were literally blown apart (with dynamite) and robbed.

Check out this image of a lizard on one of the towers. Lizards were an important symbol of life and regeneration.

Many of the towers had a small, eastern-facing hole at the bottom, through which the sun would shine each morning. Some historians believe this was thought to guide the spirits of the dead to the afterlife. They were, after all, sun worshippers.